Monilinia Fructicola Research Articles

Antimicrobial Activity and Chemical Composition of Essential Oil Extracted from Solidago canadensis L. Growing Wild in Slovakia.

Plant essential oils (EOs) are one of the most relevant natural products due to their biological, medicinal, and nutritional properties. The promising biological effects of many plants EOs encourage researchers to study their biochemical properties to be used as possible natural alternatives for commercial pesticides and not only as herbal medicines. The current research has been conducted to study the microbicide effect of Solidago canadensis L. EO to control some common plant diseases caused by several postharvest phytopathogenic fungi (Monilinia fructicola, Botrytis cinerea, Aspergillus niger, and Penicillium expansum) in comparison with Azoxystrobin as a large spectrum fungicide. The antibacterial activity has been carried out against some phytopathogenic bacteria (Bacillus megaterium and Clavibacter michiganensis (G+ve) and Xanthomonas campestris, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola (G−ve)) compared to the synthetic antibiotic Tetracycline. Minimum inhibitory concentration was carried out to determine the lowest effective EO dose using a 96-well microplate. The cell membrane permeability was also evaluated by measuring the electric conductivity (EC) to examine the possible mechanisms of action of S. canadensis EO. Chemical characterization of EO has been carried out using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thirty-two identified components in S. canadensis EO presented 97.7% of total compounds in EO. The principal compounds were identified as germacrene D (34.9%), limonene (12.5%), α-pinene (11.6%), β-elemene (7.1%), and bornyl acetate (6.3%). In addition, S. canadensis EO demonstrated promising in vitro antimicrobial activities against the majority of tested phytopathogens at all tested concentrations.

First report of brown rot caused by Monilinia fructicola (Winter) Honey on sweet cherry in Turkey

First report of brown rot caused by Monilinia fructicola (Winter) Honey on sweet cherry in Turkey

Genotypic structure of Monilinia populations in Western Australia two decades after incursion

In 1997, Monilinia fructicola and Monilinia laxa, fungi causing brown rot disease in stone fruit (Prunus species), were identified from Western Australia for the first time. Up until then, Monilinia were quarantine species, and importation of stone fruits to W.A. was prohibited. After Monilinia was identified in W.A., importation of stone fruit from sources outside W.A. was progressively permitted. Today, Monilinia is present in all stone fruit production regions in W.A. The aim of this study was to determine if the genotypes responsible for the first incursion subsequently spread, or if new genotypes have since become established. ISSR markers were used to identify the genotype of isolates collected during the initial incursion event in 1997, and compare them with isolates collected subsequently. Eight M. fructicola genotypes were identified, including a monotypic one on a fresh peach imported from the USA. M. fructicola isolates collected during the initial incursion in 1997 and an isolate from cherry collected in South Australia in the same year were all of the same genotype, suggesting fruit or germplasm from S.A. as the source of the W.A. incursion. However, this incursion genotype appears not have persisted, with different genotypes subsequently becoming widely or locally established. Four genotypes of M. laxa were identified. In contrast to M. fructicola, the 1997 incursion genotype of M. laxa has become widely established in W.A., infecting both stone fruits and pome fruits.

Co-Infection with Three Mycoviruses Stimulates Growth of a Monilinia fructicola Isolate on Nutrient Medium, but Does Not Induce Hypervirulence in a Natural Host.

Monilinia fructicola and Monilinia laxa are the most destructive fungal species infecting stone fruit (Prunus species). High-throughput cDNA sequencing of M. laxa and M. fructicola isolates collected from stone fruit orchards revealed that 14% of isolates were infected with one or more of three mycoviruses: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum hypovirus 2 (SsHV2, genus Hypovirus), Fusarium poae virus 1 (FPV1, genus Betapartitivirus), and Botrytis virus F (BVF, genus Mycoflexivirus). Isolate M196 of M. fructicola was co-infected with all three viruses, and this isolate was studied further. Several methods were applied to cure M196 of one or more mycoviruses. Of these treatments, hyphal tip culture either alone or in combination with antibiotic treatment generated isogenic lines free of one or more mycoviruses. When isogenic fungal lines were cultured on nutrient agar medium in vitro, the triple mycovirus-infected parent isolate M196 grew 10% faster than any of the virus-cured isogenic lines. BVF had a slight inhibitory effect on growth, and FPV1 did not influence growth. Surprisingly, after inoculation to fruits of sweet cherry, there were no significance differences in disease progression between isogenic lines, suggesting that these mycoviruses did not influence the virulence of M. fructicola on a natural host.

