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National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
NAAS Score: *5.38 (2020)
[Effective from January 1, 2020]
For more details click here
ICV 2023: 95.56
Index Copernicus ICI Journals Master List 2023 - IJCMAS--ICV 2023: 95.56
For more details click here
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Original Research Articles Volume : 14, Issue : 6, June, 2025

PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706
Issues : 12 per year
Publisher : Excellent Publishers
Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com
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Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash
Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39
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Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci.2025.14(6) : 118-122
DOI : https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2025.1406.011


Essential Oils as Alternatives to Synthetic Fungicides for Managing Alternaria Fruit Rot in Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)

Rutuja Rajendra Chavan*, S. V. Kolase, T. K. Narute, P. E. More and K. S. Raghuwanshi
Department of Plant pathology and microbiology, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth Rahuri-413722, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India
*Corresponding author
Abstract:

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), an economically and nutritionally valuable fruit crop, faces significant post-harvest losses due to fungal pathogens, notably Alternaria spp., which cause black spot and fruit rot diseases. With growing concerns over fungicide resistance and residue toxicity, eco-friendly alternatives such as essential oils are being explored for plant disease management. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antifungal efficacy of seven essential oils rose, lemon, cardamom, citronella, clove, ginger, and eucalyptus against Alternaria alternata and A. burnsii isolated from diseased pomegranate fruits. Using the Poisoned Food Technique, essential oils were tested at a concentration of 1500 ppm on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Results revealed that rose oil exhibited the highest antifungal activity, inhibiting mycelial growth by 91.47% and 94.44% against A. alternata and A. burnsii, respectively. Lemon oil also demonstrated strong efficacy, particularly against A. burnsii, with 94.44% inhibition. In contrast, eucalyptus oil showed minimal antifungal activity against both species. The observed differences in sensitivity between Alternaria species suggest a species-specific response to the bioactive compounds in essential oils. These findings underscore the potential of rose and lemon essential oils as promising botanical fungicides and support their further evaluation in integrated and sustainable disease management strategies for pomegranate cultivation.


Keywords: Alternaria alternata, Alternaria burnsii, essential oils, pomegranate, antifungal activity, poisoned food technique, sustainable agriculture

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How to cite this article:

Rutuja Rajendra Chavan, S. V. Kolase, T. K. Narute, P. E. More and Raghuwanshi, K. S. 2025. Essential Oils as Alternatives to Synthetic Fungicides for Managing Alternaria Fruit Rot in Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.). Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci. 14(6): 118-122 doi: https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2025.1406.011
Copyright: This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license

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