Antifungal Effects of Some Plant Essential Oils Against botrytis Cinerea

Abstract

Botrytis cinerea causes the gray mold fruit rot of strawberry. The causalpathogen was isolated from the infected strawberry fruit. Pathogenecity test was carried out for the confirmation of disease. Thymus linearis, Artemisiagmelinii and Tanacetum gracile were collected from Manang as part of the NUFU funded project.Artemisia indica and Murraya koenigii were collectedfrom the local garden of Central Department of Botany TU. These all fiveplants were hydrodistilled in the lab for the extraction of essential oils. Eachessential oil was diluted to different concentrations of 10,000 ppm, 5,000 ppm,2,500 ppm, 1,250 ppm and 625 ppm in 80% acetone. The essential oil ofArtemisia gmelinii was further diluted to 12,500 ppm, 25,000 ppm, 50,000ppm, 75,000 ppm and 1,00000 ppm for finding out the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The essential oil of Artemisia indica was further diluted in to 20,000 ppm, 40,000 ppm, 60,000 ppm and 80,000 ppm respectively. Fungitoxicity was assessed by poisoned food technique. Essential oil of Thymus linearis showed the highest fungitoxicity (100%) at the concentrationof 10,000-ppm. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of differentessential oils was calculated. MIC of Thymus linearis was 10,000 ppm, i.e. at 10,000-ppm concentration; complete inhibition of colony growth of Botrytiscinereais seen. MIC of Artemisia indica was found to be 60,000 ppm and MIC of Artemisia gmelinii was found to be 75,000 ppm against Botrytis cinerea.