Inhibition of Fusarium culmorum, Penicillium chrysogenum and Rhizoctonia solani by n-hexane extracts of three plant species as a wood-treated oil fungicide

Aims: Wood as a packing tool is used for packaging and transportation of fruits and vegetables for a time period varying from hours to days. During transportation, fruits and vegetables can be affected by moulds with significant postharvest problems. The present study describes the possibility of using wood-treated oil fungicide of n-hexane extracts from Eucalyptus camaldulensis (aerial parts), Vitex agenus-castus (leaves) and Matricaria chamomilla (flowers) against the infestation of Fusarium culmorum, Rhizoctonia solani and Penicillium chrysogenum.

Methods and results: Air-dried wood samples of Melia azedarach were prepared with the dimensions of 0·5 × 1 × 2 cm and treated with the oily extracts at the concentrations of 0, 1, 2 and 3%. Oils extracted with n-hexane from E. camaldulensis and V. agenus-castus showed promising antifungal activities against the isolated and molecularly identified three fungi F. culmorum, R. solani and P. chrysogenum, while M. chamomilla observed the lowest activity against the studied fungi. GC/MS analysis of oils reported that the major components in E. camaldulensis were β-fenchol (25·51%), Cyclobuta[1,2:3,4]dicyclooctene-1,7(2H,6bH)-dione,dodecahydro,(6αβ,6βα,12αα,12ββ)- (17·05), 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) (12·01%) and sabinene (9·45%); in V. agenus-castus were eucalyptol (22·17%), (E)-β-caryophyllene (18·39%), and β-sitosterol (12·44%); while in M. chamomilla were bisabolol oxide A (27·87%), (Z)-β-farnesene (16·11%), D-limonene (14·18%) and chamazulene (11·27%).

Conclusions: The results suggest using n-hexane oily extracts from E. camaldulensis and V. agenus-castus as a biofungicide for wood protection.

Significance and impact of the study: This study highlights the importance of using bio-friendly fungicide agents to protect wood against most common moulds occurring during handling of food packaging.