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Biocontrol of Postharvest Rhizopus Decay of Peaches with Pichia caribbica

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Abstract

A new yeast antagonist, Pichia caribbica, isolated in our laboratory from the soil collected from unsprayed orchards, was evaluated for its biocontrol capability against Rhizopus stolonifer on peaches and the possible mechanisms involved. The decay incidence and lesion diameter of Rhizopus decay of peaches treated by P. caribbica were significantly reduced compared with the control fruits, and the higher the concentration of P. caribbica, the better the efficacy of the biocontrol. Rapid colonization of the yeast in peach wounds stored at 25 °C was observed. In peaches, the activities of peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) were significantly induced by P. caribbica treatment compared to those of the control fruits. All these results indicated that P. caribbica has a great potential for the development of commercial formulations to control postharvest Rhizopus decay of peaches. Its modes of action were based on competition for space and nutrients with pathogens, inducement of activities of defense-related enzymes such as POD, CAT, and PAL of peaches.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31271967), the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (20123227110015), the Technology Support Plan of Jiangsu Province (BE2011395), and the Project Funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Baitian Xu & Keping Chen

  2. College of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Hongyin Zhang, Qin Xu, Yao Yao & Hui Gao

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  1. Baitian Xu
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  2. Hongyin Zhang
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  3. Keping Chen
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  4. Qin Xu
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  5. Yao Yao
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  6. Hui Gao
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Correspondence to Hongyin Zhang.

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Xu, B., Zhang, H., Chen, K. et al. Biocontrol of Postharvest Rhizopus Decay of Peaches with Pichia caribbica . Curr Microbiol 67, 255–261 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-013-0359-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-013-0359-9

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