Efficacy of postharvest application of Aureobasidium pullulans in the control of white haze on apples and effect on the fruit mycobiome
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Marco Garello, Giada Schiavon, Davide Spadaro
Pages: 131-133
Abstract: White haze is an apple blemish that reduces the commercial value of affected fruit. In recent years, the use of biocontrol agents proved to be an interesting alternative to chemical pesticides. Here, we selected two Aureobasidium pullulans strains (AP2 and PL5) and tested them against white haze of apple, caused by Golubevia, Entyloma and Tilletiopsis. At the end of shelf-life, both strains showed an efficacy comparable to the chemical control treatment in preventing white haze development. Microbiota analysis composition shows that these strains present a good proliferation on treated fruit, both epiphytically and endophytically. The presence of A. pullulans does not correlate with a decreased presence of white haze genera, which might suggest a more complex action mechanism.