Antifungal activity and mechanism of palmarosa essential oil against pathogen Botrytis cinerea in the postharvest onions.

PEO is a satisfactory biological control agent that inhibits B. cinerea in postharvest onions. PEO (0.60mL L-1) exhibited strong antifungal activity by disrupting the cell membrane structure, altering cell membrane permeability, leading to the cell contents leakage, accumulation of excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increased level of MDA compared to the control group.