In this study, the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) of Origanum vulgare was characterized, and the antifungal activity of the EO and some individual components against Botrytis cinerea (Y-BC-1) was determined. Twenty-one components were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-flame ionization detection, constituting 95.7% of the EO. The major components were methyleugenol (16.5%), myristicin (15.6%), carvacrol (15.0%), thymol (9.8%), apioline (9.4%), and (Z)-β-farnesene (8.7%). B. cinerea in vitro mycelial growth and spore germination were strongly inhibited by the EO and two of its main components, thymol and carvacrol. In vivo vapor contact assays, the antifungal activity of the EO at 250 mg/L suppressed the decay of cherry tomatoes 96.39%. Moreover, thymol and carvacrol at 125 mg/L completely suppressed the gray mold. Thus, the EO of O. vulgare is a potentially nontoxic and ecofriendly botanical fungicide for postharvest control of gray mold.
Keywords: Antifungal activity; Botrytis cinerea; Essential oil; Origanum vulgare; Spore germination.
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