RESUMO
The effectiveness of the strain CPA-2 of Pantoea agglomerans alone or in combination with a curing treatment at 33 degrees C for 65 h to control green mold was evaluated on lemons stored at ambient temperature and in cold storage. An application of P. agglomerans at 2 x 10(8) CFU/ml effectively reduced green mold incidence on recently inoculated lemons stored at temperatures from 5 to 25 degrees C. Moreover, a 30-s immersion of lemons in a P. agglomerans suspension at 2 x 10(8) CFU/ml significantly reduced green mold incidence, even when delayed up to 15 h after inoculation with Penicillium digitatum at either 20 degrees C or while in cold storage. However, it failed to control established infections of P. digitatum of more than 24 h. Curing P. agglomerans-treated lemons at 33 degrees C for 65 h completely controlled 24-h-old infections on artificially inoculated lemons stored at 20 degrees C for 14 days and on naturally infected lemons stored at 10 degrees C for 3 weeks plus 7 additional days at 20 degrees C. When applied before curing, population growth of P. agglomerans in wounds was similar to that within wounds of control fruits at 20 degrees C. In contrast, when it was applied immediately after curing treatment, P. agglomerans populations within wounds did not increase.
