Abstract
The antifungal activity of essential oil from Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi subspecies nepeta was investigated against some destructive fungal pathogens of postharvest fruit. A preliminary in vitro assay was used to assess the inhibitory effect using vapour contact and direct contact of the essential oil against Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium digitatum, Monilia laxa and Penicillium italicum. Both methods demonstrated that the essential oil was effective against all the fungal species tested in a dose-dependent manner, although the antifungal activity was more potent with the vapour contact test. Additional in vivo tests confirmed the efficacy of the vapour phase of the essential oil against P. digitatum and M. laxa on clementine and plum fruit, respectively. Total control of both brown rot and green mould was achieved on artificially inoculated fruit at doses of 133.3 μL L. Furthermore, excellent control efficacy, similar to that obtained with conventional fungicides, was achieved at a dose of 66.6 μL L. Chemical analysis of the essential oil by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed that pulegone (44.7%), menthone (16.4%), piperitenone (13.3%) and piperitone (6.01%) were the major constituents. These results suggest that the essential oil of C. nepeta subsp. nepeta has the potential to be used by vapour diffusion as an alternative biocontrol agent to conventional fungicides for postharvest management. However, it is important to do further research to validate these results under conditions that mimic commercial facilities and to optimise the application of essential oil vapours.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams RP (2007) Identification of essential oil components by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, 4th edn. Allured Publ, Carol Stream
Araniti F, Lupini A, Sorgonà A, Statti GA, Abenavoli MR (2012) Phytotoxic activity of foliar volatiles and essential oils of Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi. Nat Prod Res 27(18):1651–1656. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2012.746337
Babushok VI, Linstrom PJ, Zenkevich IG (2011) Retention indices for frequently reported compounds of plant essential oils. J Phys Chem Ref Data 40(4):043101. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3653552
Ball PW, Getliffe F (1972) Calamintha Miller. In: Tutin TG et al (eds) Flora Europaea 3. Cambridge University Press, pp 166–167
Bammou M, Bouhlali EDT, Sellam K, Ibijbijen L, Lhoussaine E, Nassiri L (2016) Liquid and vapour-phase bioactivity of Hertia maroccana (Batt.) Maire essential oil: an endemic Asteraceae from Morocco. J App Pharm Sci 6(03):131–136. https://doi.org/10.7324/JAPS.2016.60323
Benomari FZ, Andreu V, Kotarba J, Dib MEA, Bertrand C, Muselli A, Costa J, Djabou N (2017) Essential oils from Algerian species of Mentha as new bio-control agents against phytopathogen strains. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25:29889–29900. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9991-4
Bouchra C, Achouri M, Idrissi Hassani LM, Hmamouchi M (2003) Chemical composition and antifungal activity of essential oils of seven Moroccan Labiatae against Botrytis cinerea Pers: Fr. J Ethnopharmacol 89(1):165–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-8741(03)00275-7
Božović M, Ragno R (2017) Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi and its main essential oil constituent pulegone: biological activities and chemistry. Molecules 22:290. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22020290
Božović M, Garzoli S, Sabatino M, Pepi F, Baldisserotto A, Andreotti E, Romagno C, Mai A, Manfredini S, Ragno R (2017) Essential oil extraction, chemical analysis and anti-Candida activity of Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi subsp. glandulosa (Req.) Ball—new approaches. Molecules 22:203. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22020203
Camele I, De Feo V, Altieri L, Mancini E, De Martino L, Luigi Rana G (2010) An attempt of postharvest orange fruit rot control using essential oils from Mediterranean plants. J Med Food 13(6):1515–1523. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2009.0285
