tailieunhanh - Efficacy of ageratum leaf extract on postharvest rot caused by Aspergillus niger and Colletotrichum sp. on chilli fruits

The damage of chilli, an important spice fruit, comes from fungal diseases caused mainly by Aspergillus niger and Colletotrichum sp. The fungi on chilli fruits would directly harm consumers’ health. Plant extracts containing bio-active compounds with antimicrobial properties could be a good possible solution to deal with the fungi. | Hue University Journal of Science: Agriculture and Rural Development ISSN 2588–1191 Vol. 128, No. 3B, 2019, p. 41–50; DOI: EFFICACY OF Ageratum LEAF EXTRACT ON POSTHARVEST ROT CAUSED BY Aspergillus niger AND Colletotrichum sp. ON CHILLI FRUITS Le Thanh Toan*, Nguyen Thi My Linh, Do Van Bao Can Tho University, 3/2 Street, Can Tho city, Viet Nam Abstract: The damage of chilli, an important spice fruit, comes from fungal diseases caused mainly by Aspergillus niger and Colletotrichum sp. The fungi on chilli fruits would directly harm consumers’ health. Plant extracts containing bio-active compounds with antimicrobial properties could be a good possible solution to deal with the fungi. This study aims to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of aqueous extracts from the leaves of Ageratum plants against A. niger and Colletotrichum sp. The results show that the optimal efficacy of the treatment of Ageratum leaf extract is at a concentration of 6%, with the efficacy of Ageratum leaf extract on colonial diameter at approximately 43–44% for the two fungi at 96 hours after inoculation. The 6% Ageratum leaf extract has a high efficacy (~) on limiting the development of Aspergillus rot lesions on chilli fruits 4 days after inoculation. Meanwhile, the efficacy of the extract on Colletotrichum lesions is , lower than that of Aspergillus rot. Keywords: Ageratum leaf extract, chilli fruit, rot lesion 1 Introduction Chilli is a commonly cultivated spice worldwide with top production countries such as China, Mexico, Thailand, and Turkey [19]. In Vietnam, chilli plants play an important role in the national programme of agricultural transform and rotation. However, losses of chilli production due to diseases and insects are severe from field production to the post-harvest period. Among disease pathogens, Colletotrichum sp. and Aspergillus niger Tiegh. are important fungal species [7, 15]. The symptoms of infection by .