Destiny Osemeke OCHEI

Carrot (Daucus carota) is one of the most important economical root vegetable crops worldwide and the largest source of provitamin A and carotenoids in the human diet. Storage is a prerequisite for a year-round supply of Carrot, but longer duration can affect its quality. Essential oils also has diverse and relevant biological activities. This study was aimed towards isolating the bacteria associated with rotted carrot, characterizing and isolating three bacteria isolate and determining the antibacterial properties of selected essential oils against the isolates using Agar well diffusion method. Suspected bacteria pathogens were isolated from a diseased carrot tuber, the isolates were identified using biochemical and cultural characterization. Essential oils were used in the antimicrobial sensitivity treatment using agar well diffusion method against the isolated bacteria to determine the antibacterial property of the essential oils. The results showed that Enterobacter sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Agrobacterium tumenfacienwere the isolated pathogenic bacteria from the carrot tubers. The essential oils which are (Neem oil, Tea tree oil and Bergamot oil), showed no antibacterial activity on the isolated bacteria pathogens. Further investigations can be done using essential oils against bacterial isolates but it should be extracted from the plant source to avoid destroying its potential antimicrobial properties.

Carrot (Daucus carota) is one of the most important economical root vegetable crops worldwide and the largest source of provitamin A and carotenoids in the human diet. Storage is a prerequisite for a year-round supply of Carrot, but longer duration can affect its quality. Essential oils also has diverse and relevant biological activities. This study was aimed towards isolating the bacteria associated with rotted carrot, characterizing and isolating three bacteria isolate and determining the antibacterial properties of selected essential oils against the isolates using Agar well diffusion method. Suspected bacteria pathogens were isolated from a diseased carrot tuber, the isolates were identified using biochemical and cultural characterization. Essential oils were used in the antimicrobial sensitivity treatment using agar well diffusion method against the isolated bacteria to determine the antibacterial property of the essential oils. The results showed that Enterobacter sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Agrobacterium tumenfacien were the isolated pathogenic bacteria from the carrot tubers. The essential oils which are (Neem oil, Tea tree oil and Bergamot oil), showed no antibacterial activity on the isolated bacteria pathogens. Further investigations can be done using essential oils against bacterial isolates but it should be extracted from the plant source to avoid destroying its potential antimicrobial properties