78 research outputs found
Biological control of olive anthracnose
No full textOlive anthracnose, a fungal disease caused by species of the genus Colletotrichum, is responsible for severe yield losses and poor oil quality. Typical symptoms appear in autumn or early winter, when the drupes begin to ripen. Under favorable conditions, symptoms on branches and leaves can also occur, leading to chlorosis, severe defoliation, and death of woody organs. Symptomless infection of flowers and blights have also been reported. Latent fruit infections could play an important role as the inoculum source for the autumn-winter epidemics. Application of systemic fungicides has proved effective in field trials, and pre-flowering sprays contribute to reduce latent infection and the inoculum density for autumn infection. However, public concerns about potential risks on the environment and human health promoted the search for alternative and sustainable means. Therefore, the activity of a new sulfur-based product and biocontrol agents (Bacillus subtilis, and endophytic isolates of Aureobasidium pullulans) in reducing the incidence of olive anthracnose was evaluated under field conditions. The sulfur-based product and B. subtilis applied at the pre-flowering stage were as effective as the chemical fungicides in reducing the incidence of latent infections on drupes. Moreover, some endophytic strains of A. pullulans provided high protection levels against Colletotrichum spp. when applied at the pre-flowering and veraison stages. Overall, data indicated that olive anthracnose can be controlled by using biological means and new products could be considered for introduction in the list of the organic product specification
Integrated control of sweet cherry postharvest rots by Aureobasidium pullulans in combination with calcium chloride or sodium bicarbonate
No full textAmong 17 salts, calcium chloride (CC) and sodium bicarbonate (SB) were selected as the most effective against Botrytis cinerea in trials on wounded sweet cherries. The combination of CC and SB with Aureobasidium pullulans, strain L47, reduced Botrytis rot by 98 and 94%, respectively. Tests with postharvest treatments were conducted in 2000 and 2001 using CC, SB, and L47, alone or in combination. In both years, postharvest treatments gave significant reduction of rot incidence compared to the control. The combinations L47+CC and L47+SB were the most effective with a reduction of total rots ranging from 62 to 75%. CC and SB did not show any in vitro toxic effect on A. pullulans and did not modify the natural epiphytic population of yeasts, yeast-like fungi, and filamentous fungi on the fruit surface. In postharvest application, the population of the antagonist was not influenced by the presence of salts
Epidemiological and aetiological investigations on the severe outbreaks of olive anthracnose in Apulia
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Influenza del sistema di coltivazione sulla popolazione epifitica di bacche di uva da tavola
No full textGenetic characterization by AFLP of Bacillus licheniformis strain, potential biocontrol agent of soil-borne pathogen
No full textControl of postharvest rots of sweet cherries and table grapes with endophytic isolates of Aureobasidium pullulans
No full textFifty-one endophytic isolates of Aureobasidium pullulans were obtained from the flesh of sweet cherries and extensively screened to evaluate their biocontrol activity against postharvest rots of sweet cherries and table grapes. Preliminary analysis of all isolates by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) with three different primers showed the presence of a high genetic variability and enabled isolates not showing any genetic difference to be discarded. Thirty-five isolates with different RAPD electrophoresis patterns had a wide range of biocontrol activity against Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia laxa on single-wounded berries of sweet cherries and table grapes with a reduction of decay from 10 to 100%. Two isolates (533 and 547) significantly reduced R cinerea on table grape berries also when applied 6, 12, and 24 h after the pathogen inoculation. In a 2-year period of investigation (1998-1999), a reduction of total rots ranging from 32 to 80% (sweet cherries) and from 59 to 64% (table grape) was achieved with isolates 533 and 547 applied after harvest. Preharvest applications of isolate 547 significantly reduced postharvest rots of sweet cherries and table grapes by 47 and 38%, respectively. On the whole, isolates 533 and 547 were more effective than A. pullulans L47, a biocontrol agent of postharvest diseases with a known activity. Population studies demonstrated that isolate 547 was able to survive under field conditions, to increase its population during cold storage, and to penetrate the flesh of sweet cherries when applied during flowering. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Impiego dell’ELISA nella diagnosi di Verticillium dahliae, agente di tracheomicosi dell’olivo
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Genetic characterization by AFLP of Bacillus licheniformis strains, potential biocontrol agent of soil-borne pathogens
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