Abstract:Campanumoea lancifolia (Roxb.) Merr. is a new plant species with both medicinal and edible values, demonstrating broad prospects for development and utilization. However, as its cultivation area expands, root rot has become increasingly severe. In the fields with severe root rot, the losses can reach up to 40%, accounting for 75% to 90% of the losses caused by all diseases affecting C. lancifolia. Root rot directly leads to declines in fruit yield and quality, affecting the commercial value of the fruits and reducing farmers’ incomes. Thus, it is urgent to address the root rot in C. lancifolia. [Objective] To isolate and identify the pathogens causing root rot in C. lancifolia and investigate the inhibitory effects of essential oils extracted from four aromatic medicinal plants on the growth of these pathogens. [Methods] Pathogens were isolated from C. lancifolia plants displaying typical root rot symptoms by the tissue culture method. The pathogens were identified based on morphological and molecular evidence and verified according to Koch’s postulates. Essential oils were extracted from four aromatic medicinal plants by steam distillation. The Oxford cup method was employed to examine the inhibitory effects of the essential oils on the pathogens, and the 96-well plate method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the essential oils. [Results] Four pathogenic strains were isolated and identified from the roots of diseased C. lancifolia plants. Re-inoculation of these pathogens induced root rot symptoms consistent with those observed in the field. The pathogens were identified as Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, Colletotrichum liriopes, and Stagonosporopsis pogostemonis. The essential oils exhibited strong inhibitory effects on these pathogens, with inhibition rates ranging from 32.94% to 95.29%. Additionally, the MICs of the four essential oils against the pathogens ranged from 0.031 mg/mL to 4.000 mg/mL. [Conclusion] This study demonstrates that F. oxysporum, F. solani, C. liriopes, and S. pogostemonis are pathogenic to C. lancifolia. This is the first report of F. solani, C. liriopes, and S. pogostemonis causing root rot in C. lancifolia. Furthermore, the essential oils extracted from the selected four aromatic plants exhibited strong inhibitory effects on the pathogens causing root rot in C. lancifolia, which coincides with the theory of aromatic plants dispelling pathogens in traditional Chinese medicine. The findings lay a scientific foundation for the development of botanical pesticides against root rot in C. lancifolia and the eco-friendly cultivation of this plant.