Effect of extracts of luffa cylindrica, xanthosoma sagittifolium and momordica charantia on saprolegnia spp. Mycelial growth

Abstract

Among the major infectious diseases in fish, those caused by zoosporic organisms are important, especially saprolegniasis. These diseases can affect few animals or even the entire population of the production environment. The use of alternative treatments for infectious diseases in aquatic animals has proven to be effective. It prevents the mortality of part of the crop, as well as the contamination of water by chemical components. Within this scenario, the use of plants stands out, mainly unconventional food plants (UFPs). The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the aqueous extracts of Luffa cylindrica, Xanthosoma sagittifolium and Momordica charantia on the mycelial growth of Saprolegnia spp. The extracts obtained from the maceration of dry and ground leaves were incorporated into the potato agar dextrose (PDA), at concentrations of 0, 5, 15, 25 and 50%. Later, filter paper disks containing the mycelium of Saprolegnia spp. were applied on the agar and incubated at 25°C. Evaluations were performed every 24 hours, for 10 days. In the study, all concentrations of M. charantia extract had an inhibitory action on the mycelial growth in the order of 75% of Saprolegnia spp. and can be considered a promising alternative for controlling this pathogen.