Biofumigation on Post-Harvest Diseases of Fruits Using a New Volatile-Producing Fungus of <i>Ceratocystis fimbriata</i>

<div><p>A variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by <i>Ceratocystis fimbriata</i> have strong bioactivity against a wide range of fungi, bacteria and oomycetes. Mycelial growth, conidial production, and spore germination of fungi and oomycetes were significantly inhibited after exposure to cultures of <i>C</i>. <i>fimbriata</i>, and colony formation of bacteria was also inhibited. Two post-harvest diseases, peach brown rot caused by <i>Monilinia fructicola</i> and citrus green mold caused by <i>Penicillium digitatum</i>, were controlled during a 4-day storage by enclosing wound-inoculated fruits with 10 standard diameter Petri plate cultures of <i>C</i>. <i>fimbriata</i> in a 15 L box. The fruits were freshly inoculated at onset of storage and the cultures of <i>C</i>. <i>fimbriata</i> were 6 days old. Percentage of control was 92 and 97%, respectively. After exposure to <i>C</i>. <i>fimbriata</i> VOCs, severely misshapen hyphae and conidia of these two post-harvest pathogens were observed by scanning electron microscopy, and their pathogenicity was lost or greatly reduced.</p>