Biological control employs beneficial microorganisms to suppress phytopathogens and mitigate the incidence of associated plant diseases. This study investigated the in vitro development and survival of Trichoderma spp. isolates derived from commercial formulations under different temperatures, pH levels, and sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations and with synthetic fungicides with distinct modes of action. Three isolates were analyzed: URM-5911 and TRA-0048 (T. asperellum) and TRL-0102 (T. longibrachiatum). The results revealed substantial variability among the isolates, with the optimal mycelial growth temperatures ranging from 24.56 to 29.42 °C. All the isolates exhibited broad tolerance to the tested pH (5–9) and salinity levels (250–1000 mM), with TRL-0102 demonstrating the highest salt resistance. The fungicide treatments negatively affected mycelial growth across all the isolates, with Azoxystrobin + Difenoconazole and Boscalid causing growth reductions of up to 50%. Notably, Boscalid enhanced conidial production more compared to the control (126.0% for URM-5911, 13.7% for TRA-0048, and 148.5% for TRL-0102) and decreased the percentage of inactive conidia to less than 10% in all the isolates. These results provide strategic information for the application of Trichoderma spp. in agricultural systems, supporting the selection of more adapted and suitable isolates for integrated disease management programs.

Papaya is a climacteric fruit, rapidly ripening after harvesting due to ethylene production and increased respiratory rate. This swift ripening results in softening of fruit tissues, shortening the fruit shelf life. Pre-cooling serves as an alternative to minimize fruit ripening and post-harvest losses by reducing metabolism. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pre-cooling on the quality and conservation of Formosa 'Tainung I' papaya. Papayas at maturation stage II were obtained from a commercial orchard with conventional production. The experimental design was a completely randomized 4×6 split-plot scheme, with pre-cooling treatments (Control, without pre-cooling treatment; pre-cooling at 15 °C in a cold chamber; pre-cooling at 7 °C in a cold chamber; and forced-air cooling at 7 °C) in the plot, and days of storage (0, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days) in the subplot. Pre-cooling effectively delayed the ripening and senescence of Formosa papaya, reducing the loss of green color and firmness. Regardless of the treatment used, chilling injury and incidence of fungi from the genus Fusarium and Alternaria limited the shelf life of Formosa 'Tainung I' papaya up to 21 days of storage. Additionally, the appearance of hardened regions in the pulp compromised the sensory quality of the fruits, necessitating further investigation into the causes of this disorder.

The objective of this work was to determine the contents of bioactive compounds in Tacinga inamoena fruits from different subpopulations, as well as to evaluate the genetic diversity among and within these subpopulations based on these contents. The fruits were collected from ten plants from each of the following municipalities: Assú, Apodi, and Parelhas, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The fruits were analyzed for the contents of vitamin C, carotenoids, betacyanin, betaxanthin, flavonoids, total exctratable polyphenols, and antioxidant activity by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) methods. The fruits from Parelhas showed the highest content averages, which did not differ significantly from those obtained for total exctratable polyphenols in Assú and for vitamin C and antioxidant activity by DPPH in Apodi. The fruits from Apodi and Assú did not differ for carotenoids, betacyanin, betaxanthin, and antioxidant activity by ABTS. Using the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean, the three subpopulations were arranged into the following two clusters: Parelhas; and Assú and Apodi. Among subpopulations, total variance was higher for carotenoids, betacyanin, betaxanthin, and DPPH, whereas, among individuals, carotenoids, betacyanin, betaxanthin, and vitamin C were the contents that most contributed to variation. Fruits from T. inamoena are rich in bioactive compounds, and these contents can vary among and within subpopulations from different locations.

Root rot and vine decline (RRVD) is one of the main root diseases of melon, causing significant production losses due to the isolated or combined action of different phytopathogenic fungi. The absence of registered chemical control methods in Brazil reinforces the need for alternative integrated management strategies. This study aims to evaluate the enzymatic responses of Jack Beans plants inoculated with M. pseudophaseolina (Experiment I) and the effectiveness of crop rotation cycles between melon (ME) and Jack Bean (JB) on RRVD and soil-borne pathogens (Experiment II). In Experiment I, the activity of chitinase (CT), β-1,3-glucanase (BG), and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) were assessed at five evaluation periods. In Experiment II, nine rotation cycles involving JB and ME, grown in naturally infested soil, were evaluated for disease incidence, severity, and fungal isolation frequency. In Experiment I, inoculated plants showed increased CT, BG, and PAL expression compared to non-inoculated plants. In Experiment II, the control treatment showed no disease incidence or severity, whereas all other rotation cycles exhibited 100% incidence and severity ranging from 4.5 to 4.9. The incorporation of JB demonstrated a suppressive effect on important pathogens associated with branch decline, reducing the frequency of Macrophomina spp. isolation (0–4% compared to 16% in the treatment without JB) and delaying the root penetration of Monosporascus spp. after two consecutive cycles. However, this management also favored the multiplication of Fusarium spp. in all treatments with JB incorporation.

Atemoya is a climacteric and highly perishable fruit prone to cracking during ripening—a factor that limits its shelf life and marketability. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of gibberellic acid and calcium on reducing cracking and preserving atemoyas grown under semi-arid conditions and stored under refrigeration. Calcium and gibberellic acid applications were performed at 7, 27, 47, 67, and 87 days, with fruit harvest occurring 121 days after pollination. A completely randomized design (CRD) was used in a 4 × 6 factorial scheme (Control, Calcium, Gibberellic Acid, and Calcium + Gibberellic Acid [Ca + GA₃]) with six cold storage periods (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 days) and five replicates. Fruits were subjected to the following evaluations: appearance, mass, fresh mass loss, cracking index, pulp firmness, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, vitamin C, chlorophyll, electrolyte leakage, total sugars, starch, DPPH, polyphenols, peroxidase and polyphenoloxidase enzyme activity, and mineral quantification. The results demonstrated that Ca and Ca+GA₃ treatments favored a reduction in cracking and increased bioactive compounds—such as phenols, vitamin C, and chlorophyll—contributing to delayed senescence through reduced electrolyte leakage. Furthermore, the refrigerated fruits remained suitable for consumption for up to twelve days, regardless of the treatment.

The search to improve postharvest fruit quality and the preservation of perishable fruits involves increasing antioxidants, which can be achieved with growth regulators. Among them, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid stand out, acting by increasing antioxidant capacity, improving the preservation and quality of the fruits. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the effect of salicylic acid and jasmonic acid on the quality and postharvest conservation of cherry tomato fruits in different storage times. The experiment was performed in a completely randomized design in a split-plot scheme (4 × 3), with the plots consisting of four phytohormones concentrations (SA = 500 µM salicylic acid; JA = 50 µM jasmonic acid; SA + JA = 500 µM salicylic acid + 50 µM jasmonic acid, and control - without application of phytohormones), and the subplots of three storage times (0, 8, and 16 days). SA increased the values of color, fruit firmness, soluble solids and lycopene at 16 days of storage. The SA + JA combination improved the antioxidant activity of the fruits, with increases in the contents of soluble solids, reducing sugars, ascorbic acid, β-carotene, total polyphenols and ABTS activity at 8 days of storage. In this context, foliar application of 500 µM of SA + 50 µM of JA promoted improvements in the physicochemical quality and in the conservation of the shelf life of cherry tomato fruits.