Preservation of Monilinia fructicola Genotype Diversity Within Fungal Cankers.

Monilinia fructicola is a destructive pathogen causing brown rot on stone fruits worldwide. Though it is best known as a fruit rot pathogen, M. fructicola also causes blossom blight and, subsequently, twig cankers in the spring. Orchard management strategies often overlook cankers as an inoculum source, though they are an inoculum source of both blossom and fruit infections. In this study, we analyzed the role of cankers as storage structures for diverse genotypes of M. fructicola, examining whether multiple genotypes can be transmitted from blossom to canker. Fungal spores from blossoms, and 2 months later from their corresponding cankers, were collected from a conventional and an unsprayed orchard in 2015 and 2016. Simple sequence repeat markers were used to genotype 10 to 20 single spores from each of four blossom/canker pairs per orchard. Individual blossoms and cankers were detected containing up to four and five genotypes, respectively. The average number of genotypes in blossoms and corresponding cankers were not significantly different (P = 0.690) across both years and farms, showing that a bottleneck for genetic diversity was not generated during the transition from blossom to canker. The average number of genotypes unique to blossom or canker was not significantly different (P = 0.569) and no significant effect of farm (P = 0.961) or year (P = 0.520) was observed, although blossoms had a numerically greater number of unique genotypes in both cases. In conclusion, a single blossom may be infected by one or more genotypes of M. fructicola, and this diversity is being preserved in the corresponding canker. This information implicates M. fructicola cankers as diversity storehouses, and may also apply to other Monilinia spp. and fungal diseases that initiate in reproductive tissue.

Identificación del agente causal de la pudrición parda en frutos de duraznero (Prunus pérsica, L. Batsch) en Boyacá

La enfermedad fungosa más limitante del duraznero (Prunus pérsica, L. Batsch) en Colombia es la pudrición parda, Monilia spp., que afecta flores, brotes y frutos, causando pérdidas hasta del 80%. El objetivo de la investigación fue identificar el patógeno asociado a pudrición parda en cuatro variedades: Dorado, Rubidoux, Diamante y Rey negro en el departamento de Boyacá. El estudio inicio con la colecta de frutos enfermos en Jenesano, Paipa, Tuta, Sotaquirá y Nuevo Colón. En laboratorio se realizó la obtención, aislamiento y purificación de los hongos presentes. Se realizó también caracterización morfológica de las colonias y conidias sobre cultivos monospóricos y caracterización molecular mediante amplificación por PCR del ADN ribosomal empleando iniciadores ITS4 e ITS5. Se obtuvieron 32 aislamientos del género Monilia y se identificaron tres especies presentes en la zona muestreada: Monilia fructícola, Monilia fructígena y Monilia laxa, en 62,5%, 25% y 12,5%, respectivamente. En la amplificación de la región ribosomal se observaron diferencias entre las dos primeras especies, en el tamaño de las bases amplificadas, siendo M. fructicola de 550 pb y M. fructigena de 545pb. Este trabajo contribuye a la caracterización de las especies de Monilia que afectan al duraznero en varias regiones del departamento de Boyacá.

Characterization and complete genome analysis of the surfactin-producing, plant-protecting bacterium Bacillus velezensis 9D-6

