Chemical Profile and Antifungal Activity against Phytophthora cinnamomi of Essential Oils from Lippia alba and Lippia origanoides

Abstract

Objectives: Determine the concentration and its chemical compositions of essential oils of Lippia alba and Lippia origanoides with better inhibitory activity against the mycelial growth of Phytophthora cinnamomi phytopathogen. Methods/Statistical Analysis: In this study, the in vitro antifungal activity of essential oils of fresh and dried leaves of L. Alba and L. origanoides against P. cinnamomi was evaluated. The chemical composition of all essential oils obtained from fresh and dry leaves was evaluated using the GC-MS. A factorial design was carried out, identifying as factors the concentrations and states of leaves and plant species. Findings: The essential oils impose antifungal activity against the mycelial growth of P. cinnamomi. The essential oil of L. origanoides exhibits the highest yield of 3.3% and inhibition of 97.1%, while that of L. alba yield and inhibition was the lowest with 2.79% and 68.9% respectively. Furthermore, the essential oils obtained from dried leaves showed the highest average yields and antagonistic activity. In addition, statistical differences were found between L. Alba and L. origanoides. However, all the evaluated essential oils had activity higher than 60%, which shows their importance for agricultural uses. Improvements/Applications: This research presents essential oils as an agroecological alternative to alleviate the phytosanitary problems of crops of economic importance and as an alternative to the use of agro-toxins.