Growth Inhibitory Effect of Medicinal Plant Extracts on Insect Pests and Pathogenic Fungi

Leaf extracts of eight medicinal plants were examined for insecticidal and fungicidal activities against two insect pests and five pathogenic fungi. Two polar solvents were used separately for the extraction. Extracts in solvent-I indicated substantial eggs and larval mortalities in either case of the insects. Among the treatments, Solanum xanthocarpum indicated highest egg (52-61%) and larval (38-56%) mortalities of Pierisbrassicae and Helicoverpaarmigera insects . Moreover, moderate egg (18-47%) and larval (18-50%) mortalities were found in Ocimum sanctum , Calotropisprocera , Euphorbia hirta , and Plectranthusbarbatus treatments. Comparatively less efficacies were observed in treatments of solvent-II extracts. Antifungal activities depicted in terms of growth inhibition zones, such zones were found in all the treatments with variable sizes. S. xanthocarpum treatment exhibited highest fungicidal activities against all the five fungi with growth inhibition zones from 13.7 to 18.3 mm and 11.0 to 13.7 mm diameter respectively, in solvent-I and solvent-II extracts.