Antagonism of white-rot fungi against Rhizopus stolonifer and Botrytis cinerea

There are more than 400 species of Macromycetes, primarily Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes. These fungi are essential for ecosystem functioning and have complex interactions with other fungi, including competition and parasitism. These interactions can serve as an essential starting point in the search for viable biocontrol strategies against pathogenic fungi. Rhizopus stolonifer (Ehrenb.) Vuill. 1902 and Botrytis cinerea Pers 1797 are pathogenic fungi that cause spoilage of fruits and vegetables, resulting in significant economic losses. In this study, the antagonistic capacity of white-rot fungi against these pathogens in a dual growth trial was determined. Daldinia eschscholzii (Ehrenb.) Rehm 1904 presented type 1 antagonism against both phytopathogens; Trametes villosa (Sw.) Kreisel 1971 had type 1 antagonism against B. cinerea; and Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst. 1881 had type 2 antagonism against both pathogens. Microscopy revealed that the hyphae of the antagonistic fungi wrapped around those of the pathogens. Understanding the mechanisms of action of antagonist fungi is crucial to ensure their efficacy against pathogenic fungi, such as R. stolonifer and B. cinerea, making them viable alternatives for post-harvest control of these important species.