Production of ligninolytic enzymes and some diffusible antifungal compounds by white-rot fungi using potato solid wastes as the sole nutrient source.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the synthesis of ligninolytic enzymes and some diffusible antifungal compounds by white-rot fungi (WRF) using peels or discarded potato as the sole nutrient source. METHODS AND RESULTS: The strain Trametes hirsuta Ru-513 highlighted for its laccase activity (595 ± 33 U l-1 ), which is able to decolourize 87% of an anthraquinone dye using potato peels as the sole nutritional support. A native polyacrylamide gel of laccase proteins showed the presence of two isoenzymes, corresponding to proteins of 56 and 67 kDa, which were detected by SDS-PAGE. The antifungal activity of ethyl acetate extracts was evaluated by the agar diffusion method, where Anthracophyllum discolor Sp4 and Inonotus sp. Sp2 showed the highest inhibition zones of Mucor miehei. The fungal extracts also inhibited Fusarium oxysporum and Botrytis cinerea growth, with inhibition zones of up to 18 mm. The extract with the highest antifungal activity, from A. discolor Sp4 grown in discarded potato medium, was analysed using a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer. Among the identified compounds, chlorinated aromatic compounds and veratryl alcohol were the most abundant compounds. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed the relevance of potato waste valorization for the sustainable production of ligninolytic enzymes and antifungal compounds. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study reports the synthesis of ligninolytic enzymes and diffusible antifungal compounds by WRF using potato wastes as the sole nutrient source and suggests a relationship between the enzymatic activity and the synthesis of antifungal compounds. These compounds and the synthesis of halogen compounds by WRF using agro-industrial wastes have been poorly studied before.

Fungal volatiles: an environmentally friendly tool to control pathogenic microorganisms in plants.

Fungi are an extraordinary and immensely diverse group of microorganisms that colonize many habitats even competing with other microorganisms. Fungi have received recognition for interesting metabolic activities that have an enormous variety of biotechnological applications. Previously, volatile organic compounds produced by fungi (FVOCs) have been demonstrated to have a great capacity for use as antagonist products against plant pathogens. However, in recent years, FVOCs have been received attention as potential alternatives to the use of traditional pesticides and, therefore, as important eco-friendly biotechnological tools to control plant pathogens. Therefore, highlighting the current state of knowledge of these fascinating FVOCs, the actual detection techniques and the bioactivity against plant pathogens is essential to the discovery of new products that can be used as biopesticides.

Olfactory response of Haematobia irritans (Diptera: Muscidae) to cattle-derived volatile compounds.

In Chile, the horn fly, Hematobia irritans (L., 1758), is a major pest of grazing cattle and affects livestock production during the summer. Previous studies in Europe and the United States have shown that cattle flies, including H. irritans, are differentially attracted to individual cattle within herds and that volatile semiochemicals are responsible for this phenomenon. This study provides evidence that similar differential attractiveness occurs for the interaction between Chilean Holstein-Friesian cattle herds and local H. irritans populations. Thus, Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle, Bos taurus, which were of similar age and physiological condition, were shown to possess an uneven distribution of H. irritans. Heifers h6904 and h8104 were defined as low-carrier heifers and h5804, h2304 and h1404 as high-carrier heifers. Gas chromatography (GC) and coupled GC-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis of samples collected from heifers revealed the presence of compounds previously reported as semiochemicals for cattle flies, including meta- and para-cresol, methylketones (C8-C11), and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one. Other compounds identified included carboxylic acids (butanoic, 3-methylbutanoic, pentanoic, and hexanoic acids), 1-hexanol, and 3-octanone. In Y-tube olfactometer studies, both m- and p-cresol attracted H. irritans at the highest doses tested (10(-6) g), as did the positive control 1-octen-3-ol. Of the other compounds tested, only 2-decanone and 2-undecanone produced a behavioral response, with significantly more flies being recorded in the control arm when the former compound was tested (at 10(-6) and 10(-8) g), and more flies being recorded in the treated arm for the latter compound (at 10(-7) g). This demonstration of behavioral activity with the identified compounds represents a first step for research into the application of semiochemicals in monitoring and control of cattle flies in Chile.