BackgroundBacillus velezensis is an endospore-forming, free-living soil bacterium with potential as a biopesticide against a broad spectrum of microbial pathogens of plants. Its potential for commercial development is enhanced by rapid replication and resistance to adverse environmental conditions, typical of Bacillus species. However, the use of beneficial microbes against phytopathogens has not gained dominance due to limitations that may be overcome with new biopesticidal strains and/or new biological knowledge.ResultsHere, we isolated B. velezensis strain 9D-6 and showed that it inhibits the in vitro growth of prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogens, including the bacteria Bacillus cereus, Clavibacter michiganensis, Pantoea agglomerans, Ralstonia solanacearum, Xanthomonas campestris, and Xanthomonas euvesicatoria; and the fungi Alternaria solani, Cochliobolus carbonum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, Gibberella pulicaris, Gibberella zeae, Monilinia fructicola, Pyrenochaeta terrestris and Rhizoctonia solani. Antimicrobial compounds with activity against Clavibacter michiganensis were isolated from B. velezensis 9D-6 and characterized by high resolution LC-MS/MS, yielding formulae of C52H91N7O13 and C53H93N7O13, which correspond to [Leu7] surfactins C14 and C15 (also called surfactin B and surfactin C), respectively. We further sequenced the B. velezensis 9D-6 genome which consists of a single circular chromosome and revealed 13 gene clusters expected to participate in antimicrobial metabolite production, including surfactin and two metabolites that have not typically been found in this species - ladderane and lantipeptide. Despite being unable to inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas syringae DC3000 in an in vitro plate assay, B. velezensis 9D-6 significantly reduced root colonization by DC3000, suggesting that 9D-6 uses methods other than antimicrobials to control phytopathogens in the environment. Finally, using in silico DNA-DNA hybridization (isDDH), we confirm previous findings that many strains currently classified as B. amyloliquefaciens are actually B. velezensis.ConclusionsThe data presented here suggest B. velezensis 9D-6 as a candidate plant growth promoting bacterium (PGPB) and biopesticide, which uses a unique complement of antimicrobials, as well as other mechanisms, to protect plants against phytopathogens. Our results may contribute to future utilization of this strain, and will contribute to a knowledge base that will help to advance the field of microbial biocontrol.

Complete mitochondrial genome of plant pathogen Monilinia fructicola (Sclerotiniaceae, Helotiales)

Monilinia fructicola is a plant pathogenic fungus usually causing brown rot in the stone fruit crops. Here, the complete mitochondrial genome of M. fructicola is first reported, and the length of the circular genome was 163,790 bp and the content of GC was 31%. Meanwhile, it contained 28 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 30 protein-coding genes (PCGs) with many intron sequences and 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Phylogenetic analysis with 15 Leotiomycetes species indicated that M. fructicola was clustered in the Sclerotiniaceae family and was closely narrowed to Botryotinia fuckeliana and Sclerotinia scleroticrum. In addition, the valuable gene information of the mitochondrial genome was provided, and the study on the control of this destructive pathogen would be facilitated.

Identification of a novel strain, Streptomyces blastmyceticus JZB130180, and evaluation of its biocontrol efficacy against Monilinia fructicola.

Peach brown rot, caused by Monilinia fructicola, is one of the most serious peach diseases. A strain belonging to the Actinomycetales, named Streptomyces blastmyceticus JZB130180, was found to have a strong inhibitory effect on M. fructicola in confrontation culture. Following the inoculation of peaches in vitro, it was revealed that the fermentation broth of S. blastmyceticus JZB130180 had a significant inhibitory effect on disease development by M. fructicola. The fermentation broth of S. blastmyceticus JZB130180 had an EC50 (concentration for 50% of maximal effect) of 38.3 µg/mL against M. fructicola, as determined in an indoor toxicity test. Analysis of the physicochemical properties of the fermentation broth revealed that it was tolerant of acid and alkaline conditions, temperature, and ultraviolet radiation. In addition, chitinase, cellulase, and protease were also found to be secreted by the strain. The results of this study suggest that S. blastmyceticus JZB130180 may be used for the biocontrol of peach brown rot.

Alternatives of Control of Dawn Crop and Crop Mole in Pre-Harvest in Peasant Fruit

Fruit rot, besides causing losses in production, reduces the final quality of the product interfering in the commercialization. The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of alternative products applied to pre-harvest for control of brown rot (Monilinia fructicola) and soft rot (Rhizopus spp.) In peaches. The experiment was conducted in the municipality of Nepomuceno-MG, in a peach orchard of the cultivar Diamante. The experimental design was a randomized block design with 7 treatments and 3 replicates, with field plots formed by 12 plants (arranged in 3 rows), being considered for the evaluations only the two central plants. Three applications were made at flowering and at 21; 7 and 3 days before harvest, with solutions containing the following treatments: 1-Clove oil 0.1%; 2-silicate clay 1.5%; 3-Phosphite K 0.20%; 4-Benzalkonium chloride 0.25%; 5-Azoxystrobin 0.02%; 6-Iprodione 0.15%; 7-Witness (water only). Treatments 4 and 5 were applied only at 21 and 7 days before harvest. Ten fruits were selected and placed in sterile trays under uncontrolled conditions, with disease evaluations at 3 and 6 days after the beginning of storage in 2005 and at 3; 6 and 9 days in 2006. The iprodione controlled the incidence of M. fructicola and had no effect on Rhizopus spp. Clove oil controlled the incidence and severity of M. fructicola by the fifth day and Rhizopus spp. by the sixth day. The phosphites of k, benzalkonium chloride and azoxystrobin were efficient in controlling the incidence and severity of Rhizopus spp. and had no effect on M. fructicola.

