Agriculture and Food Sciences Research

The antifungal effect of three botanical powdered plants and their aqueous extracts against damping-off disease incidence of bean were evaluated under laboratory and field conditions. Also This study investigated the phytochemical profile of these plants. Powder of Peganum harmala, Urtica dioica and Helichrysum stoechas leaves were used in the present work. The botanical plant extracts were applied as seed dressing, while the powders were applied as seed coating in vitro or were added to the cultivation soil in vivo before or after inoculation with Sclerotinia sclerotiorum then sowing. All applied treatments reduced dead seedlings incidence comparing with untreated control. Higher significant reduction in disease incidence was observed for H. stoechas treatment than that of the others plants. It is interesting to note that botanical plants extract gave a similar effect to the powder in reducing disease incidence either at pre- or post-emergence stages of bean growth. The content of the active biological compounds different between all plants.