In vivo activity of Salvia officinalis oil against Botrytis cinerea

The effects of some formulations of Salvia officinalis oil and camphor on tomato plants infected with Botrytis cinerea are reported. Aqueous dispersions of the oil were prepared, absorbed in a swelling matrix of semisynthetic copolymers obtained by the graft polymerization of acrylic monomers on gelled starch. Preliminary results showed that in vivo these formulations inhibited growth of the mycelium at concentrations of between 5 and 10 g/L. Protection against experimental infection with B. cinerea was comparable to that obtained with Dichlofluanid, one of the most effective synthetic fungicides against the pathogen, at a concentration of 1.5 g/L. This encourages further research in this field to determine whether essential oils could be used in combination with synthetic fungicides as a measure to reduce environmental pollution and also to prevent the development of resistant strains.