Cindi MD, Soundy P, Romanazzi G, Sivakumar D (2016) Different defense responses and brown rot control in two Prunus persica cultivars to essential oil vapours after storage. Postharvest Biol Technol 119:9–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2016.04.007
De Corato U, Maccioni O, Trupo M, Di Sanzo G (2010) Use of essential oil of Laurus nobilis obtained by means of a supercritical carbon dioxide technique against post harvest spoilage fungi. Crop Prot 29:142–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2009.10.012
de Sousa LL, de Andrade SCA, Athayde AJAA, de Oliveira CEV, de Sales CV, Madruga MS, de Souza EL (2013) Efficacy of Origanum vulgare L. and Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oils in combination to control postharvest pathogenic Aspergilli and autochthonous mycoflora in Vitis labrusca L. (table grapes). Int J Food Microbiol 165(3):312–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2013.06.001
Di Francesco A, Martini C, Mari M (2016) Biological control of postharvest diseases by microbial antagonists: how many mechanisms of action? Eur J Plant Pathol 145(4):711–717. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-016-0867-0
Eckert JW, Ogawa JM (1988) The chemical control of postharvest diseases: deciduous fruits, berries, vegetables and root/tuber crops. Annu Rev Phytopathol 26(1):433–469. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.py.26.090188.002245
Edris AE, Farrag ES (2003) Antifungal activity of peppermint and sweet basil essential oils and their major aroma constituents on some plant pathogenic fungi from the vapour phase. Nahrung/Food 47(2):117–121. https://doi.org/10.1002/food.200390021
El Ouadi Y, Manssouri M, Bouyanzer A, Majidi L, Bendaif H, Elmsellem H, Shariati MA, Melhaoui A, Hammouti B (2017) Essential oil composition and antifungal activity of Melissa officinalis originating from north-Est Morocco, against postharvest phytopathogenic fungi in apples. Microb Pathog 107:321–326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2017.04.004
España MD, Arboleda JW, Ribeiro JA, Abdelnur PV, Guzman JD (2017) Eucalyptus leaf byproduct inhibits the anthracnose-causing fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Ind Crop Prod 108:793–797. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.08.002
European Pharmacopoeia (2004) 5th ed Council of Europe. Strasbourg Cedex, France, Volume I pp 217–218
Flamini G, Cioni PL, Puleio R, Morelli I, Panizzi L (1999) Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Calamintha nepeta and its constituent pulegone against bacteria and fungi. Phytother Res 13:349–351. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1573(199906)13:4<349::AID-PTR446>3.0.CO;2-Z
Goni P, Lopez P, Sanchez C, Gomez-Lus R, Becerril R, Nerin C (2009) Antimicrobial activity in the vapour phase of a combination of cinnamon and clove essential oils. Food Chem 116:982–989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.03.058
González-Chávez MM, Cárdenas-Ortega NC, Méndez-Ramos CA, Pérez-Gutiérrez S (2011) Fungicidal properties of the essential oil of Hesperozygis marifolia on Aspergillus flavus Link. Molecules 16(3):2501–2506. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules16032501
Gormez A, Bozari S, Yanmis D, Gulluce M, Sahin F, Agar G (2015) Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils of two species of Lamiaceae against phytopathogenic bacteria. Pol J Microbiol 64(2):121–127
Hyldgaard M, Mygind T, Meyer RL (2012) Essential oils in food preservation: mode of action, synergies, and interactions with food matrix components. Front Microbiol 3:12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2012.00012
Inouye S, Uchida K, Yamaguchi H (2001) In-vitro and in-vivo anti-Trichophyton activity of essential oils by vapour contact. Mycoses 44:99–107. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0507.2001.00618.x
Kumari S, Pundhir S, Priya P, Jeena G, Punetha A, Chawla K, Jafaree Z, Mondal S, Yadav G (2014, 2014) EssOilDB: a database of essential oils reflecting terpene composition and variability in the plant kingdom. Database (Oxford):article ID bau120. https://doi.org/10.1093/database/bau120
Labiod R, Aouadi S, Bouhaddouda N (2015) Chemical composition and antifungal activity of essential oil from Satureja calamintha nepeta against phytopathogens fungi. Int J Pharm Sci 7(7):208–211
