Ameliorative in vitro Effect of Herbal Extract against Curvularia lunata of Cotton

In the management of plant diseases, the use of plant-derived compounds as environmentally benign substitutes for synthetic pesticides has drawn a lot of interest. In the current study, the antifungal efficacy of six different phytoextracts at 10 per cent concentration along with an untreated control was evaluated against Curvularia lunata under in vitro conditions using the poisoned food technique. All the tested phytoextracts significantly reduced the colony diameter and enhanced mycelial growth inhibition compared to the control. Among the botanicals, garlic bulb extract exhibited the minimum colony diameter (18.33mm) and maximum mycelial growth inhibition (79.64%), followed by neem leaf extract. The least inhibitory effect was recorded with datura leaf extract. The study highlights the potential of phytoextracts, particularly garlic and neem, as effective and environmentally safe components for managing Curvularia lunata.