Sensitivity of strawberry fruit rot pathogens to essential oils

Abstract

© 2014, International Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved. The aim of this study was to investigate several essential oils as a source of antimicrobial compounds that could be used against strawberry fruit rot pathogens. To determine fungicidal activity of 18 essential oils, fungal cultures, grown on potato-dextrose-agar medium (PDA) in Petri dishes, were exposed to volatile phases of the oils. The pathogen was exposed to the oils for seven days and then transferred to fresh PDA plates. A culture of the pathogen grown without any treatment was used as a control. Thyme and oregano oils were lethal to C. acutatum and P. obscurans at concentrations 0.02 μl/ml air, and to B. cinerea at 0.04 μl/ml air, respectively. Cinnamon-A showed the best activity against B. cinerea with 0.02 μl/ml air. Chamomile, camphorae, lemon grass and Helychrysum italicum essential oils showed the lowest antifungal activity. These results indicate that some of the tested essential oils could be used for the control of investigated pathogens.