Antifungal effect of five essential oils against important pathogenic fungi of cereals

• Antifungal activity of essential oils on significant fungal plant pathogens was analysed.
• Inhibitory effect of essential oils on fungi was tested by the agar dilution method.
• Effective dose (ED50) values were calculated by probit analysis.
• Compositions of the essential oils were analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).
• Essential oils from T. vulgaris and P. odoratissimum revealed higher inhibition effects.

Essential oils from five species of medicinal and food plants were tested as mycelial growth inhibitors against five important pathogenic fungal species that cause stem, leaf and ear diseases of cereals. An agar dilution method was used to determine the inhibitory effect and effective dose of essential oils extracted from Pimpinella anisum, Thymus vulgaris, Pelargonium odoratissimum, Rosmarinus officinalis and Foeniculum vulgare on the fungi Oculimacula yallundae, Microdochium nivale, Zymoseptoria tritici, Pyrenophora teres and Fusarium culmorum. All essential oils used in our experiment affected the growth of these fungi. Ultimately, the best antifungal activity (on the basis of inhibitory effect) was demonstrated by Thymus vulgaris. The chemical compositions of the essential oils were determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis.