Chemical composition and antifungal activity of vetiver oil of North and South India against Rhizoctonia solani.

Two types of Indian vetiver oils, namely North Indian type and South Indian type, were evaluated for their physico-chemical properties, GC/GC-MS composition and bio-activity against phytopathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn. Considerable qualitative and quantitative variations were found in physico-chemical parameters selected for the study. The common major constituent, khusimol was recorded with in the reported range in both the oils. Twenty compounds which were present in North Indian oil were found absent in South Indian oil and similarly. 16 compounds present in South Indian oil were found absent in North Indian oil, while 13 of the total identified compounds in both the oils were common. The variation in physico chemical properties and chemical composition may be due to difference in plant type, climate, soil and other geographical variations. Both type of oils exhibited antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani, however, the fungitoxicity of South Indian vetiver oil was slightly higher than that of North Indian oil.