Suppression of Postharvest Skin-Pitting Disease in Kiwifruit by Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from Bacillus pumilus QST2808

ABSTRACT: Kiwifruit is a nutritious fruit, but often its quality and shelf life decline due to fungal diseases. Cadophora luteo-olivacea, known for causing skin-pitting, is a as a key threat to postharvest storage of kiwifruit. Through both in vitro and in vivo tests, this study aimed to determine the the antifungal ability of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by Bacillus pumilus QST2808 for controlling this postharvest pathogen fungal pathogen. In vitro results showed 52% reduction in fungal growth when exposed to these VOCs for 14 days. In storage trials, kiwifruits treated with VOCs showed a 28.5% decrease in disease severity after 96 hours of exposure compared to the untreated control, followed by three months in cold storage. However, this reduction was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). These findings highlight the potential of B. pumilus QST2808 VOCs as an eco-friendly biofumigation approach to manage C. luteo-olivacea-induced postharvest skin-pitting disease in kiwifruit.