MICROORGANISMOS ANTAGONISTAS QUE INHIBEN EL DESARROLLO DE PATÓGENOS EN POST-COSECHA DE LIMONES (Citrus limon L.)

Abstract

The production of fresh or dried lemons (Citrus limon L.) in Chile is of great economic importance. There is a long period of time from harvest to consumption in which naturally contaminated fruit starts to decay due to the action of pathogenic microorganisms, such as Geotrichum citri-aurantii, Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum, and Phyllosticta citricarpa. The aim of this study was to review recent papers related to the use of microorganisms or their derivatives for the control of pathogens. The results indicate that it is possible to inhibit the biological development of pathogens in lemon by the use of benefcial or antagonistic microorganisms, such as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus subtilis, Paenibacillus polymyxa, Pantoea agglomerans, Pseudomonas syringae, Candida membranifaciens, Candida utilis, Cryptococcus laurentii, Debaryomyces hansenii, Kloeckera apiculata, Metschnikowia spp., Pichia guilliermondii, Pichia membranifaciens, Rhodosporidium paludigenum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aureobasidium pullulans, Nodulisporium spp., and Trichoderma spp. Finally, it can be concluded that biocontrol is a promising technique to reduce postharvest losses in lemons.