Abstract

Sour rot caused by Geotrichum citri-aurantii is one of the most important diseases leading to postharvest loss of Citrus reticulate. In this study, the antifungal activity of MTE-1, a natural trisaccharide ester from the cultures of Pezicula neosporulosa, against G. citri-aurantii was evaluated. MTE-1 treatment inhibited the mycelium growth of G. citri-aurantii. Paper-disc agar-diffusion experiment showed that the inhibitory effect of MTE-1 against G. citri-aurantii was almost comparable to that of the commercial fungicide albesilate. Moreover, application of MTE-1 efficiently reduced the incidence of sour rot of mandarin fruit inoculated with G. citri-aurantii. Ultrastructural observations showed that MTE-1 treatment resulted in thinning of cell wall in spores and reduction of cell content in mycelia of G. citri-aurantii. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis along with RT-qPCR validation was conducted to better understand the role of MTE-1 on G. citri-aurantii. Several important genes related to fungal pathogenicity and virulence, including CRZ1, PMA1, RME1, ALDH and Lip, showed decreasing expression levels after MTE-1 treatment, which might be responsible for its antimicrobial activity. Overall, application of MTE-1 is a promising method to control sour rot of harvested citrus fruit.

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