RESUMO
Blueberry production is affected by fungal postharvest pathogens, including Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata, the causative agents of gray mold disease and Alternaria rot, respectively. Biocontrol agents adapted to blueberries and local environments are not known to date. Here, we report on the search for and the identification of cultivable blueberry epiphytic bacteria with the potential to combat the aforementioned fungi. Native, blueberry-borne bacterial strains were isolated from a plantation in Tucumán, Argentina and classified based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. Antagonistic activities directed at B. cinerea and A. alternata were studied in vitro and in vivo. The 22 bacterial strains obtained could be attributed to eleven different genera: Rosenbergiella, Fictibacillus, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Microbacterium, Asaia, Acinetobacter, Curtobacterium, Serratia, Sphingomonas and Xylophilus. Three strains displaying antagonistic impacts on the fungal pathogens were identified as Bacillus velezensis (BA3 and BA4) and Asaia spathodeae (BMEF1). These strains are candidates for biological control agents of local blueberry production and might provide a basis for the development of eco-friendly, sustainable alternatives to synthetic pesticides.
RESUMO
Several oxidizing compounds such as sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) are used to control postharvest decay in fresh fruit due to their antimicrobial effects. Here, we applied these compounds in vitro, in the presence of CuSO(4), against Penicillium expansum, causal agent of apple blue mold. MICs were 50 mg L(-1) and 400 mmol L(-1) for NaClO and H(2)O(2), respectively, when these compounds were individually applied to conidia suspensions during 2 min. A combined oxidative treatment (OT) consisting on an incubation with 1 mg L(-1) NaClO and 200 mmol L(-1) H(2)O(2), in the presence of 6 mmol L(-1) CuSO(4), inhibited growth, conidial germination and fungal infectivity on apple. The fractional inhibitory concentration index for the interaction between NaClO and H(2)O(2) in the OT was 0.52 indicating a synergistic effect of the oxidizing compounds. These results suggest that the OT could be an interesting alternative for apple diseases postharvest control.