Peach brown rot control and the relationship of latent infection with postharvest disease

ABSTRACT The peach brown rot, caused by Monilinia fructicola, is the main disease of the crop, causing significant losses during preharvest and postharvest. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of preharvest fungicide application on brown rot control and verify the role of latent infection and external contamination in postharvest disease. An experiment was carried out in the years 2014 and 2015 in order to evaluate the performance of six active ingredients (captan, iprodione, iminoctadine, tebuconazole, difenoconazole and azoxystrobin) during preharvest on brown rot control and the effect on latent infection. A second experiment was carried out to monitor the latent infection during growth and ripening of the fruit and in order to correlate it with the postharvest disease incidence. The data were submitted to analysis of variance (Anova) and the means were grouped by the Scott-Knott test (p < 0.05), using statistical software Sisvar. The active ingredients iprodione, tebuconazole and difenoconazole were the most efficient in controlling brown rot on the field, while iminoctadine has higher efficiency during postharvest control, acting on latent infections. The incidence of latent infections during fruit growth and ripening has a positive correlation with brown rot incidence at postharvest. The highest disease incidence after storage is due to the latent infections manifestation. Effective chemical control in the field, throughout the growing and ripening of fruit, is an important approach to postharvest brown rot control, even after cold storage and during shelf life at 20 °C.

First Report of Brown Rot Caused by Monilinia fructicola on Apple in Brazil

First Report of Brown Rot Caused by <i>Monilinia fructicola</i> on Apple in Brazil

Postharvest biocontrol ability of Pseudomonas synxantha against Monilinia fructicola and Monilinia fructigena on stone fruit

The biocontrol properties of the endophyte Pseudomonas synxantha DLS65 were tested in vitro and in vivo against Monilinia fructicola and Monilinia fructigena, causal agents of postharvest brown rot of stone fruit. P. synxantha cells significantly reduced the mycelial growth of both pathogens on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), and strongly inhibited the Monilinia fructicola growth on Peach Extract Agar (PEA). Cell-free culture filtrates inhibited the pathogens on PDA and PEA to lesser extent. The production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with in vitro inhibitory effects on mycelial growth, was also observed. P. synxantha significantly reduced brown rot incidence and severity on peach fruit artificially inoculated with M. fructicola after 5 d at 25 °C. Moreover, P. synxantha more significantly reduced incidence and severity after 10 d at 10 °C and after 20 d in cold storage at 0 °C in comparison to control fruit, even if its activity was never comparable to that of the synthetic fungicide Scholar® (fludioxonil). Similarly, P. synxantha exhibited an excellent antagonistic activity against M. fructigena on fruit at 10 and at 0 °C, and a weak biocontrol activity at 25 °C. Competition for nutrients and space, production of diffusible toxic metabolites and VOCs may play a role in the antagonism of P. synxantha toward M. fructicola and M. fructigena, especially at the lowest temperatures of storage. For that reason, this strain of P. synxantha could be suggested as active ingredient for the setting up of bioformulates against Monilinia species representing a limiting factor for stone fruit production.

Alternative Control of Plant Pathogen Fungi Through Ethanolic Extracts of Avocado Seeds (Persea Americana Mill.)

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal action of ethanolic extracts of avocado seeds, by conducting two experiments in the laboratory of plant pathology of EPAMIG SUL/Lavras, MG, Brazil, in a completely randomized design with three replicates. The first consisted of the following treatments ('Breda' 3%, 'Breda' 2%, 'Margarida' 3%, 'Margarida' 2%, Control, and Ethanol) testing its inhibitory effect on two fungal species (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Monilinia fructicola) and the second consisted of different concentrations of extracts (0%, 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0%) on the fungus F fructicola. The evaluations were performed at three times (7, 14, and 21 days of incubation) by measurements of the mycelial diameter using a digital caliper. The data were submitted to analysis of variance and the averages were compared by Scott-Knott test at 5% probability. The results demonstrated the positive potential of the ethanolic extracts of avocado seed on the mycelial development of fungi M. fructicola and C. gloeosporioides during the evaluated days.

