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Cyanobacterial allelopathy can be regarded as one of the significant factors influencing their dominance
in diverse habitats. They are unique producers of a variety of allelochemicals, which can be utilized as
eco-friendly biocontrol agents. The present work describes the allelopathic impact of cyanobacteria
against plant pathogenic fungi Aspergillus niger and Alternaria solani. Cyanobacterial extracts had
excellent acumen to inhibit the growth of A.niger and A. solani as evidenced by experimental findings.
Three cyanobacterial strains S. elongates, S. platensis, and A. variabilis were explored for the allelopathic
activity. While all the strains inhibited the growth of plant pathogenic fungi, S.platensis showed more
allelopathic activity compared to other cyanobacterial strains Anabaena variabilis and Synechococcus
elongates. Phenol and Polysaccharide concentration was also observed maximum in Spirulina platensis
as compared to A. variabilis and S.elongates. Aspergillus niger showed high inhibition of growth by
cyanobacterial extracts as compared to the other strain i.e. Alternaria solani. Allelopathic potential of
cyanobacteria need to be further investigated as these microbes can offer promising solutions in
biocontrol against pathogenic microorganisms.
Keywords: Allelopathy, Cyanobacteria, Blooms, Antifungal activity, Pathogenic fungi.