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Chilli is one of the most important and valuable spice crops in India , also the largest produced spice crop in Asia. Capsaicin is produced by the plant as a defense against predators and microbes , particularly against Fusarium fungus that attack certain species of chilli peppers. Peppers increased the quantity of capsaicin in proportion to the infection caused by the fungal organisms on the plant's seed. Chilli crop is vulnerable to various diseases such as bacterial , fungal and viral. The diseases affect the yield and economic production. Anthracnose disease has been reported to be a major constraint in chilli production causing huge losses. In India , a calculated loss of 10 to 54% has been reported in the yield of the crop due to anthracnose disease. Anthracnose (fruit rot) of chilli is caused by the fungus Colletotrichum spp.( Than , P.P.,et. al,2008). Powdery mildew of chilli is infected by the fungus Leveillula taurica (lev.) G.Arnaud.The disease causing heavy yield loss ranging from 14 to 30%,due to severe defoliation and reduction in size and number of fruits per plant.(Mathur , R.L.,et al,1972). The fungal pathogens which cause disease survive in crop debris and infect other vegetable crops. The disease has the potential to spread rapidly and damage the crop vigorously. The causal fungal pathogens damage the leaves , stems and finally lead to the tuber rot. (Jones et al., 2014). M.Wenneker and J.Kanne (2010). In a field trial the effect of Potassium bicarbonate (Armicarb) on powdery mildew of gooseberry was evaluated.Four treatments ; i.e. two preventive strategies and two curative strategies , were applied. Plants were sprayed until runoff. The percent of infected berries , shoots and disease severity was assessed.High percentage of disease was observed in the untreated control. All Potassium bicarbonate treatments significantly reduced the powdery mildew severity in leaves and fruits compared to the untreated controls. Thus, it is necessary to defend the crop by using low cost , easy to use by farmers and eco-friendly management strategies. Homeopathy , science developed by Hahnemann for over 200 years , offers an alternative of low cost and environmental friendly strategy for the control of crop diseases. (Modolon et. al., 2012). Homeopathic drugs involves in biological processes of plants due to secondary metabolites production which act as an environmental friendly without producing toxicity and leaving no residue (Bonato & Silva , 2003).Homeopathic drugs fulfill the promise due to antifungal properties (Sinha & Singh , 1983). Saxena et. al.(1987) observed inhibition of 22 genera of fungi associated with Okra seed treated with Thuja occidentalis , Nitric acidum and Sulphur in dynamization 200CH . Toledo (2009) showed reduction of 43% and 73% in severity of early blight (Alternaria solani) on tomato by spraying Sulphuricum 12 and 30 CH , respectively . Arnica Montana and Thuja occidentalis (30C) by using seed treatment and soil drenching methods showed significant suppression of Rhizoctonia solani , Fusarium spp. and Macrophomina phaseolina but also promote plant growth at 100% followed by 75 and 50% v/v concentration (prepared by 30C) on leguminous and non – leguminous crops (Hanif and Dawar , 2015). Based on the previous aspects , safer and eco- friendly approaches of homeopathic drugs , the present research work aimed to control fungal diseases of chilli in vivo. The field experiment was conducted to study the antifungal activity of certain homeopathic drugs.

Asma Hanif and Shahnaz Dawar (2020). Homeopathic pellets and globules diffusates were used against Root rot and Root knot pathogens on leguminous and non-leguminous crop plants. Tested seeds treated with homeopathic pellets(Arnica montana, Thuja occidentalis, Kent-20 and Santonine-43) at 75 and 50 % v/w concentrations remarkably enhanced the plant growth, improved the crop yield but also control the pathogens.

Ana Carolina Botelho dos Reis and Julia Ronzella Ottoni (2021).Homeopathic medicines Sulphur , fungal Sclerotiorum Nosode and Calcarea carbonica, in 30CH, 200CH, and 100CH dynamizations were tested. All homeopathic medicines tested were able to inhibit partially the development of the fungus in vitro. Calcarea carbonica at the dynamization of 1000CH showed the best inhibitory effect on S. Sclerotiorum, which under its effect produced a mycelial halo 40% smaller than the control treatment.

Bonato et al.,(2011). Application of high dilutions of Belladonna in vitro affect the mycelia growth of  Corynespora cassiicola.The results showed that all dilutions of Belladonna (6,12,24 and 30dH) were effective.

Gupta et al., (2015). In vitro, Thuja occidentalis (30C and 200C) showed maximum inhibition against Candida albicans.

