Earth is blessed with large numbers of plant species which is approximately 30,000–50,000. This diverse group of plants contains a range of unique organic compounds like steroid, saponin, alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols and terpenoids etc which are having antimicrobial properties. These antimicrobial properties of plant extracts like Allium sativum, Ocimum sanctum, Allium cepa, Allamanda cathartica and Azadirachta indica etc were evaluated by a number of workers and they found them effective at different levels in both in vitro as well as in vivo conditions. Agricultural crops are attacked by several fungal and bacterial plant pathogens resulting considerable economic losses which are controlled by using synthetic chemicals that lead to damage to natural flora and fauna. These synthetic pesticides may enter the food chain and ultimately reach human and animal body causing dangerous abnormalities like hypersensitivity, cancer, asthma, hormonal disturbances and skin diseases etc. Many plants contain alkaloid, phenolic and other organic compounds which can be alternative to chemical pesticides to some extent and provide opportunities for organic agriculture. Many techniques are available to evaluate different plant extracts against microorganisms, but due to some limitations, they are less competitive with commercial synthetic chemicals.

Chemicals, pathogens, antimicrobial, plant extract

Plants are valuable sources of novel, physiologically active compounds with antimicrobial properties. Because of their bioactive components, plant extracts can directly or indirectly inhibit pathogen growth. Extracts can therefore be thought of as a management tool for microbial infections since the changes brought about by the extracts are reflected in reduction of pathogen infection in plants. To assess the effectiveness of phytochemicals that have inhibitory effects on all sorts of microorganisms, in vitro and in vivo research should be conducted.

Sonal Kumar, Smriti Dhruw, Dipendra Pankaj Porte, Nagendra Kumar Verma, Preetipuja Kashyap, R.K.S. Tiwari and Ashok Bhattacharyya (2023). Plant Extracts as an Alternative to Synthetic Chemicals: A Review. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(11): 24-29.