Fungicidal Potentials of Leaf and Bark Extracts of Mimosa Pudica on Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata L.) Seed Fungi

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp) is commonly known as “Akidi” in Igbo language, is a special type of legume. It is relished as a native delicacy and contributes significantly to the meals in the South Eastern part of Nigeria. It is one of the underutilized and oldest legume grain in the world. Fungal attack on crops which over the years have led to pre- and post-harvest loss have been a very significant threat to crop production in the world. This aim of this research is to isolate and identify the spoilage pathogens of cowpea and testing the potentials of ethanol extracts of Mimosa pudica leaf and bark on the isolates. Cowpea seeds was purchased from different markets in Anambra State, Nigeria. They were transported to Alpha Research Laboratory, Awka in sterile polythene bags for microbial isolation. The spoilage organisms were isolated from the spoiled seeds through microbial culture. The media used for the isolation were Sabouraud Dextrose Agar and Potato Dextrose Agar. The findings indicated that Aspergillus aculeatus, Fusarium solani, Penicillium citrinum, Rhizopus stolonifer, and Aspergillus flavus were present. The pathogenicity test also showed that the above organisms were responsible for cowpea seed spoilage. These isolates were tested for their in-vitro antifungal activity against the leaf and bark extracts of Mimosa pudica. The antifungal potentials of ethanol extracts of Mimosa pudica on the isolates were investigated using the disc method. Penicillium citrinum showed the highest percentage of inhibition with antifungal medication while Aspergillus aculeatus showed the least percentage of inhibition with antifungal medication. The antimicrobial potential of Mimosa pudica extract on spoilage pathogens of stored cowpea encourages more research on the active ingredient of the plant for easy use by farmers as alternative to commercial/ synthetic fungicides.