Hanif et al., (2015 ). Thuja occidentalis and Arnica Montana (30C) pellets showed positive results when used in vitro and in vivo experiments against root rot fungi.

Hanif and Dawar (2015 b). Reported that by using the concentration of 100, 75 and 50 percent of v/v of Thuja occidentalis and Arnica Montana (30 C) used as a seed treatment and soil drenching methods inhibit root rot fungi and enhanced the growth of crop plants.

Toledo, Stangarlin, and Bonato (2009) tested the Sulphur homeopathic medicine in control of Alternaria solani , a fungus responsible for early blight of tomato , inoculated in tomato plants. Sulphur at the dynamizations of 12CH and 60CH reduced the disease severity in 48.82% and 56.47% respectively.

Sinha and Singh (1983) verified that Sulphur, at 200CH, was able to inhibit the growth of the important aflatoxin producer Aspergillus parasiticus in 100%.

Ashraful Alam, Sanjoy Kumar Adhikary and Mahatalat Ahmed,(2017). Arsenicum albumQ was significantly effective against Colletotrichum gleosporioides followed by the order of Arsenicum album<Selenium<Nux vomica<Belladonna<Calcarea fluorica.Treating with Arsenicum albumQ at 1000ppm on three varieties of mango, Limsagar (18.3%) showed the significant inhibition of percent disease incidence over control.

The homeopathic drugs selected for the present study were Arnica montana , Aconite , Belladonna and Thuja occidentalis. The homeopathic drugs were purchased in a specialized homeopathic pharmacy at a dynamization of 200CH (Centesimal Hahnemannian). Distilled water was used for control treatments. Field Experiment -Field experiment was conducted at the screen house of Botany department M.M.H College , Ghaziabad (C.C.S University , Meerut).The experimental design was completely randomized blocks with four different treatments of homeopathic drugs namely Aconite 200CH , Arnica montana 200CH ,Belladonna 200CH and Thuja occidentalis 200CH. The control treatment was carried out simultaneously by using distilled water. The field was appropriately leveled with 2.5x2.5 microplots. Soil consists of natural infestation having Colletotrichum spp. and with PH 7.5 was used for the experiment. The intercrop distance maintained between the plants was 45 cm. For treatment ,the chilli seeds were soaked for 30 minutes in all four homeopathic drugs separately. While, non-treated seeds were served as control. Treated and non-treated seeds were sown and covered with soil. Each treatment was replicated thrice. Watering of plants was done as per requirements. Observations are taken till the plants reach its fruiting stage. Experiment was completed after 180 days. Evaluated Parameters Disease incidence Disease incidence percentage was calculated after 180 days of the experiment , according to the number of plants with and without symptoms of the fungal disease (anthracnose) . Disease incidence was calculated as : Disease incidence = No. of diseased plants / Total no. of plants x 100 Disease Severity Disease severity was calculated according to the area of the plant tissue affected by the disease. To evaluate disease severity , the infected fruits were collected from the field and assessed after observation of disease symptoms on them.The evaluation was performed according to the disease severity scale proposed by Sa (2009): 0 – no disease symptoms ; 1 – slight infection ; 3 – mild infection ; 5 – moderate infection ; 7 – heavy infection ; 9 – severe infection. Data from severity scale was computed by disease severity index formula (DSI) proposed by McKinney (1925) : DSI = ∑ (scale grade x n ) x 100 / ∑ plants x maximum scale grade

The calculated data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA). The data were analyzed using a  one-way ANOVA as per experimental design separately for each considered parameter i.e. disease  incidence and disease severity.The analysis of variance was performed using OP stat software at 5%  significance level.

In vivo experiment , four homeopathic drugs namely Aconite , Arnica Montana , Belladonna and Thuja  occidentalis were selected and tested for the control of fungal diseases of the chili crop. The selected  dynamizations were Aconite 200 CH Arnica montana 200CH , Belladonna 200CH and Thuja occidentalis 200 CH . All four homeopathic drugs are amended in soil for the control of fungal diseases. Significant  effects were observed in the application of homeopathic drugs comparatively to control treatments  (Table 1 ). In control treatment , 61.00 % of plants revealed disease symptoms , while in Thuja 200 CH  and Aconite 200CH , only 46.93% and 49.83 % of the plants were infested . Arnica montana 200CH ,  among the homeopathic drugs tested , was the one that exhibited higher disease incidence in plants  61.00% . While Belladonna 200CH exhibited lower disease incidence with 44.16 % infestation in chilli plants.

