Antimicrobial and insecticidal activity of an aquatic alga chara zeylanica klein ex willd

This paper describes the antimicrobial, ovicidal and insecticidal properties of a petroleum ether extract (PEX) of Chara zeylanica Klein ex Willd. and its fractions (P 1 to P 19 ) obtained through the application of various fractionation methods. Some of these fractions, after purification and chemical characterization, showed that they were either hydrocarbons or fatty acids. The PEX showed antimicrobial property against 12 out of 29 microbes tested. Only 15 fractions of PEX exhibited microbicidal activity. Some fractions retained that lethal activity even for a period of six months. The P 11 had the broadest antimicrobial spectrum. The dermatophyte, Candida albicans, was the most susceptible microbe. The ovicidal effect of some of the fractions of PEX on the eggs of Dysdercus koenigii was significant. The P 7a induced maximum sterility and reduced average facundity significantly in the cotton pest.