Postharvest Biological Control of Gray Mold of Apple by<i>Cryptococcus laurentii</i>

Abstract

Treatment of wounds with washed cells of C. laurentii at 10 4 -10 5 cells per wound effectively reduced or prevented development of decay by Botrytis cinerea at all temperatures compared with controls and was comparable in effectiveness to preinoculation application of benomyl at the postharvest label rate. Treatment of wounds with cell-free culture filtrates of C. laurentii were not effective in preventing decay and resulted in greater lesion diameters than in inoculated, buffer-treated wounds