THE USE OF THYMUS-CAPITATUS ESSENTIAL OIL UNDER VACUUM CONDITIONS TO CONTROL PENICILLIUM-DIGITATUM DEVELOPMENT ON CITRUS-FRUIT

Lemon and Satsuma fruit were sprayed with a 100.000 spore suspention of Penicillium digitatum Sacc. and placed in 10-L jars at constant temperature (20°C). Vacuum (10-1 Bar) was created and the essential oil of Thymus capitatus was vaporized by aerosol at 5 different concentrations (50, 100, 200 and 300 microL/10L) in order to determine the effect on P. digitatum pathogenesis. Viability of the pathogen spores was checked 24 hr post-treatment by plating 100 mL of fruit rinse water on PDA and growth was monitored. In 80% of the plates with un-treated fruit-rinse water growth of the pathogen was observed, while when fruit was vacuum-treated with 300 mL/10L of the essential oil, only 10% of the plates evidenced pathogen growth.