Evaluation of the antifungal and phytotoxic effects of various essential oils against Sclerotium rolfsii (Sacc) and Rhizoctonia bataticola (Taub).

Twenty essential oils extracted from various aromatic plants were screened for their antifungal activity in vitro against the soil-borne pathogens viz. Rhizoctonia bataticola and Sclerotium rolfsii by poisoned food technique. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the effective dose for 50% inhibition (ED50) were computed for each essential oil against test fungus. All the essential oils showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect of mycelial growth. Results showed a fungistatic effect of various essential oils on fungal mycelium growth. The most significant antifungal activity was exhibited by essential oils extracted from Acorus calamus, Curcuma longa, Pimpinella anisum and Vetiveria zizanioides. The antifungal activity of essential oils of Vetiveria zizanioides was comparable to commercial fungicide chlorothalonil and triademefon against both test fungus at 50 µg ml-1.These oils did not show any phytotoxic effect on the germination of chickpea seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]