Antibacterial activity and chemical composition of essential oil obtained from Nepeta nuda against phytopathogenic bacteria

The increase in agricultural production can be possible with the discovery and utilization of chemical compounds for plant disease control. However, indiscriminate use of chemical compounds against microorganisms causes many negative side effects on environment and mammalian health. Therefore, we aimed to find a new natural antimicrobial product from medicinal plants against phytopathogenic bacteria. In this study, the essential oil (EO) of Nepeta nuda was isolated by the hydrodistillation method and the chemical composition of the EO was analyzed by gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS), as its biological activity was connected to its content. Then, the antibacterial property of EO was evaluated against twenty phytopathogenic bacteria. Nepeta contains 4aa,7?,7aa-nepetalactone (18.10%), germacrene (15.68%), elemol (14.38%), ?-caryophyllene (8.81%), spathulenol (6.14%) and cubenol (5.10%) as major components. In conclusion, the present study is valuable for future investigations on controlling plant pathogenic bacteria. © 2013 Taylor and Francis