Nagy, Géza

Palkovics, László

Petróczy, Marietta

Tóth, Annamária

Corvinus Research Archive

P14 
Mycology, Plant Protection, Essential Oils 
Annamária TÓTH1, Marietta PETRÓCZY1, Géza NAGY1, László PALl<OViCS1 
1Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary, marietta.petroczy@uni-corvinus.hu 
Colletotrichum acutatum is a significant pre- and postharvest pathogen worldwide. Symptoms of 
athracnose can occur on several fruits and other crops such as strawberry, sweet and sour cherry, 
apple, almond, papaya, blueberries, mango, tamarillo and loquat fruit. ln our survey in vitro 
effectiveness of essential oils were tested against mycelial growth and conidial germination of 
Colletotrichum acutatum. Antifungal activity of essential oils was compared by poisoned agar 
technique using three different oil concentrations. Three fungicides were also involved as 
controls. Considerable differences were observed in effectiveness at different concentrations. 
Mycelial growth of Col!cl"atrichum acutatum was completely inhibited in 0.1% concentration by 
the essential oil of anise, basil, clove, fenne!, palmarosa and spearmint. At the lowest tested 
concentration (0.01%) thyme and cinnamon oil caused complete inhibition. Concerning conidial 
germination at 0.1% concentration rosemary, palmarosa, clove, thyme, spearmint, lndian 
lemongrass, basil, fenne! and anise oils were effective. These essential oils yielded better results 
than fenhexamid active agent applied in field dose. ln case of thyme and cinnamon oil, complete 
fungistatic activity has been observed at the lowest dilution, as in case of tebuconazole and 
mancozeb containing fungicides. Essential oils giving good efficacy against the fungus were 
selected far further in vivo experiments. Some essential oils might be promising source of a 
biological fungicide, applied directly before harvest or du ring postharvest 
71 
ESSENTIAL OILS IN PLANT PROTECTION AND 
POSTHARVEST CONTROL OF  
COLLETOTRICHUM ACUTATUM  
Annamária Tóth, Marietta Petróczy, Géza Nagy, László Palkovics 
Corvinus University of Budapest, Department of Plant Pathology, Budapest, HUNGARY 
INTRODUCTION 
Anthracnose causes significant damage on sour cherry (Fig. 1.) and on strawberry (Fig. 2.) in 
Hungary. The pathogen caused epidemics and unexpected losses of fruit production in the 
past few years, because the chemical control proved to be unsuccessful. The symptoms 
caused by Colletotrichum acutatum. Only few fungicides are allowed to apply 7-10 days 
before harvest, so the usage of plant extracts and essential oils in plant protection got into 
the focus of interest in the past years. 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
Isolates of Colletotrichum acutatum were originated naturally infected sour cherry (cv. ‘Újfehértói fürtös’; origin: Soponya, Hungary; year of isolation: 2011) and (cv. ‘Asia’; origin: 
Lajosmizse, Hungary; year of isolation: 2012) strawberry fruits. 
Essential oils 
During evaluation of the effectiveness of essential oils on C. acutatum, anise (Pimpinella anisum), basil (Ocimum basalicum), bergamot (Aetheroleum bergamottae), camphor 
(Cinnamomum camphora), cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum), citronella (Cymbopogon nardus), clove (Syzygium aromaticum), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), cubeba (Litsea 
cubeba), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Indian lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), niaouli (Melaleuca viridiflora), orange blossom (Citrus sinensis), 
palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii), patchouli (Pogostemon sp.), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), sage-muscat (Salvia sclarea), spearmint (Mentha spicata) and thyme (Thymus 
vulgaris) essential oils were selected. Antifungal activity was tested in three dilutions (1%, 0.1% and 0.01%). 
In vitro antifungal activity 
