Plant crude extracts and yeast as alternative to synthetic fungicide for controlling postharvest green mould on citrus fruit

Abstract

The objectives of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the combination of plant crude extracts and yeasts as an alternative to replace the synthetic fungicide to control green mould rot caused by Penicillium digitatum on citrus fruit. This pathogen caused 90% of citrus losses during the storage. Control of this pathogen mainly with chemicals, but concerned with environmental contamination, human health, and pathogen resistance, chemical treatment is frequently decreased. Eugenia caryophylata crude extracts and Candica utilis showed to be the best combination to attain a reduction in green mould incidence by 90.3% and disease severity by 96.26%. Furthermore, the combination of E. caryophylata crude extracts and C. utilis had a more potent antifungal activity than imazalil. The effectiveness of the combination of plant crude extractss and yeasts can be an alternative treatment to replace the synthetic fungicide to control P.digitatum on citrus fruit, but the application in the packaging line needs further investigation