Abstract

Essential oils of Bunium persicum (Parsi Zira), Carum copticum (Ajwain) andCinnamomum zeylanicum (cinnamon) were tested in vitro as growth inhibitors against six forma special of Fusarium oxysporum. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and median effective concentrations (EC₅₀) values (µl/L) were also demonstrated. The antifungal activity of essential oils was assayed by poison food medium method (0, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 µl/L). Essential oils were extracted by means of hydro-distillation and afterwards, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was performed to identify their components. The main constituents were cinnamaldehyd (77.51%), β-linalool (11.13%), α-cubebene (1.18%) and 1S, CIS-calamenene (1.06%) for C. zeylanicum, thymol (52.95%), γ-terpinene (13.53%), p-cymene (11.28%) in C. copticum and γ-terpinene (24.02%), cuminaldehyde (20.1%), para-cymene (13.09%), benzenemethanol alpha-propyl (13.01%), cyclopentane, 2-methyl-1-methylene-3-(1- methylethenyl) (3.57%) in B. persicum. All three essential oils exhibited antifungal effect on the studied fungi species; but essential oil of C. zeylanicum was more effective. The growth of F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceri and F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis was completely inhibited by essential oil of C. zeylanicum at 200 ppm concentrations.

Key words: Antifungal activity, essential oils, Fusarium oxysporum.

Abbreviation

Abbreviations: GC-MC, Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; MIC, minimum inhibitory concentration; PDA, potato dextrose agar.