In vivo antifungal activity of two essential oils from Mediterranean plants against postharvest brown rot disease of peach fruit

• In vivo postharvest activity of two Mediterranean essential oils was examined.
• Thyme oil was mainly composed by o-cymene.
• Citral and isobornyl formate were the main components of vervain oil.
• The oils inhibited Monilinia laxa, Monilinia fructigena, and Monilinia fructicola.

Fresh fruits of several plants are susceptible to infection by several pathogenic fungi after harvest. Some synthetic fungicides are known to be highly effective in their control on various vegetables and fruits. In the present study the potential fungicidal activity of the essential oils obtained by thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and vervain (Verbena officinalis), respectively, against Monilinia laxa, Monilinia fructigena, and Monilinia fructicola was tested at various concentrations in vivo. The oil of thyme was mainly composed by o-cymene (56.2%), while the main components of the oil of vervain were citral (44.5%) and isobornyl formate (45.4%). The higher concentrations of both studied EOs from vervain (1000 ppm) and thyme (500 ppm) significantly reduced the brown rot lesion diameter. The lower concentrations of vervain (500 ppm) and thyme (250 ppm) EOs resulted in low effectiveness. This research revealed the potential fungicidal role in vivo of the essential oils on peach fruits postharvest. Moreover, the application of essential oils could be combined with other innovative postharvest treatments such as biocontrol agents.