Chaerophylline and berberine hydroxide, both being alkaloids, isolated from Corydalis chaerophylla and C. longipes respectively were assayed against spore germination of some fungi, e.g. Alternaria solani, A. brassicola, A. brassicicola, Helminthosporium penniseti, Helminthosporium sp., Heterosporium sp., Curvularia penniseti, C. maculens and C. palliscens. While chaerophylline inhibited spore germination of most of the fungi at 1000 ppm, being also effective at 50, 100, 200 and 500 ppm, berberine hydroxide was significantly effective at much lower concentration, i.e., 400 ppm against several fungi. This compound was also effective against some fungi at 50, 100, 150, 200 ppm. There was 100% inhibition of spore germination in several fungi at highest concentration of both the compounds. Some of the fungi showed similar results even at lower concentrations.
Alkaloids ; Alternaria ; Berberine* ; Corydalis* ; Fungi ; Germination ; Helminthosporium ; Spores

Medicinal plants play important roles in controlling plant diseases as one of the safest and ecofriendly methods. These plants have been used in the form of crude extracts as well as active principles in vitro and under field conditions to control plant diseases. Among the active principles, alkaloids have shown significant antifungal activity. We have investigated the effect of two alkaloids viz., (-)-corydahnine and (-)-isocorypahnine isolated from Corydalis chaerophylla, against spore germination of some plant pathogenic and saprophytic fungal spores. Significant inhibition of spore germination at 100 microg/ml was seen against Curvularia penniseti, Curvularia sp. and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides by (-)-corydahnine but (-)-isocorypalmine was also effective against fungi included in the experiment.
Alkaloids* ; Colletotrichum ; Complex Mixtures ; Corydalis* ; Fungi* ; Germination ; Plant Diseases ; Plants ; Plants, Medicinal ; Spores ; Spores, Fungal

1-Corydalmine,an alkaloid isolated from roots of Corydalis chaerophylla inhibited spore germination of some plant pathogenic as well as saprophytic fungi e.g. Alternaria brassicae, A. brassicicola, A. solani, Curvularia lunata, C. maculans, C. sp., C. pallscens, Erysiphe pisi, Fusarium udum, Helminthosporium species,H. penniseti and a Heterosporium species. 1-Corydalmine significantly inhibited spore germination of all the fungi at 100 to 1500 ppm. It was effective against all the fungi at 1500 ppm. C. lunata was highly sensitive to this chemical even at 250 ppm.
Alternaria ; Brassica ; Corydalis* ; Fungi* ; Fusarium ; Germination* ; Helminthosporium ; Plants ; Spores*