Antifungal effectiveness of some essential oils and their mixtures against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp cubense that causes fusarium wilt disease of banana plants

Abstract

Antifungal effectiveness of several essential oil botanical pesticides and their mixtures against the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc) which causes fusarium wilt disease of banana plants in vitro, was conducted from March to July 2023. The aim of the study was to obtain an effective botanical pesticide formulation and the right concentration for controlling the Foc causing Fusarium wilt disease in banana plants. The study was arranged in a completely randomized design in factorials with three replications. The experiment was carried out using two methods: a) Suppressing colony diameter using Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium, b). Suppressing colony biomass using Potato Dextrose Broth (PDB) medium. The treatment was the formulation of essential oil (F) botanical pesticides as the first factor; F1 (Cymbopogon flexuosus oils), F2 (C. nardus essential oils), F3 (Eugenia aromatica leaf essential oils), F4 (Cinnamomum burmanii leaf oils), F5 (F1+F2), F6 (F1+F3), F7 (F1+F4) and F8 (F2 +F3), F9 (F2+F4) and F10 (F3+F4) The level of concentration (C) as a second factor C1(1000 ppm) and C2(2000 ppm). The results showed that the F3 (E. aromatica leaf oils) treatment had the best antifungal activity against Foc. At a concentration of 2000 ppm inhibition of the diameter growth and colony biomass reached 100%, followed by the F1 treatment (C. flexuosus oils) up to 89.73% and 95.75%, the F2 treatment (C. nardus oils) reach 84.58% and 89.67% and the lowest antifungal activity is F4 (C. burmanii leaf oils) which only 77.08% and 84.50%. The best mixed formulations were F5(F1+ F3) and F8(F2 + F3), at the same concentration suppression of colony growth reaching 100%. In general, mixed essential oils formulation have shown to increase the effectiveness of the antifungal activities.