Today, researches are focusing on the discovery of new therapeutic substances of natural origin with possible low or no toxicity to human, animal and environment, based on ethnomedical and ethnoveterinary practices.Vernonia amygdalina is a shrub that has been commonly known as bitter leaf due the bitter taste of the leaves. It is widely used as a daily green vegetable or herb to treat malaria and diabetes. The potential of V. amygdalina was first noted when scientists observed chimpanzees use the pith of this shrub for self-deparasitization. Since that discovery, subsequent researches had unveiled more and more bioactivities possessed by different extracts of this plant such as antidiabetic, antibacterial, antimalaria, antifungal, antioxidant, liver protection and cytotoxic effects which are beneficial to health. Compounds including steroid glucosides, sesquiterpene lactones and flavonoids which contributed to its bitter taste and bioactivites have also been isolated from this plant. Toxicology studies documented on this plant shows that V. amygdalina has low or no toxicity thereby supporting the safe use of this plant for the benefits of health.

	 

	Keywords: Vernonia amygdalina, bioactivities, antidiabetic, antioxidant, liver protection.

Vernonia amygdalina, an ethnoveterinary and ethnomedical used green vegetable with multiple bio-activities.

Chemoprevention by essential oil of turmeric leaves (Curcuma longa L.) on the growth of Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin production.

Chestnut green waste composting for sustainable forest management: Microbiota dynamics and impact on plant disease control.

Antimycotic and antiaflatoxigenic potency of Adenocalymma alliaceum Miers. on fungi causing biodeterioration of food commodities and raw herbal drugs

of more effective and less toxic antifungal agents is required for the treatment of dermatophytosis. Plants and their extraction preparations have been used as medicines against infectious diseases. In this research, the lemon grass (Cymbopogon citrates DC.) Stapf.), lantana (Lantana camara L.), nerium (Nerium oleander L.), basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and olive leaves (Olea europaea L.) were extracted with either water or different organic solvent to investigate their antifungal activities in vitro. The methanol extract of lemon grass, lanta and nerium followed by their ethyl acetate extracts showed the highest activities against Trichophyton rubrum. These inhibited the growth of T. rubrum by 85-90 and 80- 85%, respectively at a concentration of 100 µg ml -1 , while aqueous extracts inhibited the growth of this fungus at the same concentration by 32-77%. The activity of the methanolic extracts of the 5 selected plants was determined against different pathogenic fungi including Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, and T. mentagrophytes. Extracts of lemon grass were the most effective followed by lantana. . Nerium and basil showed moderate activities. The lowest activity was recorded for olive extract. The five dermatophytes differed with regard to their susceptibility to plant extracts. Trichophyton rubrum was the most susceptible dermatophyte, followed by Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, and T. mentagrophytes, respectively. The MICs of these most active plants ranged from 25 to 125 µg ml −1 . In conclusion, ethanolic extracts of some

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Antifungal activity of some medicinal plants used in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The efficacy of leaf extracts of basil (Ocimum basilicum), bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), lemon grass (Cymbopogen citratus), neem (Azadirachta indica) and paw-paw (Carica papaya) on major seed-borne fungi: Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Botryodiplodia theobromae and Fusarium moniliforme of African yam bean ( Sphenostylis stenocarpa ) seeds, and on seed germination and seedling emergence were studied in vitro and in vivo. All the plants leaf extracts (crude and aqueous) significantly (P . 0.05) reduced the incidence of seed-borne fungi tested and increased seed germination and seedling emergence except lemon grass leaf extract when compared with the untreated control. Neem extract was the most effective while lemon grass extract was the least. Crude extracts from all the plant leaves tested increased seed germination and seedling emergence of African yam bean seeds and gave significant (P. 0.05) reduction of mycelial growth of all the fungi tested when compared with their aqueous extracts. Leaf extracts of neem, basil, bitter leaf and paw-paw, which are cheap and environmentally safe, are promising for protecting African yam bean seeds against major seed-borne fungi and in the improvement of the crop.

