• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.201-209
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• 2006

Antifungal activities of 43 different plant oils were evaluated against different phytopathogenic fungi. Thyme oil showed highest antifungal activity among the tested oils. The major of thyme oil were found to be thymol, carvacrol, bomeol, p-cymene and linalool. Thymol and carvacrol were found to be responsible for thyme's antifungal activity. The spore germination assay was conducted on Alternaria mail and Botrytis cinerea. Thymol and carvacrol strongly inhibited spore germination in the fungi test. In addition, thymol and carvacrol showed a curative effectiveness to gray mold disease on cucumber crop. The antifungal activities of alkylphenol and alkylaniline compounds, which has similar molecular structure to that of thymol or cavacrol, were also tested. It was found that alkylphenol compounds also show higher inhibition to spore germination. Thus, thymol, carvacrol and alkylphenol compounds can be used an potent antifungal agents.