In vitro Evaluation of Essential Oils against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Lycopersicicausing Wilt Disease of Tomato

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.