Postharvest Application of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens PMB04 Fermentation Broth Reduces Anthracnose Occurrence in Mango Fruit

Abstract

Anthracnose is a destructive postharvest disease of mango fruit, especially after ripening. The application of antagonistic Bacillus spp. strains is one of many promising control strategies. B. amyloliquefaciens (PMB04) exhibits strong antagonistic activity against anthracnose in strawberry fruit, yet has not been explored for anthracnose control in mango fruit. Among seven tested rhizobacterial strains, PMB04 exhibited the strongest inhibition against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Cg) growth. PMB04 demonstrated better inhibitory activity against Cg mycelial growth than the fungicides pyraclostrobin and difenoconazole. A PMB04 fermentation broth (PMB04FB) was prepared and tested, and showed superior efficacy in the reduction of anthracnose disease severity in mangoes compared to a PMB04 suspension, difenoconazole, or pyraclostrobin. We further found PMB04FB increased the mortality ratio of Cg conidia. Our study demonstrates that treatment with PMB04FB is an effective control method for anthracnose in mango and represents a promising strategy for postharvest mango processing.