In vitro inhibition of plant pathogenic fungi and control of gray mold and soft rot of strawberry by essential oils | ||
| Journal of Pest Control and Environmental Sciences | ||
| Volume 16, Issue 1, 2008, Pages 69-86 PDF (242.44 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jpces.2008.459596 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Soad M. Ahmed* ; Samir A. M. Abdelgaleil* | ||
| Pesticides Chemistry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, 21545-El-Shatby, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. citriodora, E. smithii, Lantana camara, Majorana hortensis and Mentha microphylla, were obtained by hydrodistillation and steam distillation. The isolated oils were tested for their in vitro antifungal activity against ten phytopathogenic fungi; Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, B. fabae, Fusarium culmorum, F. oxysporum, Helminthosporium sp., Penicillium digitatum, Rhizoctonia solani, Rhizopus stolonifer and Sclerotium rolfsii. Five of the isolated oils were evaluated for the control of postharvest decay in strawberry caused by B. cinerea and R. stolonifer. In an in vitro assay, the oil of M. microphylla caused complete growth inhibition of F. culmorum, F. oxysporum, P. digitatum, R. solani and R. stolonifer at a concentration of 500 mg/L. The oils of A. judaica and E. citriodora also showed complete inhibition of R. solani at the same concentration. Comparative antifungal activity revealed that the oil of M. microphylla was the most effective, followed by E. camaldulensis and A. judaica. When tested for the control of gray mold and soft rot in strawberry, the essential oils exhibited a strong reduction of disease incidences. The oils of E. camaldulensis, A. judaica and A. santolina were the most effective in the control of both gray mold and soft rot diseases. To correlate the antifungal activities with chemical compositions of the isolated oils, GC-MS analysis of the tested oils was conducted. The dominant components of the oils consisted of four main groups of oxygenated monoterpenes, monoterpene hydrocarbons, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated sesquiterpenes. The remarkable in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity of the oils of E. camaldulensis, A. judaica and A. santolina reported in this study indicated that these oils may provide an alternative mean for controlling postharvest pathogens. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Essential oils; chemical composition; plant pathogenic fungi; antifungal activity; strawberry | ||
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