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The essential oil from the annual plant Lepidium virginicum L. was chemically characterized in three consecutive years (2018–2020). The essential oils were evaluated in vitro and in situ on the causal agent of anthracnose in tamarillo fruits (Solanum betaceum). The main volatile constituents were phenylacetonitrile (>60 %), linalool (>10 %), limonene (>7 %) and α‐terpineol (>5 %). The essential oil (MIC, 19–30 μg mL−1), phenylacetonitrile (MIC, 45 μg mL−1) and α‐terpineol (MIC, 73 μg mL−1) caused a significant inhibition in the conidial viability from a wild strain of Colletotrichum acutatum, which was isolated and identified as a causal agent of anthracnose. The inoculation of conidia from C. acutatum in non‐symptomatic tamarillo fruits, followed by the in situ treatment with different concentrations of the essential oil (>30 μg mL−1), phenylacetonitrile and α‐terpineol, significantly (p<0.01) avoided the degradation of anthocyanins (delphinidin 3‐O‐rutinoside, cyanidin 3‐O‐rutinoside and pelargonidin 3‐O‐rutinoside) and carotenoids (β‐cryptoxanthin and β‐carotene) as well as retarded yellowing and necrosis triggered by anthracnose at least for 10 days. Our results suggest the potential use of the essential oil from L. virginicum as a natural component to preserve the nutraceutical content of tamarillo fruits against C. acutatum infection.

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