Introduction: Fungal diseases currently devastate a minimum of 125 million tons of the five principal food crops—rice, wheat, maize, potato, and soybean—annually, which could otherwise nourish those suffering from food insecurity. These crops constitute the primary source of calories ingested by individuals. Rice blast, corn smut in maize, stem rust in wheat, soybean rust, and late blight in potatoes are diseases that impair agricultural yield. This has forced researchers to seek novel antifungal chemicals from natural sources, such as medicinal plants, which are more efficacious and less hazardous to human health and the environment.
Aim & Objective: The study aims to evaluate antifungal potential of methanolic extract of whole plant of Mentha species (Mentha arvensis, Mentha longifolia, Mentha spicata, Mentha viridis) against Alternaria solani and Bipolaris oryzae.
Materials and Methods: The antifungal activity of the test samples (Mentha species) was determined by Poisoned Food Technique (a type of agar dilution method) against two pathogenic fungal strains.
Results: The results revealed that Mentha spicata showed maximum antifungal activity against Alternaria solani fungal strain with IC50 values of 270.4±1.2 µg/mL.
Conclusion: Most frequently fungicides are used to control the diseases caused by plant pathogens. However, there is a serious problem in the effective use of these chemicals due to the development of resistance by the fungi. Mentha spicata can be used for the formulation of antifungal agents especially against Alternaria solani.
