Assessing the Antimicrobial potentials of selected Plant Extracts against Post Harvest White Yam Rot

Abstract Antimicrobial potentials of selected aqueous and ethanolic plant extracts against post-harvest white yam rot was studied. Different concentrations (0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 5.0% and 10%) of the selected plant extract Azadirachta indica, Chromolaena odorata, Cymbopogan citratus, Ocimum gratissimum, Zingiber officinale and Allium sativum were prepared. Fungi associated with post-harvest yam rot isolated and their percentage occurrence were; F oxysporum ( 23.7%), Penicillium oxalicum (27.55%), Botryodiploidia theobromae (10.98%), Aspergillus niger (17.89%), Sclerotium rolfsii (19.82%). The effect of selected plant extract on the growth of fungal isolates revealed ethanolic extract of Allium sativum having a very high growth inhibitory effect on all the fungal isolates which ranged from 71.8±0.98% to 100±0.00% at between 1.0% and 10% concentration of the plants extract. The aqueous plant extract of Allium sativum showed high inhibitory effect on all the fungal isolates but slightly lower than the ethanolic extract. Other plants extracts varied in their fungal inhibitory effect depending on the fungi. The phytochemical analysis of selected plants extracts showed the presence of most phytochemicals except for very few exceptions.