Study of the Action Mode of Wickerhamomyces anomalus against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides

Abstract

Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is the causal agent of anthracnose disease in fruits and vegetables, representing a global problem. The use of biocontrol agents has proved effective against fungal diseases in a wide variety of products. In this work, the antifungal activity of Wickerhamomyces anomalus against C. gloeosporioides isolated from contaminated avocados was evaluated. The antagonism and volatile compound inhibition were measured on Petri dishes. In the mixed cultures, the mycelia damage was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Chitinase and glucanase production by the antagonism was quantified by the reducing sugars method, and biofilm formation was evaluated with 1% crystal violet. The yeast W. anomalus could reduce the growth of C. gloeosporioides up to 65% by direct antagonism and 10% by volatile compounds. The antagonist did not allow the conidia germination and mycelia growth in any of the tested formulations. SEM showed mycelial damage caused by W. anomalus. The antagonist showed adhesion to the mycelium by a polysaccharide biofilm. The presence of mycelium stimulated the hydrolytic enzyme production with the maximal activity of 21.4 U/mg for chitinases at 24 h and 10 U/mg for glucanases at 60 h. These results showed that W. anomalus used together different mechanisms to express its antifungal activity against C. gloeosporioides. This study might be the first report for this phytopathogen isolated from avocado fruits, which could represent an opportunity to establish biocontrol of diseases for this agricultural product.