Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of essential plant oils from Vitex agnus-castus L. (VAC) and Myrtus communis L. against the plant pathogens, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici (Sacc.) W.C. Synder & H.N. Hans, Rhizoctonia solani J.G. Kühn., Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary and Verticillium dahliae Kleb., and to determine the chemical composition of the compounds in these essential oils. GC/MS analysis was identified 25 different compounds in VAC essential oil, while the main compounds were determined as Eucalyptol (17.75%), β-Caryophyllene (13.21%) and Spathulenol (10.41%). On the other hand, the essential oil of M. communis, consisted of 16 different compounds which were Eucalyptol (49.15%), Myrtenol (19.49%) and α-Pinene (8.38%) being its main compounds. An assessment of antifungal activity was performed under in vitro conditions. Plant pathogens were inoculated onto Petri dishes (60 mm) containing PDA medium (10 mL/Petri-1), and plant essential oils were applied at concentrations of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 5 and 10 (μL/Petri-1) into the 5 mm diameter wells opened on the Petri dish surface. After that, the Petri dishes incubated at 22±2 °C. The results of this study, the essential oil of M. communis, at a dose of 10 μL/ Petri, inhibited the 100% mycelium growth of V. dahliae, S. sclerotiorum and R. solani. The highest dose of VAC essential oil was also 100% inhibited V. dahliae and S. sclerotiorum. The LC50 and LC90 values of M. communis and VAC essential oil calculated for V. dahliae, FORL, S. sclerotiorum and R. solani. This plant extracts were shown by in vitro conditions to be potential antifungal agents.
Highlights
Compounds with antimicrobial activity have been identified in over 1,340 plant species; about 60 are mentioned by Nychas (1995) and Beuchat (1994) (Pillai and Ramaswamy, 2012)
Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis was identified 25 different compounds in Vitex agnus-castus L. (VAC) essential oil, while the main compounds were determined as Eucalyptol (17.75%), β-Caryophyllene (13.21%) and Spathulenol (10.41%)
Plant pathogens were inoculated onto Petri dishes (60 mm) containing potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium (10 mL/Petri-1), and plant essential oils were applied at concentrations of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 5 and 10 into the 5 mm diameter wells opened on the Petri dish surface
Summary
Compounds with antimicrobial activity have been identified in over 1,340 plant species; about 60 are mentioned by Nychas (1995) and Beuchat (1994) (Pillai and Ramaswamy, 2012). Previous studies have demonstrated that the essential oils and plant extracts of many plant species exhibit various antibacterial, antifungal, insecticidal and antioxidant activities against plant pathogens and insects (Burt, 2004; Kordali et al, 2005, Polatoğlu et al, 2013). Some of these essential oils are being used in cancer treatment (Sylvestre et al, 2005), while others are being used for food preservation and in the cosmetics industry. The essential oils and plant extracts of VAC has been reported to have antioxidant, antimicrobial and antifungal functions. There are only a few scientific studies investigating whether or not these essential oils are effective against plant pathogens
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