Antifungal properties of the essential oils derived from three plants of Zingiberaceae family against Phytophthora parasitica Dastur.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the antifungal activity of essential oils derived from the Zingiberaceae family, such as Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Alpinia officinarum Hance, and Curcuma longa Linn., against Phytophthora parasitica Dastur, (the pathogen that causes root and stem rot diseases). In vitro antifungal activity was measured using poisoned food technologies at a final concentration of 1,000 mg/L in a completely randomized design with triplications. The essential oil of A. officinarum demonstrated the highest antifungal activity against P. parasitica, according to findings (P<0.05). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was also used to analyze the oil. Twenty constituents representing 99.1% of the total content were identified. Eucalyptol was the most abundant component in A. officinarum rhizome oil (52%). The oil's half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 432.89 mg/L had higher antifungal activity than eucalyptol (> 1,000 mg/L). The results suggested that A. officinarum oil should be expanded further for a new generation of fungicides as an environmentally acceptable agent and to reduce the use of chemicals in crop protection.