Chemical Composition and Antifungal Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis Essential Oil against Four Pathogenic Fungi (Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium poae and Helminthosporium sativum) of Wheat in Morocco

This study aimed to characterize the chemical composition and antifungal activity of Moroccan medicinal and aromatic plant Rosmarinus officinalis. The essential oil (EO) were isolated by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger type apparatus and their chemical composition was identified by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Monoterpenes were the major class of compounds with an abundance of 1,8-cineole (46.3%), camphene (13.4%) and α-pinene (9.5%), borneol (6,5%), camphor (4.8%) and terpinene-4- (3.6%). The antifungal activity of Rosmarinus officinalis against Fusarium oxysporum, F. culmorum, F. poae and Helmintosporium sativum pathogenic fungi revealed a significant inhibitory effect. The minimum inhibitory concentration as well as the fungicidal/fungistatic profile indicated that the essential oil of R. officinalis is very active allowing inhibition at the highest concentration and the fungal strains were therefore very sensitive. Obtained results suggested that R. Officinalis essential oil might be a potential treatment for biocontrol of plant diseases.