Antifungal Impact of Seaweeds for Controlling Major Fungal Diseases in Sesame

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), the most ancient and significant oilseed crop, is extensively cultivated in India. It is in rich source of protein, high-quality seed oil, and possesses numerous antioxidant properties. Sesame crop is threatened by several fungal diseases causing huge yield loss. While the beneficial effect of algal extract as foliar spray is well documented, however, application of seaweed as soil amendment is now gaining popularity due to raising awareness about the hazardous effect of pesticides. This study evaluates the antifungal activity of different seaweeds under in vitro and their efficacy on severity of major disease of sesame in pot culture and field condition. Sargassum myricocystum exhibited the most strong antifungal properties against A. sesami among the seaweeds, with a 65.33% inhibition rate that reduced mycelial growth to 3.1 cm. Against M. phaseolina, S. myricocystum inhibited the growth of mycelium by 24.44%, which was 6.8 cm. Bacillus subtilis exhibited the greatest inhibition against A. sesami (75.88%), while Trichoderma asperellum exhibited the most significant effect against M. phaseolina (78.88%). The findings revealed that S. myricocystum could be a useful brown macroalga for combating diseases and developing safe multifaced bioinoculants for sustainable farming.