Somayeh Ghahari - Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Mazandran, Babolsar, Iran
Heshmatollah Alinezhad - Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Mazandran, Babolsar, Iran
Ghorban Ali Nematzadeh - Genetics and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute of Taberestan (GABIT), Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Iran
Mahmood Tajbakhsh - Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Mazandran, Babolsar, Iran

The essential oil of Xanthium strumarium fruits was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Antimicrobial activity was tested against 14 microorganisms including three gram-positive, five gram-negative bacteria and six fungi using the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) technique. Thirty six components were identified representing 97.89% of the total oil. The major constituents of the essential oil were methyl linoleate (40.64%), methyl oleate (13.12%), methyl palmitate (12.43%), and intermedeol (9.68%). The oil showed significant activity against Rathayibacter toxicus with MIC = 25 µg/ml, and Pyricularia oryzae with MIC = 12.5 µg/ml. Our results suggest that this plant may be a potential source of biocide for economical and environmentally friendly disease control strategies. It may also be a good candidate for further biological and pharmacological investigations

Xanthium strumarium Linn, Antibacterial activity, Antifungal effect, Plant pathogens