In vitro Evaluation of Essential Oils against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Lycopersicicausing Wilt Disease of Tomato
Lakhimi Saikia
Department of Plant Pathology, Biswanath College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Biswanath Chariali, 784176, India.
Budha Bora *
Department of Plant Pathology, Biswanath College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Biswanath Chariali, 784176, India.
Ranima Mishra
Department of Plant Pathology, Biswanath College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Biswanath Chariali, 784176, India.
Nirmal Mazumder
Department of Plant Pathology, Biswanath College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Biswanath Chariali, 784176, India.
Pranamika Sharma
Department of Plant Pathology, Biswanath College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Biswanath Chariali, 784176, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: An In vitro experiment was conducted to evaluate the bio efficacy of some commercially available essential oils against the pathogen responsible for causing wilt disease in tomatoes.
Study Design: The experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD).
Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted in the Department of Plant Pathology, Biswanath College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Biswanath Chariali during the Rabi season of 2023-24.
Methodology: There were six treatments with five replications. Five essential oils, viz., clove, cinnamon, neem, sesame, and peppermint were evaluated against the pathogen at 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% concentrations by following Poisoned Food Technique to find out the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) under in vitro conditions.
Results: Amongst all the essential oils, clove, and cinnamon oil were found to be the most effective in inhibiting the maximum radial mycelial growth (100%) of the pathogen at all the concentrations, whereas,0.1 % being the MIC for both the essential oils showing maximum inhibition (100.00%) of the pathogen.
Conclusion: The antimicrobial properties of clove and cinnamon essential oils can be exploited for the management of fungal wilt disease of tomatoes in the field, which will be an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to chemical control.
Keywords: Tomato, wilt, essential oils, MIC, radial mycelial growth