Cinnamon and citronella essential oils in the in vitro control of the fungi Aspergillus sp. and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Abstract

Among the fungi that cause damage and/or are spread by seeds, Aspergillus sp. and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum stand out, which have a worldwide distribution and a wide range of hosts. A viable and safer option than chemicals would be to use natural compounds for plant disease management. The objective of this study was to evaluate cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) and citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus) essential oils in the in vitro control of fungi Aspergilus sp. and S. sclerotiorum. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 2x4 + 2 factorial scheme [essential oils x concentrations + (fungicide + standard control)]. Cinnamon and citronella essential oils were used in doses of 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 mL L-1 (+Tween 80 to 1%) and the Captana (480 g L-1) and thiophanatemethyl + chlorothalonil (200.0 g kg-1 + 500.0 g kg-1) fungicides, at doses of 3 g L-1 and 2 g L-1 , for the fungi Aspergilus sp. and S. sclerotiorum, respectively. The products were diluted in potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium in Petri dishes, and mycelium discs with 5 mm diameter were placed and incubated in a Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) incubator at 25 ± 1°C and photoperiod of 12 h. There was significant interaction between treatments. The dose of 1.6 mL L-1 of both oils showed greater inhibition of the mycelial growth of fungi Aspergilus sp. and S. sclerotiorum, and the greater inhibition of sporulation of the fungus Aspergilus sp. It is concluded that cinnamon and citronella essential oils control the fungi Aspergilus sp. and S. sclerotiorum.

Cinnamon powder: an in vitro and in vivo evaluation of antifungal and plant growth promoting activity

“…All concentrations of cinnamon completely inhibited the mycelial growth of the fungus. According toMoraes et al (2018) the result was comparable to a commercial fungicide (thiophanate-methyl +chlorothalonil). Ojaghian et al (2014) proved that crude extracts of cinnamon are able to reduce in vitro mycelial growth, sclerotial myceliogenic and carpogenic germination of S. sclerotiorum.…”

“…Jiang et al (2013),Al-Taisan et al (2014) andMoraes et al (2018) examined the inhibitory effects of cinnamon against S. sclerotiorum among other essential oils and microelements in in vitro experiments and as soil application. All concentrations of cinnamon completely inhibited the mycelial growth of the fungus.…”

Cinnamon as a Useful Preventive Substance for the Care of Human and Plant Health

“…A soil application containing cinnamon oil significantly reduced the incidence of disease caused by S. sclerotiorum, producing 75% plant survival compared to the control [43]. Moraes et al [51] investigated the inhibitory properties of cinnamon (C. cassia) and citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus) essential oils in the in vitro control of Aspergilus sp. and S. sclerotiorum fungi.…”