Essential oils to the rescue of organic farming

Link to the article (in French) : https://journal-decoder.fr/2022/04/08/des-huiles-essentielles-au-secours-de-lagriculture-biologique/
The pupils in Year 11 at Jean Calvin High School in Noyon wondered...

Link to the article (in French) : https://journal-decoder.fr/2022/04/08/des-huiles-essentielles-au-secours-de-lagriculture-biologique/

The pupils in Year 11 at Jean Calvin High School in Noyon wondered how plants protect themselves against fungi.

To answer this question, they conducted tests on baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae Meyen ex E. C. Hansen, 1883). This organism is a single-celled eukaryote (with a nucleus) often used as a model in laboratories.

In terms of plants, the students focused on orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck, 1765) and lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f., 1768) essential oils (EOs), which are used in organic farming for their antifungal properties. The students carried out practical chemistry work to extract orange EO. Two protocols were then implemented. The first involved culturing yeast at 30°C for 8 days, then placing supports soaked in EO at different concentrations (0, 25%, 50% or 75%).

As the results showed no difference in the condition of the yeast, the students carried out a second protocol, placing the essential oils at the same time as the yeast. After a week, they observed that no yeast had developed around the medium diffusing the essential oil.