In vitro Evaluation of Antifungal Activity of Balanites aegyptiaca Del.

Repetitive and long-term treatment of plants with chemical fungicides leads to the formation of stable residues which remain in the soil for long periods and adversely affect soil fauna and flora. They may also drain off into ditches and rivers and kill algae and fish. Plants are known to produce a wide array of constitutive and induced antifungal compounds to fight infection. Plants particularly from arid region would be good candidates to explore for novel broad spectrum antifungal compounds to reduce or eliminate our reliance on synthetic chemicals which would be harmful to our environment. In this respect, an attempt was made in this experiment to investigate the antifungal potential of Balanites aegyptiaca Del. an important tree species of Indian arid region. Dried and powdered leaves, root fruit and bark of B. aegyptiaca extracted with ethanol and water using soxhlet extraction apparatus and dried in rotary evaporator and water bath respectively. These extracts were tested against five fungal plant pathogen includes Rhizoctonia solani, R. bataicola, Fusarium solani, Fusarium moniliforme and Alternaria alternata using poison food technique while bevistin was used as standard fungicide. The extract exhibited antifungal activity against five selected fungi. Thus, the current investigation leads to source of new antifungal compound in future.