Abstract
A variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by Ceratocystis fimbriata have strong bioactivity against a wide range of fungi, bacteria and oomycetes. Mycelial growth, conidial production, and spore germination of fungi and oomycetes were significantly inhibited after exposure to cultures of C. fimbriata, and colony formation of bacteria was also inhibited. Two post-harvest diseases, peach brown rot caused by Monilinia fructicola and citrus green mold caused by Penicillium digitatum, were controlled during a 4-day storage by enclosing wound-inoculated fruits with 10 standard diameter Petri plate cultures of C. fimbriata in a 15 L box. The fruits were freshly inoculated at onset of storage and the cultures of C. fimbriata were 6 days old. Percentage of control was 92 and 97%, respectively. After exposure to C. fimbriata VOCs, severely misshapen hyphae and conidia of these two post-harvest pathogens were observed by scanning electron microscopy, and their pathogenicity was lost or greatly reduced.
Highlights
The development and utilization of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from microorganisms have been of increasing interest since they are naturally produced without chemical synthesis
For most of the test fungi, no conidia were observed after 5-day treatment by C. fimbriata VOCs, except P. digitatum, which produced 5×104 conidia/mL (Table 2)
Spore germination of test fungi was affected by treatment by C. fimbriata VOCs, with observed germination inhibition in the Inhibition of mycelial growth (%) y
Summary
The development and utilization of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from microorganisms have been of increasing interest since they are naturally produced without chemical synthesis. VOCs are mixtures of carbon-based compounds that are either vapors or highly volatiles [1]. The identified VOCs generated by fungi and bacteria are mainly primary (from the synthesis of DNA, amino and fatty acids, etc.) and secondary metabolites (from intermediates of primary metabolism) [2]. Microbial VOCs may be signaling substances for regulating and controlling certain physiological actions of some plants. The growth of Arabidopsis thaliana was promoted after the exposure to the volatiles from bacteria [3], and the systemic resistance in A. thaliana against Erwinia carotovora was induced [4]. Shoot length and fresh weight were increased by treating lettuce seedlings with VOCs produced by Fusarium oxysporum MSA 35
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