UV-B Pre-treatment Alters Phenolics Response to Monilinia fructicola Infection in a Structure-Dependent Way in Peach Skin.

Phenolic compounds represent a large class of secondary metabolites, involved in multiple functions not only in plant life cycle, but also in fruit during post-harvest. phenolics play a key role in the response to biotic and abiotic stresses, thus their accumulation is regulated by the presence of environmental stimuli. The present work aimed to investigate how different pre-UV-B-exposures can modulate the phenolic response of peach fruit infected with Monilinia fructicola. Through HPLC-DAD-MSn, several procyanidins, phenolic acids, flavonols, and anthocyanins were detected. Both UV-B radiation and fungal infection were able to stimulate the accumulation of phenolics, dependent on the chemical structure. Regarding UV-B exposure, inoculated with sterile water, 3 h of UV-B radiation highest concentration of phenolics was found, especially flavonols and cyanidin-3-glucoside far from the wound. However, wounding decreased the phenolics in the region nearby. When peaches were pre-treated with 1 h of UV-B radiation, the fungus had an additive effect in phenolic accumulation far from the infection, while it had a subtractive effect with 3 h of UV-B radiation, especially for flavonols. Canonical discriminant analysis and Pearson correlation revealed that all phenolic compounds, except procyanidin dimer, were highly regulated by UV-B radiation, with particularly strong correlation for quercetin and kaempferol glycosides, while phenolics correlated with the fungus infection were quercetin-3-galactoside, quercetin-3-glucoside, kaempferol-3-galactoside and isorhamnetin-3-glucoside. Modulation of pathogen-induced phenolics also far from inoculation site might suggest a migration of signaling molecules from the infected area to healthy tissues.

Monilinia fructicola and Monilinia laxa isolates from stone fruit orchards sprayed with fungicides displayed a broader range of responses to fungicides than those from unsprayed orchards

Monilinia fructicola and Monilinia laxa are causal agents of brown rot, the most serious fungal disease of stone fruit (Prunus species). The disease is controlled primarily by applying fungicides. It was hypothesised that Monilinia isolates exposed to a regime of fungicidal sprays would exhibit greater tolerance to those compounds than isolates that had not been subjected at all to such fungicide sprays. Sixty-six M. fructicola and 52 M. laxa isolates were collected from fungicide-sprayed and unsprayed commercial and domestic orchards. The fungicides propiconazole, iprodione, and a mixture of fluopyram and trifloxystrobin were used regularly on all the sprayed orchards tested, and these were used to challenge all Monilinia isolates in vitro. We found that isolates collected from sprayed orchards were on average more tolerant to the fungicides, as measured by effective concentration of fungicide reducing mycelial growth by 50% (EC50). This trend was evident for both fungal species tested, but it was statistically significant only for M. fructicola. Monilinia laxa isolates were on average more tolerant to propiconazole than were M. fructicola isolates irrespective of orchard type, while average responses to iprodione and fluopyram + trifloxystrobin were similar for both species. Although tolerant and sensitive isolates were identified under both sprayed and unsprayed regimes, there was a greater range of responses to all three fungicides by isolates from sprayed orchards. Isolates with tolerance to two fungicides were not exclusively from sprayed orchards, but occurred more frequently there.

Multipath effects of berberine on peach Brown rot fungus Monilinia fructicola

The brown rot disease caused by fungus Monilinia fructicola severely reduces the yield of peach and other stone fruits. Earlier, we found that berberine (BBR), one of isoquinoline alkaloids, strongly halts the growth of M. fructicola. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we report that BBR inhibits M. fructicola at multiple levels. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) analysis of BBR-treated M. fructicola revealed morphological abnormality of spores and hyphae. Enzyme activity assay showed BBR's significant inhibition on the activities of enzymes succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and ATPase in mitochondrion, indicating that BBR impedes mitochondrial functions. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis of BBR-induced M. fructicola revealed that most differentially expressed genes were involved in MAP kinase activity, activation of MAPKK activity, and ADP binding. Overall, these results indicate that BBR inhibits M. fructicola through multipath mechanisms, including destruction on cells, interference of mitochondrial functions, and repression of DNA replication and gene expression.

