ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF VOLATILE FRACTIONS OF ESSENTIAL OILS FROM 4 AROMATIC WILD PLANTS IN ISRAEL

Essential oils were extracted from Majorana syriaca, Satureja thymbra, Micromeria fruticosa, and Salvia triloba, and their volatile fraction s were tested for their antifungal activity against the soil-borne pat hogens Fusarium oxysporum and Macrophomina phaseolina and the foliar p athogens Botrytis cinerea and Exserohilum turcicum. Results showed a f ungistatic effect of 1, 2.5, and 5 mul of the various essential oils o n fungal mycelium growth. The most significant effect was exerted by e ssential oils extracted from M. syriaca, which inhibited the growth of B. cinerea by 44% and of all the other fungi tested by 100%.