© Benaki Phytopathological Institute
Hellenic Plant Protection Journal - Special Issue
62
It should be noted that from the control
greenhouses, high rates of diseased toma-
to plants infected with
Fusarium oxysporum
f.sp.
radicis lycopersici
with infection rates
observed of up to 16% (January 2012) were
removed to avoid mass aerial contamination
by this pathogen.
Effect of essential oils of five medicinal plants on the mycelial growth and
conidia germination of the fungi
Penicillium expansum
and
Aspergillus
niger
V. K
OUTSIOUKI
, N. B
ROCHARIDIS
, G. V
LACHOS
, A. F
ILOTHEOU
, T
H
. T
HOMIDIS
and E. P
ANOU
-
F
ILOTHEOU
Alexander Technological Education Institute of Thessaloniki, Department of Crop
Production, GR-574 00 Sindos, Thessaloniki, Greece
Fruit rots are some of the most important
plant diseases worldwide. Because of the
policy of the European Union for the pro-
duction of fruits without pesticide residues,
new biological methods to control fruit rot
must be investigated. The main aim of this
study was to investigate the effects of essen-
tial oils extracted from origanum, (
Origanum
vulgare
subsp.
hirtum
), rosemary (
Rosmari-
nus officinalis
), creeping rosemary (
Rosmari-
nus officinalis Prostratus
), basil,
(
Ocimum ba-
silicum)
and sage
(Salvia officinalis)
on the
mycelial growth and conidia germination of
the fungi
Penicillium expansum
and
Asper-
gillus niger.
Mycelial discs of each fungus,
6 mm in diameter, were placed in the mid-
dle of petri dishes containing potato dex-
trose agar supplemented with the essen-
tial oils at different concentrations. Results
were collected by recording the diameter of
the colony 4 days later. In addition, a conidi-
al suspension (2x10
6
/ ml) of the above fungi
was added to petri dishes containing potato
dextrose agar supplemented with essential
oils at different concentrations. The results
were collected by recording the percentage
of germinated conidia or germ tube elonga-
tion 24 hrs later. The results showed that all
the essential oils used in this study inhibited
mycelial growth and conidia germination of
both fungi. However, the essential oils from
origanum and basil were effective at much
lower concentrations.
Establishment of the pathogenic fungi
Puccinia punctiformis
and
Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
in the field for the biological control of the
weeds
Cirsium arvense
and
Salsola kali
L.A. L
AGOPODI
1
, J. K
ASHEFI
2
and D.K. B
ERNER
3
1
Plant Pathology Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki.
2
USDA ARS European Biological Control Laboratories, Thessaloniki,
Greece.
3
USDA-ARS-Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit, Ft. Detrick, MD
Cirsium arvense
and
Salsola kali
are indige-
nous weeds in Greek agriculture, whereas
in the USA they are considered as invasive
species. In the present study, a methodolo-
gy for the establishment in the field of their
host-specific, native Greek, pathogens
Puc-
cinia punctiformis
and
Colletotrichum gloeo-
sporioides
was developed. The purpose of
the research was to study the two patho-
genic fungi as potential biocontrol agents to
control the weed populations, and to study
aspects of the epidemiology of the two dis-
eases.
C. gloeosporioides
was isolated from
naturally infected
S. kali
plants in a field in
Chalkidiki. The fungus was grown in a large
volume substrate containing rice, in order to
produce a great number of acervulli. A sin-
gle treatment with the inoculum, in disease-
