## 6 Discussion  
The fungal pathogens isolated from the corn leaf blight disease of maize in Molelwane, North-West Province of South Africa, were characterized as _Bipolaris ziccola, Phoma herbarum, Epicoccum nigrum, Alternaria alternata_ and _Fusarium brachygibbsum_. _Bipolaris ziccola_, earlier identified as _Cochliobolus carbonum_, is from the phylum Ascomycota and family Pleosporales. Selections from these populations have been predicted to keep evolving, especially in seed fields where novel pathotypes with distinctive lesions, toxins, and/or genotype specificity are present [42]. Some of its races have been previously implicated with the Helminthosporium leaf spot disease of maize [43], maize root rot [44], northern corn leaf spot, and northern and Southern corn leaf blight disease [45], while it has been found as the causal agent of leaf blight disease on the invasive grass _Microstegium vimineum_[46]. _Phoma_ has been reported as the largest and the most widely distributed genus of the order Pleosporales [47]. Its species have reportedly thrived in various habitats where they have occurred as saprophytes, epiphytes, parasites and hyperparasites [48]. _Phoma herbarum_, which was recently reclassified as _Phoma sensu stricto_, has been reported to attack crop plants, producing symptoms such as root rot, leaf blight and the wilting of \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Days**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Bi\({}_{2}\)S\({}_{3}\)**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**gC\({}_{3}\)N\({}_{4}\)**} \\ \cline{2-7}  & **5 mg/mL** & **10 mg/mL** & **15 mg/mL** & **5 mg/mL** & **10 mg/mL** & **15 mg/mL** \\ \hline
3 & 30.41 \(\pm\) 4.21 a & 29.32 \(\pm\) 2.52 a & 31.97 \(\pm\) 2.98 a & 26.97 \(\pm\) 3.81 a & 31.71 \(\pm\) 4.90 a & 30.27 \(\pm\)3.21 a \\
5 & 22.80 \(\pm\) 3.24 b & 21.34 \(\pm\) 2.35 b & 25.10 \(\pm\) 2.66 b & 21.82 \(\pm\) 3.59 b & 26.27 \(\pm\) 4.63 b & 25.82 \(\pm\) 2.86 ba \\
7 & 19.65 \(\pm\) 3.91 b & 19.07 \(\pm\) 3.13 b & 20.28 \(\pm\) 3.17 cb & 16.40 \(\pm\) 3.62 bc & 21.41 \(\pm\) 3.91 b & 22.88 \(\pm\) 3.23 b \\
9 & 18.94 \(\pm\) 3.61 b & 17.35 \(\pm\) 2.99 b & 15.53 \(\pm\) 2.96 c & 14.85 \(\pm\) 3.35 c & 22.35 \(\pm\) 4.17 b & 18.88 \(\pm\) 3.38 b \\ LSD & 7.12 & 5.65 & 4.85 & 5.48 & 6.13 & 6.68 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
Means with different letters across the column are significantly (\(p<0.05\)) different. Bi\({}_{2}\)S\({}_{3}\) = Bismuth sulphide nanoparticles, gC\({}_{3}\)N\({}_{4}\) = Graphitic carbon nitride nanoparticles.  
\end{table} 
Table 4: Effects of experimental duration (days) on the nanoparticle inhibition of fungi. Figure 8: Heatmap showing the effect of days of observation on the percentage of fungal inhibition at different concentration levels. Means with different letters across the days are significantly (\(p<0.05\)) different. the host plant [47]. The fungus has also been found to cause leaf spot disease of purple coneflower (_Echinacea purpurea_) in Northern Italy [49]. Similarly, fungi, including _Epicoccum_, _Fusarium_ and _Alternaria_ species, also have multiple habitats, and they colonize the stems, leaves and areas of the plants. Thus, plant leaves in tropical forests have been found to contain numerous independent infections, which are of high diversity [50]. _Alternaria alternata_ has been found as the cause of leaf blight of maize in China [51], and also in sunflower cultivation in South Africa, especially where sunflower is grown in rotation with maize [52]. Although _Fusarium brachygibosum_ has been considered a plausible candidate for deployment as a bioagent for _Striga hermothica_ management in sorghum [53], other races of _Fusarium brachygibosum_ have been implicated in maize stalk rot [54]. Similarly, the report of [PERSON], et al. [55] revealed a total of 18 species of _Epicoccum_, which are pathogens to 46 different plant species in about 20 countries where they mostly cause leaf spot disease. However, there are five other _Epicoccum_ species (_E. nigrum_, _E. layuense_, _E. dendrobi_, _E. mezzetti_, and _E.