The effect of biofumigation, through slow-release diffusors, of thyme and savory essential oils (EO), was evaluated on the control of postharvest diseases and quality of peaches and nectarines. EO fumigation was effective in controlling postharvest rots. Naturally contaminated peaches and nectarines were exposed to EO vapors for 28 days at 0 °C in sealed storage cabinets and then exposed at 20 °C for five days during shelf-life in normal atmosphere, simulating retail conditions. Under low disease pressure, most treatments significantly reduced fruit rot incidence during shelf-life, while, under high disease pressure, only vapors of thyme essential oil at the highest concentration tested (10% v/v in the diffusor) significantly reduced the rots. The application of thyme or savory EO favored a reduction of brown rot incidence, caused by Monilinia fructicola, but increased gray mold, caused by Botrytis cinerea. In vitro tests confirmed that M. fructicola was more sensitive to EO vapors than B. cinerea. Essential oil volatile components were characterized in storage cabinets during postharvest. The antifungal components of the essential oils increased during storage, but they were a low fraction of the volatile organic compounds in storage chambers. EO vapors did not influence the overall quality of the fruit, but showed a positive effect in reducing weight loss and in maintaining ascorbic acid and carotenoid content. The application of thyme and savory essential oil vapors represents a promising tool for reducing postharvest losses and preserving the quality of peaches and nectarines.

Bakanae, caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Fusarium fujikuroi, is one of the most important diseases of rice and is attributed to up to 75% of losses, depending on the strain and environmental conditions. Some strains cause elongation and thin leaves, whereas others induce stunting and chlorotic seedlings. Differences in symptoms are attributed to genetic differences in the strains. F. fujikuroi strains Augusto2, CSV1, and I1.3 were sequenced with Illumina MiSeq, and pathogenicity trials were conducted on rice cultivar Galileo, which is susceptible to bakanae. By performing gene prediction, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) calling, and structural variant analysis with a reference genome, we show how an extremely limited number of polymorphisms in genes not commonly associated with bakanae disease can cause strong differences in phenotype. CSV1 and Augusto2 were particularly close, with only 21,887 SNPs between them, but they differed in virulence, reaction to temperature, induced symptoms, colony morphology and color, growth speed, fumonisin, and gibberellin production. Genes potentially involved in the shift in phenotype were identified. Furthermore, we show how temperature variation may result in different symptoms even in rice plants inoculated with the same F. fujikuroi strain. Moreover, all of the F. fujikuroi strains became more virulent at higher temperatures. Significant differences were likewise observed in gibberellic acid production and in the expression of both fungal and plant gibberellin biosynthetic genes.

The behaviour ofMyrothecium roridum, artificially inoculated on cultivated rocket (Eruca sativa), has been evaluated under eight different temperature and CO₂ concentration combinations (from 14-18 °C to 26-30 °C and with 400-450 or 800-850 ppm of CO₂). The pathogen isolate used for this study was inoculated on rocket and disease severity increased with high temperatures for both CO₂ levels. Verrucarin A and roridin E mycotoxins were produced under all the tested temperatures at high CO₂ conditions. The maximum level of verrucarin A was found at 14-18 °C and 800-850 ppm of CO₂, and the maximum roridin E production was detected at 26-30 °C with 800-850 ppm of CO₂. The results obtained in this study show that both the CO₂ concentration and the temperature influence disease severity and mycotoxin production in different ways. An increase in temperature, which is favourable for attacks of the pathogen, could induce the spread ofM. roridum in temperate regions, and this pathogen could take on even greater importance in the future, considering its ability to produce mycotoxins.