Evaluation Of The Effect Of Benzoic Acid On Some Plant Pathogenic Fungi

Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate in vitro growth inhibition activity of benzoic acid against some pathogenic fungi. The pathogens used in the test were seven species of Fusarium (F.moniliforme, F.oxysporium, F.solani, F.graminearum, F.sambucinum, F.equisetum and F. semitectum), Rhizoctenia solani and Verticillium dahliae. The rates used were 0.4mg, 0.8mg and 1.2mg/Petri dish of benzoic acid mixed with 1 ml DMSO. PDA+1ml of DMSO were used as a control. All the concentrations of benzoic acid used in the study have shown great inhibition activity in all the fungi. The minimum effect was shown in the lowest concentration, which was 0.4mg/Petri dish. However, the inhibition percentage increased with the increase of the acid concentration. The lowest inhibition percentage (37.88%) was shown in the application of 0.4mg/Petri dish with R.solani, followed by that of with F. semitectum (56.63%) and Verticillium dahliae (60.81%). Most susceptible fungus was F.sambucinum, in this pathogen 73.94% growth inhibition was observed in 0.4mg/Petri dish, 100% growth inhibition in 0.8mg/Petri dish and 100% inhibition in 1.2mg/Petri dish, whereas the most resistant fungus was F.moniliforme, the only pathogen that revealed growth in all
the tested acid concentrations. This finding indicated that benzoic acid has the potential to inhibit the growth of some plant pathogenic fungi.