Commercial essential oils with antifungal effect against the maize phytopathogen fungus Fusarium verticillioides

ACHIMÓN, F.; BRITO V.; PIZZOLITTO R.; RAMIREZ SANCHEZ A.; GOMEZ TORRES E.; ZYGADLO J.A.

REVISTA ARGENTINA DE MICROBIOLOGíA

ASOCIACION ARGENTINA MICROBIOLOGIA

Año: 2021

0325-7541

The aim of the present study was to analyze the chemical composition of Curcumalonga, Pimenta dioica, Rosmarinus officinalis, and Syzygium aromaticum essential oils (EOs) andtheir antifungal and anti-conidiogenic activity against Fusarium verticillioides. The chemicalprofile of the EOs was determined by GC/MS. The antifungal and anti-conidiogenic activitieswere evaluated by the agar dilution method. The tested concentrations were 1000 ppm,500 ppm, 250 ppm and 125 ppm. S. aromaticum EO exhibited the highest antifungal effect,followed by P. dioica and to a lesser extent C. longa. The major compounds of these EOswere eugenol (88.70% in S. aromaticum and 16.70% in P. dioica), methyl eugenol (53.09% inP. dioica), and -turmerone (44.70%), -turmerone (20.67%), and Ar-turmerone (17.27%) in C.longa. R. officinalis poorly inhibited fungal growth; however, it was the only EO that inhibitedconidial production, its major components being 1,8-cineole (53.48%), -pinene (15.65%),and (−)-camphor (9.57%). Our results showed that some compounds are capable of decreasingmycelial growth without affecting sporulation, and vice versa. However, not all the compoundsof an EO are responsible for its bioactivity. In the present work, we were able to identify differentmajor compounds or mixtures of major compounds that were responsible for antifungaland anti-conidiogenic effects. Further experiments combining these pure components are necessaryin order to achieve a highly bioactive natural formulation against the phytopathogenicfungus F. verticillioides.