Chemical composition and antifungal activity of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium L.)‎ essential oil against plants pathogenic fungi

Abstract EN

This Sudy was conducted in 2016 -2017 at The Department of Plant Protection, and National Commission for Biotechnology (NCBT) at the Faculty of Agriculture, Damascus University, Syria.

The essential oil isolated by hydro-di^illation from the fresh peel of fully matured ripen fruits of bitter orange Citrus aurantium L.

that analyzed by GC-MS.

The results showed that the yield of C.

aurantium was 1.87% (fresh peel).

Thirty five different components were identified confuting approximately, 99.9% of the oil.

The major components were limonene 93.10% followed by myrcene 2.46% and many oxygenated sesquiterpenes.

The antifungal activity of C.

aurantium essential oil was evaluate against five plants pathogenic fungi, including Alternaria alternate (Fr.) Keissler, Botrytis cinerea Pers., Penicillium expansum Link, Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtend: Fr.

(emend.

Snyd.

and Hans.) and Sclerotium cepivorum Berk: using the poisoned food at various concentrations.

Results showed that the antifungal activity of C.

aurantium oil was weak at 250 ppm, but at 2000 ppm it significantly inhibited the growth of all five fungi.

The results also, indicated that the antifungal activity of oil against the tested fungi increases parallel with raising concentrations of oil.

S.

cepivorum and A.

alternata and B.

cinerea did not show any mycelium growth in the presence of oil at concentration of 1500, 1500 and 2000 ppm, respectively.

Moreover, the C.

aurantium oil at 2000 ppm was effectiveness on F.

oxysporum (96.23%), and showed moderate fungicidal activity against P.

expansum (70.56%).

The values of EC50 for the oil were, 610; 840; 1050; 1170; and 1460 ppm for S.cepivorum, A.

alternata, Botrytis cinerea, F.

oxysporum and P.

expansum, respectively.

These results show that the oil of C.

aurantium had potential for use in the biological control of plant disease as a safe biofungicides.