Antifungal properties of essential oils against anthracnose disease: a critical appraisal

The present reviewed work on antifungal properties of EOs against following fungal pathogens of anthracnose disease is critically appraised over the period of last 16 years (2000-2016) that encompass both etiology and epidemiology of anthracnose in tropical fruits; current status of the main EOs and their specific volatile compounds such as terpenes, aromatic compounds, nitrogenous compounds were identified for their antifungal properties, when used at specific minimum inhibition concentration against species of the Colletotrichum genera of anthracnose disease; mechanisms of action of these major EOs for their antifungal activity were discussed. The major inferences drawn from this critical appraisal reviewed are the antifungal properties and the good fumigant nature of the above-mentioned essential oils and their specific volatile compounds from various plant species that inhibits postharvest fungal growth of Colletotrichum species such as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz., Colletotrichum acutatum Colletotrichum fragaria, Colletotrichum musae of anthracnose disease in different tropical fruits in in vitro conditions. Till now, the researchers of the reported work reviewed did not pay attention toward further characterization of bioactive molecules with antifungal properties either from these listed EOs or their specific bioactive compounds. No cited work reported on in vitro screening and testing for their individual and synergistic effects even on in vivo testing their efficacies as the biochemical fungicide against said pathogenic fungal species of anthracnose. This reviewed knowledge on above topic could be used as future research tools to trace out the biochemical fungicides from various medicinal and aromatic plant sources as the alternative to synthetic chemical fungicides.