Essential oils are naturally occurring terpenic mixtures, whose insecticidal action against specific pests and fungicidal action against some important plant pathogens have been recently reviewed (Isman, 2000).
Chemical control remains the main measure to reduce the incidence of post harvest diseases in various fruits and vegetables. Antimicrobial chemicals belonging to the groups of benzimidazoles, aromatic hydrocarbons and sterol biosynthesis inhibitors are often used, as post harvest treatments. A serious problem against the effective use of these chemicals is the development of resistance by the fungi (Brent and Hollomon, 1998). The application of higher concentrations of chemicals in an attempt to overcome this problem increases the risk of high level toxic residues in the products, which is particularly serious because fruits and vegetables are consumed in a relatively short time after harvest.