Manal Al-Dous*¹ , Nawras Al-Abrass¹, Ismaeel AlSaleh¹ and Taher Swaf¹

1 National Commission for Biotechnology NCBT, Damascus, Syria.
(*Corresponding author: Dr. Lina Khalil Kharma, Email: linorkh23@gmail.com Phone: 0991413945)

Received: 17/05 /2026      Accepted: 12/07 /2026

Abstract: 

This research was conducted in 2024 at the laboratories of the General Commission for Biotechnology to evaluate the efficacy of essential oils extracted from two Achillea species-Achillea fragrantissima (Forssk.) Sch. Bip. and Achillea santolina L.-as well as their combination (MIX), on the growth of three phytopathogenic fungi: Aspergillus niger, Penicillium sp., and Fusarium spp. (isolates A and B). Fresh plant material (leaves and flowers) for both species was collected from Al-Nabk region in Rif Dimashq. The essential oil was extracted via hydrodistillation using an apparatus designed according to the European Pharmacopoeia. Concentrations of 250, 500, 1000, and 1500 ppm of the studied oils were incorporated into Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) media. Distillation results revealed that the essential oil yield for A. fragrantissima was 1.7 mL/100 g of fresh weight, whereas for A. santolina, it was 0.4 mL/100 g of fresh weight. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences among the types and concentrations of essential oils regarding the mycelia growth inhibition percentage of the tested fungi, with inhibition increasing proportionally as oil concentration increased. A. santolina essential oil proved to be significantly superior against A. niger, Penicillium sp., and both Fusarium isolates (A and B), yielding mean inhibition percentages of 47.25%, 62.7%, 53.9%, and 54.35%, respectively. Regarding the utilized concentrations, the highest mean inhibition percentages were recorded at 1000 and 1500 ppm for A. niger, Penicillium sp., and isolate B (47.7%, 37.3%, 56.8%, 47.6%, 89.63%, and 80.90%, respectively). Conversely, for isolate A, the 1500 ppm concentration was significantly superior, reaching 74.3%. Statistical analysis of the interaction between oil type and concentration revealed significant differences only in the growth of the Fusarium spp. Specifically, the 1500, 1000, and 500 ppm concentrations of A. santolina oil, along with the 1500 ppm concentration of the MIX and A. fragrantissima oil, outperformed the other treatments in reducing the mean mycelial growth of isolate A. Meanwhile, the 1000 and 1500 ppm concentrations of A. santolina oil demonstrated significant superiority over the remaining treatments for isolate B.

Keywords: Achillea fragrantissima, Achillea santolina, essential oils, plant pathogenic fungi.

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