Endophytic Fungal Volatile Compounds as Solution for Sustainable Agriculture.

Endophytic fungi produce various mixtures of carbon-based compounds, which are known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Research regarding the use of VOCs as pesticide substitutes has garnered much attention. This review summarizes the recent knowledge about VOCs regarding their origin and chemical properties and emphasizes their antimicrobial potential against a wide variety of agricultural pathogens. Several studies have highlighted the importance of VOCs as antimicrobial agents. Nevertheless, the application of VOCs in biofumigation methods still requires the advanced evaluation of their phytotoxicity.

Reaction Product Variability and Biological Activity of the Lactoperoxidase System Depending on Medium Ionic Strength and pH, and on Substrate Relative Concentration.

The potential of ions produced in water by the lactoperoxidase system against plant pests has shown promising results. We tested the bioactivity of ions produced by the lactoperoxidase oxidation of I- and SCN- in several buffers or in tap water and characterized the ions produced. In vitro biological activity was tested against Penicillium expansum, the causal agent of mold in fruits, and the major cause of patulin contamination of fruit juices and compotes. In buffers, the ionic concentration was increased 3-fold, and pathogen inhibition was obtained down to the 1:15 dilution. In tap water, the ionic concentration was weaker, and pathogen inhibition was obtained only down to the 1:3 dilution. Acidic buffer increased ion concentrations as compared to less acidic (pH 5.6 or 6.2) or neutral buffers, as do increased ionic strength. 13 C-labelled SCN- and MS showed that different ions were produced in water and in buffers. In specific conditions the ion solution turned yellow and a product was formed, probably diiodothiocyanate (I2 SCN- ), giving an intense signal at 49.7 ppm in 13 C-NMR. The formation of the signal was unambiguously favored in acidic media and disadvantaged or inhibited in neutral or basic conditions. It was enhanced at a specific SCN- : I- ratio of 1:4.5, but decreased when the ratio was 1:2, and was inhibited at ratio SCN- >I- . We demonstrated that the formation of the signal required the interaction between I2 and SCN- , and MS showed the presence of I2 SCN- .

Characterization of the Exoglucanase-Encoding Gene PaEXG2 and Study of Its Role in the Biocontrol Activity of Pichia anomala Strain K.

ABSTRACT The PaEXG2 gene, encoding an exo-beta-1,3-glucanase, was isolated from the biocontrol agent Pichia anomala strain K. PaEXG2 has the capacity for coding an acidic protein of 427 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 45.7 kDa, a calculated pI of 4.7, and one potential N-glycosylation site. PaEXG2 was disrupted by the insertion of the URA3 marker gene, encoding orotidine monophosphate decarboxylase in strain KU1, a uracil auxotroph derived from strain K. Strain KU1 showed inferior biocontrol activity and colonization of wounds on apples, compared to the prototrophic strain. Antagonism and colonization were recovered after the restoration of prototrophy by transformation with the URA3 gene. Integrative transformation was shown to be mostly ectopic in strain K descendants (only 4% of integration by homologous recombination). PaEXG2 disruption abolished all detectable extracellular exo-beta-1,3-glucanase activity in vitro and in situ but did not affect biocontrol of Botrytis cinerea on wounded apples.