| Abstrakt: |
The silkworm, Bombyx mori L. is highly susceptible to viral and bacterial diseases. To manage these diseases, chemical based bed disinfectants are being used which are not eco-friendly and have residual toxicity in silkworm rearing bed and environment. The use of Adhatoda vasica and Phyllanthus niruri leaf extracts in silkworm rearing is one of the strategies to manage viral and bacterial diseases of silkworm which are non-toxic and environmentally safe. In this study, the aqueous and methanolic leaf extracts of above plants were analysed for different biomolecules such as alkaloids, tannins, phenols, carbohydrates, proteins and flavonoids. The alcoholic (Methanol) leaf extract of A. vasica had highest content of biomolecules viz., alkaloids (1.190 mg/ml), tannins (14.714 mg/ml), phenols (0.358 mg/ml), proteins (2.254 mg/ml), carbohydrates (3.085 mg/ml) and flavonoids (2.759 mg/ml) compared to aqueous extract (0.125, 6.608, 0.150, 1.146, 2.262 and 1.452 mg/ml). The methanolic leaf extract of Phyllanthus niruri had 0.403, 16.047, 0.574, 1.532, 2.081 and 2.593 mg/ml and 0.009, 8.937, 0.502, 0.325, 0.714 and 0.694 mg/ml of alkaloids, tannins, phenols, proteins, carbohydrates and flavonoids in methanol and aqueous extracts, respectively. It is confirmed that, the methanolic leaf extracts of both contained significantly more antimicrobial biomolecules because of their more solubility compared to aqueous. Under in-vitro conditions, the maximum zone of inhibition was recorded in methanolic extract of P. niruri at 10-7 (7.50 and 8.11 mm) followed by 10-5 (7.44 and 7.67 mm) and 10-7 (7.05 and 7.72 mm) and minimum was recorded in aqueous extract of Adhatoda vasica. Thus the plant extracts possess antimicrobial property by inhibiting the growth of flacherie causing bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
