Antifungal Activity of Spearmint (Mentha Spicata L.) Essential Oil on Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-cucumerinum the Causal Agent of Stem and Crown Rot of Greenhouse Cucumber in Yazd, Iran

摘要

Fusarium oxysporum f. Sp. Radicis-cucumerinum (Forc) induces root and crown rot of cucumber world wide. Fungicide applications are often needed to control this pathogen. Natural metabolites do not have any indiscriminate hazardous effects like synthetic fungicides. In this study, antifungal activity of 1, 3 and 5 μL of the essential oil of spearmint plants were studied on the mycelial growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. Sp. Radicis-cucumerinum using a paper disc method. Treated samples were kept at 25 °C and monitored every day up to eight days. All amounts of the essential oil restricted significantly the mycelial growth of the pathogen with maximum activity detected for samples treated with 5 μL of essential oil. The inhibitory effect of the essences was affected by the amounts of the essential oil and the incubation time of the samples. In the samples treated with 1 μL essential oil, the inhibitory effect decreased slightly during the incubation time. While in the samples treated with 3 and 5 μL, the maximum inhibition in the mycelial growth was observed after 2 and 3 days of incubation respectively. This study showed the antifungal activity of spearmint essential oil which can be used in control management of Forc. This is the fist study on Antifungal activity of Spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) essential oil on Fusarium oxysporum f. Sp. Radiciscucumerinum the causal agent of stem and crown rot of greenhouse cucumber in Yazd, Iran.