Citrus nobilis as Antimicrobial Agent against Plant Bacterial Pathogens

Abstract

Citrus essential oils (EOs) are used industrially in a wide range of products such as food and beverages, cosmetics and medicines. They are also used to combat some of the most important plant and food diseases. Citrus EOs are mostly found in fruit peels, which makes their extraction economically viable as fruit peels are wasted in the production of fruit juices. The aim of this study was to evaluate EO from Citrus nobilis, which was extracted by cold pressing of unripe pericarp, in terms of their ability to suppress the most prevalent plant diseases. The disc diffusion method was used to determine the antibacterial activity against plant diseases under in vitro conditions. It was found that the lowest concentration of EO had the best antibacterial effect against Bacillus subtilis in the vapor phase on the carrot model. The results of our experiments showed that C. nobilis EO had moderate antimicrobial activity.

Keywords

• citrus nobilis
• essential oil
• vapor phase
• antimicrobial activity