Antifungal activities and chemical characterization of Neem leaf extracts on the growth of some selected fungal species in vitro culture medium

The efficacy of different extracts of neem leaf on seed borne fungi aspergillus, rhizopus and chemical characterization of the neem leaf extracts were studied in vitro on the culture medium. the growth of both the fungal species was inhibited significantly (p<0.01) and controlled with both alcoholic and water extract of all ages and of the concentrations used. the alcoholic extracts of neem leaf was most effective in comparison to aqueous extract for retarding the growth of rhizopus and aspergillus. the crude aqueous and alcoholic leaf extracts of neem was more effective in inhibitions of growth of the fungi aspergillus in comparison to inhibitory effects on rhizopus growth in the artificial culture medium. leaf extracts of neem which are cheap and environmentally safe are promising for protecting crop species against the fungal infestation and leading towards improvement of the crop in terms of yield and productivity.