INVESTIGATION OF IN VITRO ANTIFUNGAL EFFECT OF LIPID-BASED NANOEMULSIONS ENCAPSULATING GARLIC OIL, CINNAMON OIL AND NEEM OIL ON LEVEILLULA TAURICA CAUSING POWDERY MILDEW ON BELL PEPPER PLANTS

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the in vitro antifungal effect of lipid-based nanoemulsions of garlic oil (Ne-GA), cinnamon oil (Ne-CI) and neem oil (Ne-NE) against Leveillula taurica causing powdery mildew disease on bell pepper plants. Firstly, lipid-based nanoemulsions (Ne) encapsulating essential oil were prepared by a combing method of homogenization and sonication. Next, in vitro antifungal effect of Ne-GA, Ne-CI and Ne-NE was carried out by agar disk method using bell pepper leaves at dilution concentration of 25, 50, 100, 200, 400 and 600 times. The results showed that the nano-formulations of essential oils were successfully prepared with a particle size of less than 140 nm and zeta potential of more than -30 mV. The results also indicated that Ne-GA had a higher antifungal activity than Ne-CI and Ne-NE. In addition, at a dilution of 400 times, Ne-GA still exhibited the high disease-preventing and disease-treating effectiveness of 96.67% and 90%, respectively. Therefore, this study indicates that essential oil-encapsulated lipid-based nanoemulsions can be widely applied in clean and sustainable horticulture to protect bell pepper plants from Leveillula taurica.