Agar dilution (poisoned agar plate) method was applied for testing antifungal activity of essential oils against mycelial growth and conidial germination. 
In addition, three fungicides Teldor 500SC (fenhexamid), Orius 20EW (tebuconazole) and Dithane M45 (mancozeb) were employed as chemical controls in the assay. 
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 
In case of agar dilution technique method, great differences were observed in effectiveness among essential oils at different concentrations (Fig. 3., 4.). Between the two isolates 
relevant differences were not noticed. 
Concerning mycelial growth of Colletotrichum acutatum almost all oils in a 1% 
concentration caused total inhibition. At 0.1% dilution the efficacy of citronella, 
coriander, niaouli, camphor and rosemary decreased significantly. The EC90 value was 
under 0.1% in case of palmarosa, cubeba, clove, thyme, spearmint, Indian lemongrass, 
basil, fennel, anise and bergamot. At the tested lowest dilution only essential oil of 
cinnamon and thyme inhibited totally the mycelial growth of the fungus. Thyme oil at 
0.01% was as affective as tebuconazole and mancozeb active agents (Fig. 3.). 
Essential oils of lavender, orange blossom, patchouli inhibited less the germination of 
conidia. EC90 values were between 1% and 0.1% in case of sage-muscat, citronella, coriander, 
niaouli, camphor and bergamot oils.  At 0.1% concentration rosemary, palmarosa, cubeba, 
clove, thyme, spearmint, Indian lemongrass, basil, fennel and anise held back the conidial 
germination during 14 days observation. In case of cinnamon and thyme oil, complete 
fungistatic activity has been observed at the lowest dilution, like tebuconazole and 
mancozeb containing fungicides, so the EC90 value is below 0.01% (Fig. 4.). 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
The project was funded by OTKA-PD100425, TÁMOP- 4.2.1./B-09/1-KMR-2010-0005, TÁMOP- 4.2.2./B-10/1-2010-0023 and TÁMOP 4.2.4.A/1-11-1-2012-0001 „National Excellence Program” grants. 
1%
0.1%
0.01%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
100,00%
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 c
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 c
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Essential oils and active agents 
1%
0.10%
0.01%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
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1 2 3 4
Fr
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 o
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 (
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Treated trees (1, 2, 3) and control (4) 
In vivo effectiveness of essential oils was evaluated at Sóskút. Twelve-year-old cherry 
trees (cv. ‘Érdi bőtermő’) were treated with the mixture of cinnamon and thyme. 
Essential oils were sprayed three times against the fungus: at the beginning of 
fruit growth (0.75 l/ha), during fruit growth and at the beginning of ripening 
(1l/ha). Treatments were evaluated before the harvest. Three trees were selected 
from  every row. Efficacy was concluded by the frequency of infected fruits. By low 
infection rate, the treatment with essential oils was slightly less effective than the 
standard fungicide control (Fig.5.). 
Figure 3. Antifungal activity of 19 essential oils (in 1, 0.1, 0.01% dilutions) and 3 active agents 
(fungicides in practical dose, as control) against mycelial growth of Colletotrichum acutatum 
Figure 4. Antifungal activity of 19 essential oils (in 1, 0.1, 0.01% dilutions) and 3 active agents 
(fungicides in practical dose, as control) conidial germination of Colletotrichum acutatum 
Figure 1. Anthracnose of sour cherry  
(Photo: Petróczy, 2012) 
Figure 2. Anthracnose of strawberry 
(Photo: Tóth, 2012) 
Figure 5. In vivo effectiveness of cinnamon and thyme oil mixture 
against sour cherry anthracnose 
Average frequency: 4%  


