Metarhizium anisopliae reduces conidial germination and mycelium growth of the apple gray mold Botrytis cinerea

Abstract

Abstract Fresh apple market is affected every year by losses caused by fungi invasion and spoilage, with Botrytis cinerea one of the main responsible pathogens. The objective of this study was the characterization of the in vitro antagonistic activity of Metarhizium anisopliae Ma70 against Botrytis cinerea and its trial on apple fruit. The antagonism was tested by dual cultures, cellophane membrane assay and the effect of M. anisopliae crude extract over conidia germination and mycelium growth of B. cinerea. The trials on apple fruit evaluated crude and semi purified extracts activity against apple gray mold. Antifungal volatile organic compounds produced during the process were determined using GC–MS. We observed that M. anisopliae (Ma70), reduced the B. cinerea growth by 60–63% (P