LABORATORY EFFECT OF Boni Protect CONTAINING Aureobasidium pullulans (de Bary) Arnoud IN THE CONTROL OF SOME FUNGAL DISEASES OF APPLE FRUIT

The efficacy of Aureobasidium pullulans (in the bio-preparation Boni Protect) against different pathogens of apples (Botrytis cinerea, Monilinia fructigena, Penicillium expansum, and Pezicula malicorticis) was evaluated under laboratory con-ditions. The biocontrol product was applied at concentrations of 0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.5%. Fruits of apple cultivars ‘Jonagold Decosta ’ and ‘Pinova ’ were used. Boni Protect was very ef-fective against B. cinerea on cv. ‘Jonagold Decosta’, reducing disease incidence by 55–83.8%. On ‘Pinova ’ apples, this bio-logical control product was the most efficient at earlier stages of the experiment. It inhibited grey mold by 65 % after 5 days from inoculation and only by 14 % after 20 days. On cv. ‘Jo-nagold Decosta’, Boni Protect at a concentration of 0.1 % was also effective against M. fructigena, reducing brown rot by 31.4–74.5%, but its efficiency on cv. ‘Pinova ’ was not signi-ficant. Blue mold caused by P. expansum was inhibited only slightly by the biocontrol product, while P. malicorticis proved to be the most resistant to its antagonistic abilities