In vitro Antifungal Activity and Antifungal Mechanism of Essential Oil from Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) on Verticillium dahliae Kleb.

The objectives of the present study were to assess the antifungal effect of dill seed essential oil (EO) against V. dahliae and describe its mechanism of action. The microbroth dilution method was used at the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the dry mycelium weight and spore germination of the tested V. dahliae were also determined in a liquid culture to evaluate the anti-V. dahliae activity in vitro. The results showed EO was active against V. dahliae and MIC was 0.625 μL·mL^－1. Mycelial growth, mycelium weight and spore germination were inhibited by the EO in a dose-dependent manner. The results show that upon treatment of cells with EO, propidium iodide penetrated V. dahliae through a lesion in its plasma membrane. Thus, our results demonstrated that EO could be a potential source of plant-derived fungicides to control V. dahliae.