Mating System in the Brown Rot Pathogens Monilinia fructicola, M. laxa, and M. fructigena.

Monilinia fructicola, M. laxa, and M. fructigena are the most important pathogens responsible for brown rot disease of stone and pome fruits. Information on their mating system and sexual behavior is scant. A mating-type-specific PCR-based assay was developed and applied to 155 Monilinia isolates from 10 countries and 10 different host plants. We showed that single isolates carry only one of two opposite idiomorphs at the MAT1 locus consistent with a heterothallic mating system for all three species. MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 mating types were detected in similar proportions in samples of isolates of each species and hence there do not appear to be genetic obstacles to the occurrence of sexual reproduction in their populations. Inter simple sequence repeat markers suggested that asexual reproduction is prevalent, but that sexual recombination occurs in M. fructicola populations in Italy. The genetic architectures of the MAT1 loci of the three pathogens were analyzed. MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 idiomorphs are flanked upstream and downstream by the APN2 and SLA2 genes and resemble those of Botrytis cinerea and other heterothallic fungi in the family Sclerotiniaceae. Each idiomorph contains a specific couple of genes, MAT1-1-1 (with alpha-box domain) and MAT1-1-5 in MAT1-1, and MAT1-2-1 (with HMG-box domain) and MAT1-2-10 in MAT1-2. Small gene fragments (dMAT1-1-1 and dMAT1-2-1) from the opposite idiomorph were detected close to their flanking regions. Constitutive expression of the four MAT1 genes during vegetative growth was ascertained by transcriptomic analysis (RNA-Seq). Antisense transcription of the MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 genes and intergenic transcribed regions of the MAT1 locus were detected. These results represent new insights into the mating systems of these three economically-important pathogens which could contribute to improve the knowledge on their population biology.

LAMP detection of the genetic element 'Mona' associated with DMI resistance in Monilinia fructicola.

The increasing use of demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicides for the control of peach brown rot has resulted in resistance in Monilinia fructicola. Resistance in the southeastern USA is caused by overexpression of the MfCYP51 gene due to the presence of a 65-bp inserted element 'Mona' located in the upstream regulatory region of MfCYP51. A rapid diagnostic assay would be useful to detect the presence and monitor further spread of this resistance mechanism. A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method was developed for rapid detection of 'Mona'-based DMI resistance. The assay was optimized for specificity and sensitivity, and was shown to detect the presence of 10 fg of purified target DNA per reaction within 85 min. Only DNA isolated from DMI-resistant isolates containing 'Mona' resulted in a fluorescent signal after LAMP assay amplification. DNA from sensitive isolates from China and the USA and six other common fungal species of peach did not yield a signal. The method also positively identified 'Mona' from crude DNA extracts (using Lyse and Go reagents heated to 100 °C for 10 min) obtained from the mycelium and conidia of symptomatic fruit. Considering its specificity, stability and repeatability, the LAMP assay could be a valuable tool for rapid on-site diagnosis of M. fructicola isolates resistant to DMI fungicides in the southeastern USA. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Efficacy of environmental friendly disinfectants against the major postharvest pathogens of stone fruits on plastic and wood surfaces.

Disinfection of surface facilities during postharvest handling operation is an important practice to avoid secondary fruit infections at stone fruit packinghouses. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of six environmental friendly disinfectants against Monilinia fructicola, Penicillium expansum, Rhizopus spp., and Alternaria spp. on plastic and wood surfaces. Hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, sodium hypochlorite, Mico-E-pro®, Proallium FRD-N®, and DMC Clean-CNS® were used as the disinfectants. Untreated and surfaces treated with water were used as controls. Plastic and wood surfaces were sampled with Rodac plates at 2 and 24 h after treatments and the number of colonies were counted. In general, all disinfectants reduce the number of viable conidia from all studied surfaces. Hydrogen peroxide used in a concentration of 150 mg L-1 was the less effective disinfectant in all studied pathogens. The commercial product Mico-E-pro® composed of oregano, onion, and orange extract at a dose of 10 mg L-1 was the most effective disinfectant. Rhizopus spp. was the pathogen more resistant to the disinfectants followed by P. expansum, M. fructicola, and Alternaria spp. Water decreased the number of conidia adhered to the surface. In addition, the untreated control showed substantial conidia reduction after 24 h of artificial inoculation.