RESUMEN
The activity of eugenol oil was evaluated in vitro and in vivo against four apple pathogens namely Phlyctema vagabunda, Penicillium expansum, Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia fructigena. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of eugenol incorporated in malt extract agar medium was found to be 2 mg ml(-1). Mycelial growth of the four test pathogens was completely inhibited when treated with 150 microl l(-1) of volatile eugenol whether at 4 or 20 degrees C. Conidia of P. vagabunda, P. expansum, M. fructigena and B. cinerea suspended for 2 min in eugenol solution at 2 mg ml(-1) heated to 50 degrees C germinated at rates of 19, 37, 38 and 39%, respectively. Three different eugenol formulations (Tween 80, ethoxylate and lecithin) were tested for their in vivo efficacy against the tested pathogens on apples. Ethoxylate- and Tween 80-eugenol formulations applied at room temperature were ineffective in reducing disease incidence. When heated to 50 degrees C, both formulations induced phytotoxicity on apple surface and caused cuticle damages as revealed by scanning electronic microscopic observations. A mixture of eugenol at 2 mg ml(-1) and soy lecithin at 50 mg ml(-1) suppressed the phytotoxic symptoms produced by eugenol on apples and reduced the disease incidence of P. expansum, P. vagabunda, B. cinerea and M. fructigena to less than 7, 6, 4 and 2% respectively after 6 months of storage at 2 degrees C. The application of heated lecithin-formulated eugenol could become a successful alternative to the traditional fungicides used in postharvest disease management of apple fruit.