SCREENING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL AGENTS FROM BUTEA MONOSPERMA (LAM.) TAUB SEED EXTRACTS

In vitro antibacterial activity of Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub. root extract was evaluated against five bacterial species. Among the tested organisms, Proteus vulgaris exhibited the highest inhibition at 100% concentration, followed by Erwinia amylovora, Pectobacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas syringae. The inhibition zones ranged from 20.0 mm to 31.0 mm for E. amylovora and Pectobacterium, while P. vulgaris and S. aureus showed 24.0 mm and 25.0 mm inhibition, respectively. The methanolic root extract was further subjected to thin-layer chromatography (TLC) to separate its bioactive components, yielding three fractions: Fraction I, Fraction II, and Fraction III. Among these, Fraction II demonstrated notable antibacterial activity against all tested strains, with marked inhibition observed in E. coli, Pectobacterium, P. vulgaris, P. syringae, and S. aureus. E. amylovora exhibited the greatest sensitivity, showing inhibition zones ranging from 31.0 mm to 39.0 mm across different concentrations, followed by P. vulgaris and S. aureus, which showed inhibition between 23.0 mm and 34.0 mm.