Antifungal Activity of Senna alata, Senna bicapsularis and Pityrogramma calomelanos

Aims: Senna alata (Carrion crow bush), Senna bicapsularis (Money bush) and Pityrogramma calomelanos (Wild maran) are known for their value in traditional medicine. The study was an effort to identify, environment friendly antifungal compounds from these locally available plants against fungal pathogen Curvularia lunata.

Study Design: An experiment based study done to identify antifungal property and phytochemical identification of C. lunata.

Place and Duration of Study: Plants were collected from the coastal areas of Guyana and identified at the Biodiversity Center, University of Guyana, Guyana between January 2017- May 2017.

Methodology: Phytochemical extraction was conducted using soxhlet and rotovap apparatus. Hexane, methanol and aqueous extracts of plants were analyzed for antifungal properties. Antifungal activity was tested using the poisoned food and well diffusion technique. Data analysis of the study was done using R-Studio Program for statistical computing and graphics. A Tukey test was done along with ANOVA and Boxplots.

Results: Methanol extract of P. calomelanos showed maximum antifungal activity with an inhibition percentage of 60.3% at 400 µl, with poison food technique. With well diffusion method, P. calomelanos showed an inhibition zone of 54 mm at 500 µl. Saponins, steroids and glycosides were identified with methanol extract of P. calomelanos.

Conclusion: The finding of this study indicates, the possible use of P. calomelanos extract as an antifungal agent against C. lunata and its potential to control fungal plant diseases.