Besides disease incidence , the results showed that disease severity was significantly reduced (P<0.05 )  comparatively to control treatments (Table 2 ). In control treatments , 64.66 % disease severity was  recorded . When treated with Aconite 200CH , 44.16 % of disease severity was observed , while plants  treated with Thuja occidentalis 200CH showed disease severity with 38.73%. Other two homeopathic  drugs tested namely Arnica montana 200CH and Belladonna 200CH exhibited 45.23 % and 39.58 %  disease severity in chilli plants. It was concluded that Arnica montana showed higher disease severity whereas, Thuja occidentalis exhibited lower disease severity in chilli plants under field conditions.

The results showed significant effects of all four homeopathic drugs to reduce the intensity of fungal  pathogen (Colletotrichum spp.) of anthracnose disease of chilli , comparatively to control  treatments.

Table 1 : Showing disease incidence percentage (DI %) for treated (with homeopathic drugs at 200CH  dynamization) and non-treated (control) plants of chilli (Capsicum annum).

Treatments	Mean
Control	61.00
Aconite 200CH	49.83
Arnica montana 200CH	61.00
Belladonna 200CH	44.16
Thuja occidentalis 200CH	46.93
CD	5.43
SE (m)	1.64

Mean values for each homeopathic drug tested at 200CH dynamization, differ significantly (p<0.05).  Where ; CD = Critical difference and SE(m) = Standard error (mean).

Table 2 : Showing disease severity index (DSI %) for treated (with homeopathic drugs at 200CH  dynamization) and non-treated (control) plants of chilli (Capsicum annum).

Treatments	Mean
Control	64.66
Aconite 200CH	44.16
Arnica montana 200CH	45.23
Belladonna 200CH	39.58
Thuja occidentalis 200CH	38.73
CD	1.87
SE (m)	0.56

Mean values for each homeopathic drug tested at 200CH dynamization, differ significantly (p<0.05).  Where ; CD = Critical difference and SE(m) = Standard error (mean).

 

Figure 1 : Graphical representation of disease incidence (%) for different homeopathic drugs at 200CH dynamization and control treatments for chilli (Capsicum annuum) plants

 

Figure 2 : Graphical representation of disease severity (%) for different homeopathic drugs at 200CH dynamization and control treatments for chilli (Capsicum annuum) plants.

Results showed that homeopathic drugs significantly reduced the disease infection based on the  evaluated parameters i.e. disease incidence and disease severity. (Bonfim et al2008 ) reported that  Arnica montana of 3,6 and 12 CH potencies were used to improve and increase plant growth. Kali  iodatum (149 ) and Thuja occidentalis (87 CH) when applied in pre and post-harvest conditions ,  significantly control the fruit rot caused by Fusarium roseum (Khanna and Chandra , 1992). Carneiro et  al. (2010) discovered that the application of biotherapic of Alternaria solani at 27 CH and 28CH controls  the blight of tomato plant in 57 and 62 % , respectively in greenhouses , and besides that no studies  were conducted over mycelia growth and spore germination. Toledo , Stangarlin , and Bonato (2009)  tested the Sulphur homeopathic medicine in the control of Alternaria solani , a fungus responsible for  tomato early blight , inoculated in tomato plants. Ten days after Alternaria solani inoculation ,the  authors observed that Sulphur at the dynamization of 12CH and 60CH reduced the disease severity in  48.82 % and 56.47 % respectively, when compared to the control treatment. Ashraful Alam , Sanjoy  kumar Adhikary and Mahtalat Ahmed (2017) , design appropriate control measures against Colletotrichum gleosporoides by using selected 72 homeopathic medicines of different potencies  containing anti-fungal properties. The experiment was laid out in CRD with five replications.The results  showed that drugs are effective against C.gleosporoides followed by the order of Arsenicum album <  Selenium < Nux vomica < Belladonna < Calcarea fluorica respectively. Arsenicum album (64.62 %) and Q  potency (16.52 %) was significantly effective against C.gleosporoides. Ma and Zhu (2006) studied the  effect of BTH (Benzothiadiazole) and MeJA (Methyl jasmonate) at various concentrations against  Colletotrichum musae infecting bananas. Application of BTH (50.00mM) gave the lowest incidence of  anthracnose (4.00%) followed by MeJA (0.5mM) (10%). Treatment with BTH and MeJA before storage  significantly reduced the lesion diameter and disease incidence in bananas inoculated with C.musae. 

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