Effectiveness of Eucalyptus Nano Formulation against Phytophthora capsici the Causal of Foot Rot Disease on Black Pepper

Abstract

Nanoemulsion is a form of nano pesticide that has been widely developed as a pesticide. Several reports state that the main compound contained in Eucalyptus essential oil, namely 1,8 cineol (C10H18O) or Eucalyptol can inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of two types of Eucalyptus oil formulations with nano scale on the growth of the fungus Phytophthora capsici in vitro. This study was conducted in the plant pathology laboratory, at Indonesian Spices and Medicinal Crops Research Institute (ISMCRI), from January 2021 to June 2022. Chemical analysis of eucalyptus oil formulations with nano scale using Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy methods. The antifungal assay was carried out by adding a formulation with a specific concentration on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium and measuring its effect on the growth of P. capsici. The result showed that the particle size of the two eucalyptus oil formulations with nano scale range between 139.87-150.4 nm. The main chemical components of Nano E. urophylla West Java (NE-JB) are alpha-Pinene (13.92%), Eucalyptol (29.17%), p-Cymene (6.03%), and glycerin (20.45%). In contrast, Nano E. grandis North Sumatra (NE-SU) consisted of (1R)-2,6,6-Trimethylbicyclo [3.1.1]hept-2-ene (17.80%), Eucalyptol (10.90%), p-Cymene (6.50%), L-alpha Terpineol (6.69%), and glycerin (39.67%). The NE-SU formulation showed the ability to inhibit the growth of P. capsici better than NE-JB. The percentage inhibition of NE-SU at the 1.5% concentration was 91.47% while NE-JB was only 33.5%.