Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
Botrytis cinerea is a devastating pathogen causing gray mold in strawberries. In this study, we have assessed the combined effect of lipopeptides (LPs) extracted from Bacillus altitudinis strain TM22A in combination with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) to prevent strawberry decay due to Botrytis cinerea. Ten Bacillus strains were initially screened for their antifungal activity in vitro where Bacillus altitudinis TM22A, and Bacillus subtilis S2 strains showed the highest inhibition of B. cinerea with inhibition zones of 2.7 and 2.5 cm, respectively. The LPs extracted from TM22A and S2 were tested for their antifungal activity in a plate assay, where TM22A produced higher colony growth inhibition of B. cinerea with an inhibition zone of 1.7 cm. In an in vitro assay on strawberry fruit, exogenous application of MeJA at 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 µmol/L concentrations revealed that 250 µmol/L showed the lowest lesion diameter (4 mm) and disease incidence (25%) of B. cinerea. Later, LPs extracted from TM22A and 250 µmol/L MeJA were applied as combined and single treatments on strawberry where the combined application of LPs and MeJA showed the lowest lesion diameter (3 mm) and disease incidence (16%). Furthermore, the highest activities of POD, PPO, PAL, CAT, and SOD enzymes were observed in fruit treated with combined application of TM22A LPs and MeJA. The results revealed that the LPs and MeJA play important roles in reducing gray mold development in strawberries by improving the defense system through the increased activity of antioxidants and ultimately reduce the postharvest spoilage. This study is the first to report the efficacy of Bacillus LPs and MeJA in combination to prevent postharvest gray mold in strawberries.