التأثير التثبيطي لمستخلصات نباتية ضد الفطر Macrophomina Phaseolina، المسبب عفن الجذور الفحمي في السمسم Inhibitory Effect of Plant Extracts Against Macrophomina phaseolina, the Causal Agent of Charcoal Rot Disease in Sesame.

This study was conducted to evaluate the inhibitory effect of aqueous extracts of henna (Lawsonia inermis), Christ's thorn jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi), and peppermint (Mentha piperita) leaves against the fungus Macrophomina phaseolina, the causal agent of charcoal rot disease in sesame. Three concentrations (10%, 15%, and 20%) of each extract were tested under laboratory (in vitro) and greenhouse (in vivo) conditions.

The in vitro results showed that all extracts significantly inhibited the fungal growth (P≤0.05) compared to the control. Henna extract was the most effective, achieving the highest inhibition percentage (48.48%) at a 20% concentration, followed by peppermint (46.62%) and Christ's thorn jujube (45.13%) at the same concentration. Henna extract was significantly superior to Mint and Sidr with a significant difference of (1.86%) and (3.35%) at a significant level (P≤0.05). The results indicate that all extracts proved their antagonistic effectiveness against the fungus M. phaseolina.

In the greenhouse experiment, the 20% henna extract resulted in the highest seed germination rate (76.67%) and the lowest seedling wilt percentage (8.5%), compared to the control where wilt reached 82.2%. Peppermint extract also showed positive results in improving germination and reducing wilt, whereas Christ's thorn jujube extract did not show a significant effect on germination compared to the control.

These findings indicate the promising potential of henna leaf extract as a safe and natural biocontrol agent for managing charcoal rot disease in sesame crops.