In previous studies it was shown that Pichia guilliermondii strain Z1, isolated from healthy Moroccan citrus Valencia-Late oranges, was effective against Penicillium italicum. Here the effectiveness of strain Z1 was assessed against Penicillium digitatum, the causal agent of green mould, under different temperature (5-25°C) and relative humidity (RH) (45-100%) regimes for its reliable and large-scale application in packinghouse. All main effects and interactions were significant (P<0.0001). In the pathogen control, the largest lesion diameter was at an RH range between 98 and 100%, regardless of the incubation temperature. The efficacy of strain Z1 was not dependent on the environment and reduced disease incidence by >80%. Its applications as a formulated product significantly reduced the incidence of infected fruit (55%) and the percentage of infected wounds (47%) compared to the only pathogen control treatment. However, disease control with formulated product was significantly less than that obtained with thiabendazole (30%) or strain Z1 culturable cells (35%). These results highlight that strain Z1 is an effective biological control agent for control of green mould under varying environmental conditions, and control may be optimized by combining its use with other environmentally-safe post-harvest treatments or improved formulation.
Keywords: Citrus fruit; Penicillium digitatum; Pichia guilliermondii; Relative humidity; Temperature.