GC-MS ANALYSIS AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC ROOT EXTRACT OF Chenopodium album AGAINST Sclerotium rolfsii

Sclerotium rolfsii is a soil-borne fungal plant pathogen that causes diseases in more than 500 plant species. Chemical fungicides used to control this disease cause environmental pollution, therefore, plant derived compounds can be used as alternative to synthetic fungicides to reduce environmental pollution. Chenopodium album is a weed of family Chenopodiaceae that is used as food and also has medicinal importance. In the present study, antifungal activity of methanolic root extract of C. album was evaluated against S. rolfsii using six concentrations viz. 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 g 100 mL(-1) amended in malt extract as growth medium. All the root extract concentrations significantly reduced fungal biomass by 15-58% over control. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the methanolic root extract of C. album was performed. Six compounds were identified in methanolic root extract through GC-MS analysis. The most abundant compound was 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, mono(2-ethylhexyl) ester (58.56%) followed by 9-octadecenoic acid (Z)-, methyl ester (12.75%) and 9-octadecenoic acid (Z)-, methyl ester (10.27%), which might be responsible for antifungal activity of methanolic root extract of C. album.