Antifungal activity of n-hexane extracts of Datura metel against Ascochyta rabiei

The antimycotic potential of Datura metel (syn. Datura alba Nees.) was investigated in vitro against Ascochyta rabiei, the cause of chickpea blight disease. The pathogen was exposed to various n-hexane concentrations (1, 2, 3 and 4% w/v) of shoot and root extracts of D. metel using poisoning food technique. All the employed concentrations of both root and shoot extracts significantly suppressed the growth of the target fungal pathogen. There was 28-34% and 23-41% reduction in colony diameter of A. rabiei due to different concentrations of n-hexane shoot and root extracts of D. metel.