Evaluation of the In Vitro Fungicidal Activity of Summer Savory and Lavender Essential Oils Against Fusarium solani

Fusarium spp is one of the major phytopathogenic microfungus strains causing severe losses in many economically cultivated crops. The soil-borne pathogen Fusarium solani has historically been considered a serious agent across the globe, causing vascular wilt and root rot in agroeconomic crops and eventually leading to plant death. Three different concentrations (1 µl, 2 µl, and 4 µl) of essential oils (EO) extracted from lavender (Lavandula officinalis L.) and summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.) plants were mixed separately with PDA medium, and their antifungal effect against F. solani was investigated in vitro. When the results of the experiment were evaluated statistically, it was determined that the increasing concentrations of summer savory essential oil repressed the mycelial growth of the fungus, while lavender oil did not have any positive or negative effects. The inhibition activity of summer savory EO on F. solani was calculated as 43, 53, and 90% at the concentrations of 1, 2, and 4 µl, respectively. In this study, it was found that summer savory EO, even at a minimum dose, had a negative effect on agriculturally important wilt agent. In this context, it can be asserted that summer savory EO is a promising natural substance for the development of various fungicide solutions to prevent fungal diseases caused by vascular origin.