*2.3. Antifungal Activity*

The results of the fungicidal activity of peppermint EO are presented in Figure 1, where it showed the highest significant inhibition the mycelium growth of *B. cinerea* and *P. expansum* in plates at the two tested concentrations (1 and 5 mg/mL), whereas peppermint EO at 5 mg/mL demonstrated the highest inhibition against *M. fructicola* and *A. niger*. The lowest inhibition effect was observed in the case of the tested concentration 0.1 mg/mL against all tested pathogenic fungi, which was insignificantly different from the positive control (Azoxystrobin, 0.8 μL/mL). In fact, the inhibition of fungal mycelium growth in plates is considered as a general indication of the efficacy of the tested treatments, whereas the MFC assay is considered a more accurate test for determining the lowest concentration required to inhibit the visible growth of the microorganism.

**Figure 1.** Antifungal activity of *M. piperita* EO. Where: C1: 5.0 mg/mL; C2: 1.0 mg/mL; C3: 0.1 mg/mL. Bars with different letters for each tested fungus indicate mean values significantly different at *p* < 0.05 according to two-way ANOVA combined with Duncan post hoc multiple comparison test.
