Author(s): Falade MJ and Asowata-Ayodele AM

Abstract: Rice blast is one of the most destructive fungal disease that limit rice production. The objective of this study is to evaluate the antifungal potentials of Neem tree (Azadirachta indica), Aleo plant (Aleo vera), Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) aqueous leaf extracts against isolated and characterized Magnaporthe oryzae, a pathogen causing rice blast disease at varied concentration (25, 50, and 100%) for three cropping seasons in vitro and in vivo. The study was laid out in a split-split plot arrangement using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Data were collected for disease severity, disease incidence, and numbers of tillers per plant, number of filled grains, the weight of 100 grains, and panicle weight. Data collected were analyzed using IRRI STAR software. The result reveal that higher plant extract concentration inhibits the rate of pathogen mycelial growth compared to lower concentration in the selected plants. In the field, some levels of significances were observed among the characters studied though at different levels (p>0.01 and p>0.05) in all the source of variations. Disease severity and incidence decreases as the concentration level increases in all the selected plants. Moreover, others measured characters increases as plant extract concentration increases. The result shows that Azadirachta indica is the most efficient among the selected plants followed by Nicotiana tabacum, Aleo Vera and Vernonia amygdalina respectively. It is recommended that farmers should use the aqueous leaf extract from any of these plants that is available in their locality to manage rice blast as it is economical and ecofriendly.

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