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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #314692
Title: Responses of yeast biocontrol agents to environmental stress

Author
item SUI, YUAN - Hefei Normal University
item Wisniewski, Michael
item DROBY, SAMIR - Agricultural Research Organization Of Israel
item LIU, JIA - Hefei Normal University

Submitted to: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/10/2015
Publication Date: 2/20/2015
Citation: Sui, Y., Wisniewski, M.E., Droby, S., Liu, J. 2015. Responses of yeast biocontrol agents to environmental stress. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 81:2968-2975.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Biological control of postharvest diseases, utilizing wild species and strains of antagonistic yeasts, is a research topic that has received considerable attention in the literature over the past 30 years. In principle, it represents a promising alternative to chemical fungicides for the management of postharvest decay of fruits, vegetables, and grains. A yeast-based biocontrol system is composed of a tritrophic interaction between a host (commodity), pathogen, and yeast, all of which are affected by environmental factors, such as temperature, pH, UV, as well as osmotic and oxidative stresses. Additionally, during the production process, biocontrol agents encounter various severe abiotic stresses that also impact their viability. Therefore, understanding the ecological fitness of the potential yeast biocontrol agents and developing strategies to enhance their stress tolerance are essential to their efficacy and commercial application. The current review provides an overview of the response of antagonistic yeasts to various environmental stresses, methods that can be used to improve stress tolerance and efficacy, and the related mechanisms associated with improved stress tolerance.