Antifungal Activity of Essential Oils and Aqueous Extracts of Three Moroccan Plants: A Study on Ten Phytopathogenic Fungi

In response to growing concerns regarding the environmental impact and the development of resistance to synthetic fungicides, researchers have undertaken investigations into natural alternatives for managing plant diseases caused by various fungi. This study investigates the antifungal properties of aqueous extracts and essential oils from Moroccan Rosmarinus officinalis, Origanum compactum, and Origanum majorana leaves against ten phytopathogenic fungi. The essential oils of the plants were extracted by hydrodistillation employing the Clevenger apparatus, and aqueous extracts were obtained through the infusion process. The antifungal efficacy of the extracts was assessed against ten phytopathogenic fungi utilising the poisoned food technique. The chemical composition of the essential oils was determined through GC-MS. Biochemical analyses were conducted to identify the phytochemical compounds responsible for the antifungal efficacy observed in the EOs and aqueous extracts. The essential oil extracts derived from Origanum compactum and Origanum majorana leaves exhibited potent antifungal properties against all tested fungi, with notably low IC50 values. While Rosemary essential oil displayed moderate activity. The aqueous extracts exhibited weak activities against all tested fungal strains. The GC-MS analysis revealed that 1.8-cineole accounted for 49.93% of the essential oil of Rosemary, pulegone (26.79%) of the essential oil of Compact Oregano, and carvacrol (61.66%) of the essential oil of Marjoram. The results of the biochemical analysis have shown that the extracted samples contain important components, specifically polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins, and catechic tannins. This study has showcased the promising potential of essential oils and aqueous extracts derived from Moroccan plants to effectively combat fungal diseases in plants