The antifungal activity of plant essential oils (EOs) has been verified for several agricultural plant pathogens. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of EOs from Melaleuca alternifolia, Eucalyptus citriodora, Cymbopogon martinii and C. citratus against Rhizoctonia solani, causal agent of rice sheath blight. Essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation, in a Clevenger type system, and characterized by GC and GC-MS analysis. Bioassays were conducted using EOs and commercial standards of majoritary compounds identified. The EOs from C. martinii and C. citratus and its majority compounds, geraniol and citral, respectively, inhibited the mycelial growth of R. solani in vitro. Bio-fungicides derived from these essential oils can became an alternative for the management of plant diseases.