Lopez-Reyes JG, Spadaro D, Prelle A, Garibaldi A, Gullino ML (2013) Efficacy of plant essential oils on postharvest control of rots caused by fungi on different stone fruits in vivo. J Food Prot 76(4):631–639. https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-12-342
Mancini E, De Martino L, Malova H, De Feo V (2013) Composition and biological activities of the essential oil from Calamintha nepeta plants from the wild in Southern Italy. Nat Prod Commun 8(1):139–142
Marandi RJ, Hassani A, Ghosta Y, Abdollahi A, Pirzad A, Sefidkon F (2011) Control of Penicillium expansum and Botrytis cinerea on pear with Thymus kotschyanus, Ocimum basilicum and Rosmarinus officinalis essential oils. J Med Plants Res 5(4):626–634
Mari M, Bautista Baños S, Sivakumar D (2016) Decay control in the postharvest system: role of microbial and plant volatile organic compounds. Postharvest Biol Technol 122:70–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2016.04.014
Marongiu B, Piras A, Porcedda S, Falconieri D, Maxia A, Gonçalves MJ, Cavaleiro C, Salgueiro L (2010) Chemical composition and biological assays of essential oils of Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi subsp. nepeta (Lamiaceae). Nat Pro Res 24(18):1734–1742. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786410903108944
Negro C, Notarnicola S, De Bellis L, Miceli A (2013) Intraspecific variability of the essential oil of Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta from Southern Italy (Apulia). Nat Pro Res 27(4–5):331–339. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2012.691495
Oumzil H, Ghoulami S, Rhajaoui M, Ilidrissi A, Fkih-Tetouani S, Faid M, Benjouad A (2002) Antibacterial and antifungal activity of essential oil of Mentha suaveolens. Phytother Res 16(8):727–731. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.1045
Pacifico S, Galasso S, Piccolella S, Kretschmer N, Pan S, Marciano S, Bauer R, Monaco P (2015) Seasonal variation in phenolic composition and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi. Food Res Int 69:121–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2014.12.019
Panizzi L, Flamini G, Cioni PL, Morelli I (1993) Composition and antimicrobial properties of essential oil of four Mediterranean Lamiaceae. J Ethnopharmacol 39:167–170
Perumal AB, Sellamuthu PS, Nambiar RB, Sadiku ER (2017) Effects of essential oil vapour treatment on the postharvest disease control and different defence responses in two mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivars. Food Bioprocess Technol 10:1131–1141. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-017-1891-6
Servili A, Feliziani E, Romanazzi G (2017) Exposure to volatiles of essential oils alone or under hypobaric treatment to control postharvest gray mould of table grapes. Postharvest Biol Technol 133:36–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2017.06.007
Sivakumar D, Bautista-Baños S (2014) A review on the use of essential oils for postharvest decay control and maintenance of fruit quality during storage. Crop Prot 64:27–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2014.05.012
Soylu EM, Kurt S, Soylu S (2010) In vitro and in vivo antifungal activities of the essential oils of various plants against tomato grey mould disease agent Botrytis cinerea. Int J Food Microbiol 143(3):183–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2010.08.015
Tripathi P, Dubey NK, Shukla AK (2008) Use of some essential oils as post-harvest botanical fungicides in the management of grey mould of grapes caused by Botrytis cinerea. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 24(1):39–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-007-9435-2
Tyagi AK, Malik A (2010) Liquid and vapour-phase antifungal activities of selected essential oils against candida albicans: microscopic observations and chemical characterization of Cymbopogon citratus. BMC Complement Altern Med 10:65. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-10-65
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ambrico, A., Trupo, M., Martino, M. et al. Essential oil of Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi subsp. nepeta is a potential control agent for some postharvest fruit diseases. Org. Agr. 10, 35–48 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-019-00251-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-019-00251-9