Work

Study of Lavandula dentata, Salvia rosmarinus, and Cymbopogon citratus essential oils profile and antifungal activity of their mixture against the gray mold Botrytis cinerea

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In this study, we investigated the chemical profile essential oils (EOs) extracted from Cymbopogon citratus , Salvia rosmarinus , and Lavandula dentata , as well as their antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea in vitro and in vivo . GC–MS analysis showed that the EOs major components of C. citratus EOs were, Geranial (42.91%), Neral (34.11%), and β-Pinene (9.32%). While the S. rosmarinus major EOs components were Camphor (17.60%), α-Pinene (14.39%), and 1,8-cineol (14.13%). Contrariwise L. dentata EOs, Camphor (33.95%), 1,8-cineol (32.35%), and β-Pinene (5.23%) were the predominant compounds. Regarding the in vitro antifungal activity, the EOs of three plants inhibited the mycelial growth of B. cinerea in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, at the concentration of 0.32 µL/mL air, all EOs demonstrated the inhibition of the mycelia growth of B. cinerea . In addition, the combination of EOs increased the antifungal activity of B. cinerea compared to their individual application. According to simplex-centroid design analysis, the most efficient antifungal of the mixture of EOs extracted from L. dentata , S. rosmarinus , and C. citratus was noted EOs at a ratio (1:1:1). This mixture inhibited the mycelial growth at 1.6 µL/mL, with IC 50 and IC 90 value of 0.46 µL/mL and 0.81 µL/mL, respectively. In addition, in vivo tests showed that this EOs mixture significantly reduced the decay of cherry tomatoes caused by B. cinerea with an average of 88.37%. Also, the disease severity value recorded for the plant treated with the EOs mixture was 19.29% compared to the control with an average of 88.57%. This study demonstrates that the mixture of L. dentata , S. rosmarinus , and C. citratus EOs is a promising natural antifungal agent for managing B. cinerea infections.

Source: Frontiers in Plant Science

DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1694585