Abstract
Alternaria solani, the cause of early blight of tomato, is an important plant pathogen from economic standpoint. An attempt was made to select locally occurring plant species with fungicidal potential. Fifteen plant species were selected from local flora and gardens for evaluation of their antifungal potential using poison food technique against Alternaria solani in aqueous extracts at 4% concentration in Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA). ANOVA disclosed that 8 plants out of 15 significantly reduced the mycelial growth of Alternaria solani. The following species inhibited the radial growth of Alternaria solani by more than 60 percent. Tephrosia purpurea (72%), Capsicum annum (70%), Gliricidia sepium (stem) (70%), Cleome viscosa (69%), Caesalpinia bonduc (67%), Cassia fistula (fruit) (63%), Azadirachta indica (62%) and Cassia alata (62%). Farming of these plants in local gardens should be practiced to obtain sufficient quantities of these non-hazardous and eco-friendly potent fungicides.