Essential oils in plant protection and postharvest control of Colletotrichum acutatum (Mycology, plant protection, essential oils)

P14 Mycology, Plant Protection, Essential Oils Annamária TÓTH1, Marietta PETRÓCZY1, Géza NAGY1, László PALl<OViCS1 1Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary, marietta.petroczy@uni-corvinus.hu Colletotrichum acutatum is a significant pre- and postharvest pathogen worldwide. Symptoms of athracnose can occur on several fruits and other crops such as strawberry, sweet and sour cherry, apple, almond, papaya, blueberries, mango, tamarillo and loquat fruit. ln our survey in vitro effectiveness of essential oils were tested against mycelial growth and conidial germination of Colletotrichum acutatum. Antifungal activity of essential oils was compared by poisoned agar technique using three different oil concentrations. Three fungicides were also involved as controls. Considerable differences were observed in effectiveness at different concentrations. Mycelial growth of Col!cl"atrichum acutatum was completely inhibited in 0.1% concentration by the essential oil of anise, basil, clove, fenne!, palmarosa and spearmint. At the lowest tested concentration (0.01%) thyme and cinnamon oil caused complete inhibition. Concerning conidial germination at 0.1% concentration rosemary, palmarosa, clove, thyme, spearmint, lndian lemongrass, basil, fenne! and anise oils were effective. These essential oils yielded better results than fenhexamid active agent applied in field dose. ln case of thyme and cinnamon oil, complete fungistatic activity has been observed at the lowest dilution, as in case of tebuconazole and mancozeb containing fungicides. Essential oils giving good efficacy against the fungus were selected far further in vivo experiments. Some essential oils might be promising source of a biological fungicide, applied directly before harvest or du ring postharvest 71 ESSENTIAL OILS IN PLANT PROTECTION AND POSTHARVEST CONTROL OF  COLLETOTRICHUM ACUTATUM  Annamária Tóth, Marietta Petróczy, Géza Nagy, László Palkovics Corvinus University of Budapest, Department of Plant Pathology, Budapest, HUNGARY INTRODUCTION Anthracnose causes significant damage on sour cherry (Fig. 1.) and on strawberry (Fig. 2.) in Hungary. The pathogen caused epidemics and unexpected losses of fruit production in the past few years, because the chemical control proved to be unsuccessful. The symptoms caused by Colletotrichum acutatum. Only few fungicides are allowed to apply 7-10 days before harvest, so the usage of plant extracts and essential oils in plant protection got into the focus of interest in the past years. MATERIALS AND METHODS Isolates of Colletotrichum acutatum were originated naturally infected sour cherry (cv. ‘Újfehértói fürtös’; origin: Soponya, Hungary; year of isolation: 2011) and (cv. ‘Asia’; origin: Lajosmizse, Hungary; year of isolation: 2012) strawberry fruits. Essential oils During evaluation of the effectiveness of essential oils on C. acutatum, anise (Pimpinella anisum), basil (Ocimum basalicum), bergamot (Aetheroleum bergamottae), camphor (Cinnamomum camphora), cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum), citronella (Cymbopogon nardus), clove (Syzygium aromaticum), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), cubeba (Litsea cubeba), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Indian lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), niaouli (Melaleuca viridiflora), orange blossom (Citrus sinensis), palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii), patchouli (Pogostemon sp.), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), sage-muscat (Salvia sclarea), spearmint (Mentha spicata) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oils were selected. Antifungal activity was tested in three dilutions (1%, 0.1% and 0.01%). In vitro antifungal activity Agar dilution (poisoned agar plate) method was applied for testing antifungal activity of essential oils against mycelial growth and conidial germination. In addition, three fungicides Teldor 500SC (fenhexamid), Orius 20EW (tebuconazole) and Dithane M45 (mancozeb) were employed as chemical controls in the assay. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION In case of agar dilution technique method, great differences were observed in effectiveness among essential oils at different concentrations (Fig. 3., 4.). Between the two isolates relevant differences were not noticed. Concerning mycelial growth of Colletotrichum acutatum almost all oils in a 1% concentration caused total inhibition. At 0.1% dilution the efficacy of citronella, coriander, niaouli, camphor and rosemary decreased significantly. The EC90 value was under 0.1% in case of palmarosa, cubeba, clove, thyme, spearmint, Indian lemongrass, basil, fennel, anise and bergamot. At the tested lowest dilution only essential oil of cinnamon and thyme inhibited totally the mycelial growth of the fungus. Thyme oil at 0.01% was as affective as tebuconazole and mancozeb active agents (Fig. 3.). Essential oils of lavender, orange blossom, patchouli inhibited less the germination of conidia. EC90 values were between 1% and 0.1% in case of sage-muscat, citronella, coriander, niaouli, camphor and bergamot oils.  At 0.1% concentration rosemary, palmarosa, cubeba, clove, thyme, spearmint, Indian lemongrass, basil, fennel and anise held back the conidial germination during 14 days observation. In case of cinnamon and thyme oil, complete fungistatic activity has been observed at the lowest dilution, like tebuconazole and mancozeb containing fungicides, so the EC90 value is below 0.01% (Fig. 4.). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The project was funded by OTKA-PD100425, TÁMOP- 4.2.1./B-09/1-KMR-2010-0005, TÁMOP- 4.2.2./B-10/1-2010-0023 and TÁMOP 4.2.4.A/1-11-1-2012-0001 „National Excellence Program” grants. 1%0.1%0.01%0,00%10,00%20,00%30,00%40,00%50,00%60,00%70,00%80,00%90,00%100,00%Mycelial growth compared to control (%) Essential oils and active agents 1%0.10%0.01%0,00%10,00%20,00%30,00%40,00%50,00%60,00%70,00%80,00%Conidial germination compared to control (%) Essential oils and active agents 0%2%4%6%8%10%12%14%1 2 3 4Frequency of infection (%) Treated trees (1, 2, 3) and control (4) In vivo effectiveness of essential oils was evaluated at Sóskút. Twelve-year-old cherry trees (cv. ‘Érdi bőtermő’) were treated with the mixture of cinnamon and thyme. Essential oils were sprayed three times against the fungus: at the beginning of fruit growth (0.75 l/ha), during fruit growth and at the beginning of ripening (1l/ha). Treatments were evaluated before the harvest. Three trees were selected from  every row. Efficacy was concluded by the frequency of infected fruits. By low infection rate, the treatment with essential oils was slightly less effective than the standard fungicide control (Fig.5.). Figure 3. Antifungal activity of 19 essential oils (in 1, 0.1, 0.01% dilutions) and 3 active agents (fungicides in practical dose, as control) against mycelial growth of Colletotrichum acutatum Figure 4. Antifungal activity of 19 essential oils (in 1, 0.1, 0.01% dilutions) and 3 active agents (fungicides in practical dose, as control) conidial germination of Colletotrichum acutatum Figure 1. Anthracnose of sour cherry  (Photo: Petróczy, 2012) Figure 2. Anthracnose of strawberry (Photo: Tóth, 2012) Figure 5. In vivo effectiveness of cinnamon and thyme oil mixture against sour cherry anthracnose Average frequency: 4%  

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Essential oils in plant protection and postharvest control of Colletotrichum acutatum (Mycology, plant protection, essential oils)

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