Abstract:
Synthetic fungicides are widely used in controlling postharvest diseases of fruits worldwide. The
interest of finding natural bioactive components has increased due to the harmful effects of synthetic
fungicides on environment and health. Present study was an attempt to evaluate the antifungal
activity of ethanolic extract of Croton aromaticus leaves in vitro, against mycelial growth and
spore germination of postharvest fungal pathogens isolated from banana (Colletotrichum musae,
Lasiodiplodia theobromae), papaya (Colletotrichum gleosporioides, L. theobromae) and mango
(Alternaria alternata, Pestalotiopsis mangiferae, L. theobromae), and to analyze phytochemicals
of the extract qualitatively. Inhibitory effect of the ethanolic extract was investigated by well
diffusion method with different concentrations (1, 5, 10, 30, 50, 100, 200 and 300 mg ml-1)
along with positive control (Captan) and negative control (DMSO). Significant inhibitory effects
(P < 0.05) were exhibited by the extract against C. musae, P. mangiferae, A. alternata and C.
gleosporioides except L. theobromae. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value
of the leaf extract (5 mg ml-1) was observed for C. gleosporioides and P. mangiferae. Qualitative
phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, quinones, phytosterols
and flavonoids in leaf extract of the plant. Thin layer chromatographic (TLC) assay revealed the
presence of four bioactive compounds with Rf values of 0.551, 0.672, 0.810 and 0.913.
