Antifungal Activity of Certain Plants of Benin on Fusarium graminearum Cereals Pathogene

Phytopathogenic fungi decrease crop yield and quality and cause crop damage.   The present work aims to study the effectiveness of certain extracts of medicinal and food plants (EtOH, DCM) that are present in the Republic of Benin on the mycelial growth of toxigenic molds responsible for the degradation of cereals. Ethanol, dichloromethane and aqueous extracts were studied in vitro for their antifungal activities against Fusarium graminearum using microdilution methods.  The results show that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Ocimum gratissimum essential oil is 2.5μl/ml. Regarding the essential oils of Cymbopogon citractus and Eucalyptus globulus they have a complete inhibition at 0.3μl / ml which is the most concentration tested.  Ethanolic and dichloromethane extracts from different plants showed relative growth of about 77.54% for trunk bark and 41.7% for root bark of Anogeisus leiocarpus. The DCM extract of Momordica charantia showed an inhibition of approximately 59.675% at 800μg/ml.  The essential oils Cymbopogon citractus, Eucalyptus globulus, Ocimum gratissimum and trunk bark of Anogeissus leiocarpus show promise as an antifungal agent.