Antifungal Activity of Five Plant Essential Oils as Fumigant Against Postharvest and Soilborne Plant Pathogenic Fungi

citriodora oils displayed in vitro antifungal activities against four phytopathogenic fungi except for Colletotrichum gloeospori oides. The essential oil of Thymus vulgaris suppressed the mycelial growth of C. gloeosporioides, Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani and that of Cymbopogon citratus was active to only F. oxysporum. The chemical compositions of the five active essential oils were determined by gas chromatography-m ass spectrometry. This study sug­ gests that both E. citriodora and C. cyminum oils have a potential as antifungal preservatives for the control of storage diseases of various crops.