Antifungal Potential of Chenopodium album L. against Chickpea Blight

Chenopodium album L. （bathu） leaves and roots were selected to evaluate their antifungal potential against the Ascochyta rabiei responsible for chickpea blight that causes destructive yield losses. Methanolic extract of C. album leaves and roots was prepared and their various applied concentrations, viz., 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% were tested against A. rabiei. Leaf extracts were found more effective and showed significant antifungal activity over the root extracts. C. album leaf was found effective in screening bioassays, so this was subjected for fractional guided bioassays. Different various organic fractions of leaf extract were isolated, viz., n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. These isolated fractions were serially diluted to check their minimum inhibitory concentration （MIC） along with a synthetic fungicide （72% WP, Puslan）. The MIC of various concentrations from 500 mg/mL to 1.95 mg/mL was recorded after 24 h and 48 h intervals. Ethyl acetate and synthetic fungicides were found most effect