Effect of Essential Oils from Black Pepper (Piper nigrum Linn.), Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon citratus (Dc. ex Nees)) and Citronella Grass (Cymbopogon nardus Rendle.) against the Growth of some Mushroom Cultures

Abstract

Some plant essential oils tend to be used to control various mite pests in mushrooms. However, those plant essential oils may also have effects on the growth of mushrooms. The essential oils obtained from black pepper (Piper nigrum Linn.), lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (Dc. ex Nees)), and citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus Rendle.) that have effectiveness against mushroom mites were studied, focusing on the non-target effects on the growth of mushroom cultures. The essential oils were tested on the growth of seven mushroom cultures, namely: Lentinus squarrosulus Mont., Pleurotus abalonus Han, Pleurotus sajor-caju (Fr.) Sing., Lentinus polychrous Lev., Tricholoma crissum (Berk.) Sacc., Auricularia auricular (Hook.) Underw., and Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. Fr.) Kummer using the paper disc diffusion method in potato dextrose agar (PDA), and the poison media method in potato dextrose broth (PDB). It was found that the black pepper essential oil showed the least detrimental effects on the mushrooms. Its hyphal growth was similar to the control treatment. On the other hand, the essential oils of lemongrass and citronella grass could inhibit the growth of mushrooms by more than 50%.