Acta Scientifica Malaysia (ASM)

Tomato early and late blight, caused by anthracnose, is a disease of economic importance that threatens tomato production wherever it is grown. This study evaluated the efficacy of two different plant extracts (eucalyptus and Zingiber officinale) against tomato blight-causing Anthracnose. The positive and negative controls, Ridomil Gold and sterile distilled water, were built up using a completely randomized design (CRD). Two vertical lines were drawn underneath each Petri dish to create four equal servings. A 5mm slice of a 7-day-old FOL culture was inoculated in the centre of each petri dish using a sterile 5mm cork borer. To collect data on the suppression of radial growth, the petri dishes were then grown for six days at 29 ± 2°C. The results showed that 80g/250ml ethanol had the lowest radial growth (12.66mm) and was statistically comparable to Ridomil Gold, which had a lower radial growth (11.51mm) at 6 DAI, when compared to other treatments and the negative control, which had the highest radial growth (58.59%). In comparison to the negative control, which had the highest radial growth (53.44%), the lantana methanol root extract at 80g/250ml concentration displayed a similar pattern, with lower radial growth (9.17%) that was statistically comparable to the mancozeb, which had the lowest radial growth (7.00%) at 6 DAI. The results highlight the significance of solvent selection and concentration for antifungal efficacy. These findings suggest that plant extracts from eucalyptus and Zingiber officinale could be utilized to treat tomato blight in an eco-friendly way. By using the right solvent and concentration combination, novel, sustainable antifungal agents can be produced.