Control of bacterial cancer and wilt agent Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis using different plant essential oils

Abstract

Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, a seed-borne pathogen, is a bacterial wilt and cancer disease agent that causes significant yield losses in tomatoes. In the present study, essential oils were obtained from 5 different plants (Salvia hydrangea, Thymus migricus, Mentha longifolia, Achillea arabica and Artemisia absinthium) by hydrodistillation method for the control of C. michiganensis subsp. michiganensis and the chemical components of the essential oils were analysed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). The antibacterial activities of essential oils against C. michiganensis were determined by agar disc diffusion method in vitro. In addition, the minimum inhibition concentrations (MIC) at which essential oils inhibit pathogen growth were determined. As a result of GC/MS analysis, a total of 37, 30, 32, 43 and 40 chemical components were determined in the essential oils of S. hydrangea, T. migricus, A. absinthium, A. arabica and M. longifolia, respectively. As a result of the study, it was determined that all of the essential oils exhibited antibacterial activity at varying rates (8.03-40.8 mm) and the highest activity belonged to T. migricus essential oil. T. migricus, A. absintium and A. arabica essential oils exhibited higher activity than netilmicin antibiotic used as control in the study. The results show that essential oils obtained from plants can be used as an alternative to synthetic pesticides because they are of natural quality and do not pose a threat to human health and nature.