Essential Oils of Myrtaceae Species Growing Wild in Tunisia: Chemical Variability and Antifungal Activity Against Biscogniauxia mediterranea,the Causative Agent of Charcoal Canker |
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Authors: | Islem Yangui Meriem Zouaoui Boutiti Mohamed Boussaid Chokri Messaoud |
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Affiliation: | 1. Laboratory of Management and Valorization of Forest Resources, National Institute for Research on Rural Engineering, Water and Forestry, Ariana, Tunisia;2. Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology and Medicinal Plants, Department of Biology, National Institute of Applied Science and Technology (INSAT), University of Carthage, Tunis Cedex, Tunisia |
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Abstract: | The chemical composition of five Eucalyptus species and five Myrtus communis L. populations was investigated using GC/MS and GC‐FID. For Eucalyptus essential oils, 32 compounds, representing 88.56 – 96.83% of the total oil according to species, were identified. The main compounds were 1,8‐cineole, α‐pinene, p‐cymene, γ‐gurjunene, α‐aromadendrene, and β‐phellandrene. For Myrtle essential oils, 26 compounds, representing 93.13 – 98.91% of the total oil were identified. α‐Pinene, 1,8‐cineole, linalool, and myrtenyl acetate were found to be the major compounds. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed chemical differentiation between Eucalyptus species and between Myrtle populations. Biscogniauxia mediterranea, the causative agent of charcoal canker, was identified according to its morphological and molecular characteristics. Essential oils of the investigated Eucalyptus species and Myrtle populations were tested for their antifungal capacity against this fungus. The antifungal activity varied according to the essential oil composition. Biscogniauxia mediterranea exhibited powerful resistance to some essential oils including them of Eucalyptus lehmannii and Eucalyptus sideroxylon but it was very sensitive to Eucalyptus camaldulensis oil (IC50 = 3.83 mg/ml) and M. communis oil from Zaghouan (IC50 = 1 mg/ml). This sensitivity was found to be correlated to some essential oil compounds such as p‐cymene, carvacrol, cuminaldehyde, and linalool. |
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Keywords: | Eucalyptus Myrtus communis Essential oil Variability Antifungal
Biscogniauxia mediterranea
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