Biocontrol ability of some essential oils against Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of apple gray mold

Constant use of chemical fungicides has faced to increasing public concern regarding contamination of perishables with fungicidal residues, and proliferation of resistance in the pathogen populations. So recent researches in this area has focused on the development and evaluation of alternative control strategies to reduce dependency on synthetic fungicides. Accordingly, in this research in vitro and in vivo biocontrol activity of plant essential oils of Satureja hortensis, Rosmarinus officinalis, Mentha piperita, Zataria multiflora and Cuminum cyminum against the growth of Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of apple gray mold was evaluated. In vitro results revealed that the essential oils of Z. multiflora, C. cyminum and M. piperita have the highest biocontrol activity among tested essential oils; so that in in vitro condition the highest inhibitory activity among these three essential oils was observed in Z. multiflora in concentration of 500ppm. In vivo results also indicated that, those essential oils in a concentration of 1000 ppm have significant inhibitory effect on the growth of B. cinerea. GC-MS analysis demonstrated that carvacrol (71.19%), ɤ-Terpinene (30.41%) and menthol (51.19%) were the main components of the essential oils of Z. multiflora, C. cyminum and M. piperita, respectively. Based on the results, the essential oils could be proposed as an alternative to synthetic chemicals.