Chemical composition and antifungal properties of Oregano essential oils against the Moroccan soil-born pathogen Fusarium culmorum

Abstract

In our study, the application of Oregano was investigated in vitro against ten isolates of Fusarium culmorum the causative agent of wheat root rot in Morocco. The chemical composition of essential oils extracted by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Origanum onites and Origanum compactum was analyzed by GC. The major components of O. onites Eo were Carvacrol (29,7%) and p-cymene (22,48%) while Thymol (26,25%) was the predominant constituent in O. compactum EO. The results of the antifungal activity revealed that both oils have an inhibitory effect against all tested isolat es. O. onites and O.compactum Eos inhibited the growth of all isolates tested by 100% at the concentration of 1 µL.mL−1 and 1.2 µL.mL−1 respectively. They have the potential to be used as antifungal agents for the control of wheat Rot root.