Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Perez, María Florencia
• Contreras, Luciana
• Garnica, Nydia Mercedes
• Fernández-Zenoff, María Verónica
• Farías, María Eugenia
• Sepulveda, Milena
• Ramallo, Jacqueline
• Dib, Julián Rafael
• Lustig, Arthur J.

Titel

Native Killer Yeasts as Biocontrol Agents of Postharvest Fungal Diseases in Lemons

Ist Teil von

• PloS one, 2016-10, Vol.11 (10), p.e0165590

Ort / Verlag

United States: Public Library of Science

Erscheinungsjahr

2016

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Economic losses caused by postharvest diseases represent one of the main problems of the citrus industry worldwide. The major diseases affecting citrus are the "green mold" and "blue mold", caused by Penicillium digitatum and P. italicum, respectively. To control them, synthetic fungicides are the most commonly used method. However, often the emergence of resistant strains occurs and their use is becoming more restricted because of toxic effects and environmental pollution they generate, combined with trade barriers to international markets. The aim of this work was to isolate indigenous killer yeasts with antagonistic activity against fungal postharvest diseases in lemons, and to determine their control efficiency in in vitro and in vivo assays. Among 437 yeast isolates, 8.5% show to have a killer phenotype. According to molecular identification, based on the 26S rDNA D1/D2 domain sequences analysis, strains were identified belonging to the genera Saccharomyces, Wickerhamomyces, Kazachstania, Pichia, Candida and Clavispora. Killers were challenged with pathogenic molds and strains that caused the maximum in vitro inhibition of P. digitatum were selected for in vivo assays. Two strains of Pichia and one strain of Wickerhamomyces depicted a significant protection (p <0.05) from decay by P. digitatum in assays using wounded lemons. Thus, the native killer yeasts studied in this work showed to be an effective alternative for the biocontrol of postharvest fungal infections of lemons and could be promising agents for the development of commercial products for the biological control industry.