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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp2 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Bio stimulatory and antifungal effects of seaweed extracts against root rot and stem rot diseases of groundnut

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13477
Submitted
31 December 2025
Published
14-05-2026

Abstract

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.), a major oilseeds crop, is severely constrained by soil-borne diseases such as root rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina and stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii, leading to significant yield losses. Seaweeds are rich sources of biologically active metabolites with documented antifungal and plant growth–promoting properties The present study evaluated the antifungal efficacy of different seaweed extracts against major groundnut root and stem rot pathogens under in vitro and field conditions. Three seaweed extracts Gracilaria edulis, Sargassum myricocystum and Kappaphycus alvarezii were tested at 3, 5 and 10 % concentrations against M. phaseolina and S. rolfsii using in vitro assays, followed by field evaluation at the most effective concentration. In vitro results revealed that G. edulis at 10 % concentration significantly inhibited M. phaseolina, recording the least mycelial growth (1.0 cm), followed by               S. myricocystum (3.7 cm) and K. alvarezii (5.5 cm), compared to 9.0 cm in the control. Against S. rolfsii, G. edulis and S. myricocystum at 10 % concentration completely suppressed mycelial growth (0.0 cm), while K. alvarezii recorded 5.0 cm growth. Field evaluation demonstrated that S. myricocystum at 10 % was the most effective, achieving 76.03 % and 71.70 % reduction in root rot and stem rot incidence, respectively, with the highest pod yield (2230 kg ha-1), followed by G. edulis and K. alvarezii. These findings highlight the potential of seaweed extracts as eco-friendly alternatives for managing soil-borne diseases in groundnut.

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