ANTIFUNGAL EFFECTS OF PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST COMMON LEAF DISEASES

Abstract

Fungal leaf diseases are still, one of the most stubborn threats to agricultural productivity across the globe. For a long time chemical fungicides were basically the go to option, but a lot of worry has grown around environmental toxicity, residues that hang around, and the slow emergence of fungal resistance, so researchers have been pushed toward greener ways. In that context plant derived extracts, taken from leaves, bark, seeds, and roots, look like a promising alternative. They usually carry a varied blend of bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes, and phenolics, and many of these molecules have shown real antifungal effects on pathogens like Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum species, and Phytophthora infestans. Here the focus is on what is currently understood about how these plant extracts interfere with common foliar fungal enemies, plus the main studies that were carried out through 2019. The discussion also considers the practical and scientific headaches involved in moving results from the lab into actual field use. The overall picture is encouraging, but there are still meaningful gaps, especially around dose standardization, how well the extracts hold up outside, and how they can be woven into existing crop protection routines. Making plant based antifungals is not only an academic thing anymore. It is increasingly a real-world necessity.