Antifungal Activity of the Essential Oil of Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

Abstract

The antifungal and fungicidal effects of two chemotypes of basil (Ocimum basilicum) oil and its major individual components were studied in a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments. Mycelial growth of the plant pathogenic fungus Botrytis fabae was reduced significantly by both the methyl chavicol chemotype oil and the linalol chemotype oil, and the major individual components of the oils all reduced fungal growth, with methyl chavicol, linalol, eugenol and eucalyptol reducing growth significantly. Combining the pure oil components in the same proportions as found in the whole oil led to very similar reductions in fungal growth, suggesting that the antifungal effects of the whole oils were due primarily to the major components. When the fungus was exposed to the oils in liquid culture, growth was reduced by concentrations considerably smaller than those used in the Petri dish studies. Botrytis fabae and the rust fungus Uromyces fabae were also controlled in vivo, with the whole oils of both chemotypes, as well as pure methyl chavicol and linalol, reducing infection of broad bean leaves significantly. Most effective control of fungal infection was achieved if the treatments were applied 3 h postinoculation.

Evaluation of the anti-Fusarium oxysporum f. sp cicer and anti-Alternaria porri effects of some essential oils

“…Several studies are going on to explore the potential of essential oils as antifungal agents (Ko et al 2003;Oxenham et al 2005). In this study, 75 essential oils have been studied against FOC and A. porri.…”

Identification and Quantification of the Major Fungitoxic Components of the Brazilian Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Essential Oil

“…Complete inhibition of A. ochraceous was reported at a concentration of 0.1% (Basílico & Basílico, 1999). Basil EO and several of its pure components (methyl chavicol, linalol, eugenol and caryophyllene) presented activity against Botrytis fabae and Uromyces fabae (Oxenham et al, 2005). An emulsion spray (0.16%) of the Indian basil was effective in controlling crown rot in banana (Herath & Abeywickrama, 2008).…”

“…However, standards were used for confirmation in a few studies (Oxenham et al, 2005;Zheljazkov et al, 2008). While identification based on RI and mass spectral databases is very widely used for volatiles (Adams, 2007), it is well known that it is tentative and must be confirmed by standards.…”

Antifungal efficiency of a lipopeptide biosurfactant derived from Bacillus subtilis SPB1 versus the phytopathogenic fungus, Fusarium solani

“…The effectiveness of the curative treatment towards the preventive treatment was depicted also by Oxenham et al (2005), Soylu et al (2010), and Wang et al (2013) reporting the in vivo antifungal activities of essential oil of basil (Ocimum basilicum) against Botrytis fabae, of the essential oils of various plants against tomato grey mold disease agent Botrytis cinerea, and of lactoferrin against gray mold on tomato plants caused by B. cinerea, respectively. Moreover, the higher curative effect of SPB1 lipopeptide against F. solani mold decay of tomato plant than the preventive effect may be directly related to the inhibition of spore germination, germ-tube growth, and/or mycelial growth of F. solani in vivo with a direct fungitoxic property as indicated in in vitro studies.…”