Bioactivity of different species of bryophytes against certain plant pathogens
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Date
2005-07
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G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand)
Abstract
The harmful effect of insecticides and pesticides on human health and environment is well known. The widespread use of chemical pesticides in agriculture and public health leads to contamination of the ecosystem. Exposure to such pesticides creates an imbalance in the physiological functioning of the organisms. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates today- in figures that are widely accepted to be underestimates – that 200,000 people are killed worldwide, every year, as a direct result of pesticide poisoning, up from 30,000 in 1990. In spite of their gradually increasing harmful effects on the environment and human health, there seems to be no possibility of their complete discontinuation. In this situation, the only way left is to reduce the use of toxic chemicals by adopting alternative methods of disease and pest control. One of the possibilities is the use of plant based natural products. Bioactive products of plant origin being less persistent in environment, safe to human and non-target organisms have therefore, become the focus of attention today. In the present study, four species of bryophytes (lower plants) - Entodon plicatus, Marchantia polymorpha, Plagiochasma appendiculatum and Rhynchostegium vagans have been investigated in vitro for their bioactivity against some important crop pathogens like Bipolaris sorokiniana, Fusarium moniliforme, F. solani, Rhizoctonia solani, Pseudomonas solanacearum and Xanthomonas oryzae. All the four species were found to possess antifungal activity against at least one of the test fungi. No antibacterial activity was found in any tested plant species viz., E. plicatus, P. appendiculatum, and R. vagans. Aqueous and organic extracts of M. polymorpha effectively inhibited R. solani while organic extracts of E. plicatus showed significant inhibitory activity against B. sorokiniana. P. appendiculatum and R. vagans inhibited both B. sorokiniana and F. solani. These findings indicate that these liliputians of plant kingdom have an immense potential as plant protectants and in near future, they can serve as new fungicide leads in agriculture.
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