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Antifungal Activities of Some Leaf Extracts on Seed-borne Fungi of African Yam Bean Seeds, Seed Germination and Seedling Emergence

The effect of selected culture media on mycelial growth of Pleurotus ostreatus was studied on six different culture media: three synthetic [malt extact agar (MEA), potato dextrose agar (PDA) and Saubroud dextrose agar (SDA)] and three formulated from locally available agricultural wastes [corncob (CCEA), palm waste (PWEA) and cassava peels (CPEA)]. The tissue culture of the mushroom was done on MEA which was used as the stock culture.  The mycelia were subcultured severally to get a pure culture. Pure culture of the mycelia was subcultured on the different media types and incubated at room temperature for five days. The experiment was set up in three replicates. The mycelial growth, density and growth rate were obtained. The values obtained were subjected to statistical analysis. The results for maximum mycelia growth, mycelial density and growth rate were as follows: MEA (9.0 cm, 5+ and 1.8 cm/day), PDA (6.4 cm, 3+ and 1.3 cm/day), SDA (7.8 cm, 5+ and 1.6 cm/day), CPEA (9.0 cm, 4+ and 1.8 cm/day), PWEA (9.0 cm, 3+ and 1.8 cm/day) and CCEA (2.4 cm, 2+ and 0.5 cm/day). Generally, all the media types used supported the growth of the mycelia. The result indicates that MEA, SDA and CPEA gave abundant growth of P. ostreatus mycelia while CCEA recorded scanty mycelial growth.

	 

	Key words: Pleurotus ostreatus, malt extact agar, potato dextrose agar, Saubroud dextrose agar, mushroom, mycelia growth.

Effects of selected culture media on mycellial growth of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)

Fungi play vital roles as decomposers. White rot fungi are an eco-physiological group that degrades wood by the secretion of specialized extracellular enzymes including lignin-modifying enzymes. There is growing interest in the use of extracellular enzymes for bioremediation. This study determined the Lignin Modifying Enzymes (LMEs) associated with two species of mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus and Lentinus squarrosulus. The qualitative study was conducted using agar medium substituted with chromogenic substances to determine the production of LMEs by the species. The appearance of colour change and clearance due to reaction with chromogenic substrates were used to determine LMEs production by the fungi. The results showed that Pleurotus ostreatus and Lentinus squarrosulus tested positive by the appearance of light brown colouration, reddish-brown colouration and discolouration of media for overall polyphenol oxidase, Laccase and Peroxidase activity, respectively. The study showed that the species studied are candidates for large scale production of LMEs that can be utilized as an eco-friendly solution for bioremediation of contaminated sites.

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Determination of Lignin Modifying Enzymes from Pleurotus ostreatus and Lentinus squarrosulus

Mushrooms are a group of fungi that are diverse and in the Niger Delta region; there are various species, some of which share similar morphological features. Over the years, mushrooms have been put to several important uses ranging from food, nutraceuticals, feed for livestock, and more recently bioremediation, hence, the need for an accurate approach of identification is eminent. This study aims to identify three mushroom samples with the potential for crude oil degradation using molecular tools. The molecular identification of the mushrooms was carried out with the ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) region to analyze their genetic diversity. The three mushroom samples were identified as Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus floridanus and Lentinus squarrosulus. The blast results showed 86.0%, 97.9%, and 88.4% for Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus floridanus and Lentinus squarrosulus respectively for sequence similarity. The samples were assigned unique accession numbers on GenBank The use of molecular characterization gives reliable results to the species level. The results from this study have increased the database of Pleurotus and Lentinus DNA and serve as a basis for the identification of unidentified species by comparing their PCR amplified sequences with ITS primers. Original Research Article Chuku et al.; ARRB, 35(7): 115-121, 2020; Article no.ARRB.58982 116

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E. O. Nwachukwu

Papers

Antifungal Activities of Some Leaf Extracts on Seed-borne Fungi of African Yam Bean Seeds, Seed Germination and Seedling Emergence

Effects of selected culture media on mycellial growth of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)

Determination of Lignin Modifying Enzymes from Pleurotus ostreatus and Lentinus squarrosulus

Molecular Characterisation and Identification of Three Mushrooms Found in the Niger Delta Region