USE OF ESSENTIAL OILS OF THYME AND OREGANO AGAINST PHYTO-PATHOGENIC FUNGI AND BACTERIA

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) and thyme (Thymus vulgare), family Lamiaceae, are aromatic plants widely used both as food source and for phytotherapy. Moreover, they can be potentially used as biocide, because their essential oils are toxic for phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria. The composition of esse...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of plant pathology 2009-12, Vol.91 (4), p.S4.53-S4.53
Main Authors: Campanile, F, Villecco, D, Zaccardelli, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brassica carinata
Helianthus
Lamiaceae
Lycopersicon esculentum
Origanum vulgare
Pectobacterium
Pseudomonas syringae
Thymus
Verticillium
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Summary:Oregano (Origanum vulgare) and thyme (Thymus vulgare), family Lamiaceae, are aromatic plants widely used both as food source and for phytotherapy. Moreover, they can be potentially used as biocide, because their essential oils are toxic for phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria. The composition of essential oils is subjected to variations of the active compounds, partially due to the use of heterogeneous populations of the source plants and to environmental conditions. Aim of this work was to determine the effectiveness on the growth of phytophatogenic fungi and bacteria of essential oils extracted from oregano and thyme plants grown in a climatic chamber, in a substrate amended with different fertilizers (mineral, Brassica carinata seed meal, sunflower seed meal and compost). Antimicrobial activity of essential oils were measured by determining growth inhibition of fungi and bacteria at different concentrations. Oregano oil was more active than thyme oil, at both the highest (0.1%) and lowest concentrations (0.01%). However, with both oils, bacteria were more inhibited than fungi. The greatest inhibition occurred with oils form oregano and thyme fertilized with compost. In this case, oregano oil at 0.01% concentration inhibited all bacteria tested except for Pectobacterium carotovorum and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, whereas among fungi, only Verticillium spp. was inhibited. In conclusion, different fertilizers influenced the antimicrobial activity of oregano and thyme oils. Fertilization with compost showed the highest activity. Studies in open fields will be performed.
ISSN:1125-4653