Control of postharvest green mold of citrus fruit with yeasts, medicinal plants, and their combination

The use of bio-fungicides and a plant extracts to control postharvest disease was investigated as an alternative to chemical control. The combination of a promising plant extract and yeast were selected through in vitro and in vivo techniques. A combination of Candida utilis TISTR 5001 and Eugenia caryophyllata crude extract was the best combination to attain a reduction in disease incidence and disease severity of Penicillium digitatum on citrus fruit. Colonization was the lowest on fruit treated with the combination of E. caryophylata crude extract and C. utilis TISTR 5001, and survival of C. utilis TISTR 5001 was the highest. The combination of E. caryophylata crude extract and C. utilis TISTR 5001 significantly reduced the natural development of green mold of citrus fruit, and had no effect to fruit quality. The active compound of E. caryophylata was found to be eugenol, based on HPLC and NMR (1H and 13C). Hence, the results indicate that a combination of plant extracts and yeasts posses antifungal activity that can be exploited as an ideal treatment for future plant disease management.

► A combination of Eugenia caryophylata crude extract and Candida utilis was able to control green mold on citrus fruit rot. ► C. utilis was able to survive in E. caryophylata crude extract. ► Penicillium digitatum colonization was inhibited with a combination of E. caryophylata crude extract and C. utilis.