FUNGICIDAL PROPERTIES OF Cucurbita moschata Linn (PUMPKIN) LEAVES AND SEEDS ON FUNGI ASSOCIATED WITH INFECTED Irvingia gabonensis (OGBONO) (Aubrey-Lecomte. ex O’Rorke) Baill. SEEDS

Abstract

This research was carried out to examine the efficacy of leaves and seeds of Pumpkin, Cucurbita moschata Linn. in controlling the fungi that cause spoilage of seeds of Irvingia gabonensis. Seeds of this plant were collected from three different markets (Chube, Fari-gada and Terminus) in Jos North, Plateau and were evaluated for fungal contamination. The seeds collected were colonized mostly by Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus stolonifer, Mucor mucedo, Fusarium oxysporum and Neurospora sp. An attempt was made to control the growth of the isolates obtained using aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Cucurbita moschata leaves and seeds. The leaf aqueous extracts of Cucurbita moschata yielded a greater activity for the control of the growth of Aspergilus niger and Penicillium citrinum. The seed aqueous extract of Cucurbita moschata was observed to be active against the growth of Mucor mucedo and Rhizopus stolonifer at 200mg/ml concentration. Results from this study indicated that extracts of Cucurbita moschata leaves and seeds could be exploited for the control of fungal contaminants of Irvingia gabonensis. Therefore, in this report the antifungal properties of Cucurbita moschata leaves and seeds against post[1]harvest fungi responsible for Irvingia gabonensis seed spoilage were reported. This may play a vital role in biological control practices.