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International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru 502324.
The study evaluated the antifungal activity of six oil seed cakes (OSCs) namely neem, groundnut, sesame, mustard, castor and a mixture cake against Sclerotium rolfsii using a divided plate assay and poison food technique. Sesame cake demonstrated the highest efficacy, achieving 56.10 per cent mycelial inhibition with unautoclaved sesame cake, compared to 14.63 per cent with autoclaved cake. In aqueous extract assays, sesame cake achieved complete inhibition (100%) of fungal growth at a 25 per cent concentration, with significant inhibition observed at lower concentrations (93.80% at 20%, 71.98% at 15%, and 50.91% at 10%). Additionally, sesame cake reduced the formation of sclerotial bodies, with counts dropping to 15 at a 15 per cent concentration. In contrast, castor and neem cakes exhibited no inhibitory activity at any concentration, while mustard and mixture cakes displayed moderate antifungal effects, with maximum inhibition rates of 28.95 per cent and 31.72 per cent, respectively.
The antifungal efficacy of sesame cake was attributed to its bioactive constituents, as identified through Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Key bioactive compounds included oleic acid (42.62%), linoleic acid derivatives (31.58%), palmitic acid (13.86%), and sesamol (1.34%), which are known for their antimicrobial properties. At 3.0 per cent concentration, sesame cake reduced mycelial growth to 1.67 cm, corresponding to a 79.17 per cent inhibition rate. The findings of the study highlight sesame cake as a potent antifungal agent against S. rolfsii, with its bioactive components acting synergistically to inhibit fungal growth and reduce sclerotial formation, supporting its potential as a sustainable soil amendment in the management of soil borne pathogens.
KEYWORDS: Oil seed cakes, S. rolfsii, in vitro conditions, antifungal activity and GC MS analysis.