Effect of Lavender Essential Oil and Methyl Salicylate on the Control of Aspergillus Fungus and Postharvest Quality of Strawberry Cv. Selva

Strawberry, one of the perishable important horticultural crops, is sensitive to fungal pathogens especially during handling and storage. In this research, the effects of lavender essential oil (LEO) and methyl salicylate (MeSA) on the control of Aspergillus-caused fungal disease were investigated. The study was conducted as a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design (CRD) with 3 replications. The treatments were 3 concentrations of LEO including 0, 500 and 1000 μlL-1 and 3 levels of MeSA including 0, 0.1 and 0.2 mM. After treatment, the fruits inoculated by Aspergillus suspension and transfered to cold storage (2°C and 85% humidity) and after 7, 14 and 21 days, some parameters were evaluated. The results showed that diseases incidence of treated fruits with 1000 μlL-1 LEO and 0.1 mM MeSA were 39 and 63% lower than untreated fruits, respectively. With increasing the storage period, the percentage of infected fruits increased. Treated fruits with 500 μlL-1 LEO and 0.1 mM MeSA had high content of soluble solids, vitamin C and antioxidant activity. Therefore, LEO and MeSA having fungicide effect could be used instead of with synthetic fungicides to controlling fungal disease of strawberry and maintain fruits quality during storage.