## 3 Results  
### Effect of Thyme EO in Vapor Phase on A. alternata  
Initially, the efficacy of thyme EO on the fungus _A. alternata_ BNR strain was evaluated in Petri dishes with Malt extract agar by means of MAM. In Figure 1A, the mean diameter of the colonies was reported and the behavior obtained in tests carried out with EO, pure or diluted DMSO, were compared. The paper disk, soaked with thyme EO, was removed after 7 days of incubation to test the mycostatic or mycocidal effect: the plates treated with 5 \(\mu\)L EO and 50% EO in DMSO were both inhibited for only 3 days. For 7.5 \(\mu\)L EO and 75% in DMSO, a longer inhibition was observed (10 and 9 days, respectively). Finally, in the test with 10 \(\mu\)L EO, _A. alternata_ growth was inhibited for the longest period (16 days). For all the tests, the inhibition percentage values (MGI%) of mycelial growth were calculated up to 15 days of culture, when the control (pure EO) reached the edge of the Petri dishes. As it is possible to observe in Figure 1B, colonies treated with 10 and 7.5 \(\mu\)L of pure EO showed the highest MGI%, with comparable values and a similar behavior until the 10 th day. At the 8 th day of incubation, corresponding to the paper disc removal, MGI% were 83.2 \(\pm\) 1.4 and 82.11 \(\pm\) 1.5, for 10 and 7.5 \(\mu\)L, respectively; the difference was not statistically significant (for the Student's \(t\)-test, \(p\) value is equal to 0.20, indicated in the graphic as \"ns\"). At 15 th day, the MGI% were reliable different: 84 \(\pm\) 1.8 and 88 \(\pm\) 1.8 for 7.5 and 10 \(\mu\)L EO (for the Student's \(t\)-test, \(p\) is equal to 6.28E\({}^{-6}\), indicated in the graphic as \"*\"*\"). Concerning the other conditions tested, the inhibition time was reduced until the 7 th-8 th day of incubation.  
Figure 1: (**A**) MAM in presence of _A. alternata_: colony diameter, measured at different incubation times. Dashed line= time of paper disk removal. (**B**) MGI% values, for EO pure or diluted in DMSO, in the first 15 days of incubation (ns, \(p=0.20\); \"*\" \(p=6.28\times 10^{-6}\)).  
In Figure 2, the growth rate of _A. alternata_ was reported. In the two controls, without and with DMSO, the maximum values were obtained at the 8 th and 10 th days of incubation (4.8 \(\pm\) 0.16 and 5.5 \(\pm\) 0.20 mm/day, respectively). In the presence of EOs, pure or diluted in DMSO, in all the samples the maximum growth rate diminished and was reached later, between the 21 st and the 35 th days of incubation. The growth rate values were in the range 3.8 \(\pm\) 0.17-4.25 \(\pm\) 0.23 with differences not statistically significant. As an example at 21 days of incubation \(p\) value for pure (5 \(\mu\)L) and DMSO diluted EO (50%) was equal to 0.18, indicated with \"ns\" in the graphic (Student's _t_-test). Comparing the obtained values with those of the corresponding controls, an inhibition of about 30% was calculated for all the pure EO volumes. As regards 50% and 75% EO in DMSO, lower inhibition percentages were obtained (10% and 20%, respectively). Since the low miscibility of the EO in DMSO influenced the active compounds volatilization, see Figure A2b, following experiments were carried out with pure EO.