Antimicrobial and Antifungal Activity of Volatile Extracts of 10 Herb Species against Glomerella cingulata

Abstract

We investigated the antimicrobial activity of volatile extracts from 10 herb species (coriander, oregano, chamomile, sage, thyme, chives, basil, fennel, lavender, and rosemary) against 4 plant pathogens (Botryotinia fuckeliana, Glomerella cingulata, Fusarium oxysporum, and Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum) to develop biological pesticides. We also determined the optimum quantity of each volatile extract for the highest activity against plant pathogens. Among these 10 herb extracts, the volatile extract of coriander leaves and stems exhibited high levels of antimicrobial activity against the 4 plant pathogens tested. The volatile extract prepared from chives also exhibited antifungal activity against B. fuckeliana, G. cingulata, and F. oxysporum, but exhibited no antimicrobial activity against P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum. In particular, the antifungal activity of the volatile extract of coriander leaves and stems (equivalent to 0.25 g FW) against G. cingulata was higher than that of chemical fungicides. These results indicate that volatile extracts from coriander leaves and stems have high levels of antifungal and antimicrobial activity against plant pathogens.