The most common leguminous plants’ diseases are caused by soil-borne pathogens leading to important economic losses worldwide. Strains L1 and L8, belonging to Aureobasidium pullulans species, were tested in vitro and in vivo as biocontrol agents (BCAs) against Rhizoctonia solani (Rs1) (AG-4) and as plant growth promoters (PGPs). The non-volatile metabolites produced by L1 and L8 strains inhibited the pathogen mycelial growth by 87.9% on average, with no significant differences between the two strains. The lower pathogen diametric growth inhibition was displayed by both yeasts’ volatile metabolites (VOCs) that significantly reduced the colony growth of R. solani, and similarly to the control, with an average of 10.5%. By in vivo assay, L1 and L8 strains showed the ability to control the pathogen virulence probably through the biofilm formation around the bean and soybean plant roots, as confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. The spectroscopic analysis highlighted the composition of non-volatile compounds: complex carbohydrates (pullulan), degrading enzymes, siderophores and antifungals (aureobasidins). Moreover, the ability of L1 and L8 strains to stimulate the bean and soybean plant roots, stems, and leaves growth was investigated, showing that these yeasts could have an application not only as BCAs but also as plant growth biostimulator.

Background: Mating disruption (MD) is a worthwhile technique for the control of Lobesia botrana and Eupoecilia ambiguella in central Europe and Mediterranean areas. MD efficacy is affected by the pheromone release (PR), which in turn is influenced by environmental conditions. Methods: The effect of weather conditions on PR was evaluated under four different fields in northern Italy. The PR of two commercial types of MD passive dispensers was correlated with different variables. Results: For both dispensers, the temperature and vapor pressure deficit explained PR in vineyards with diverse weather conditions better than time. The effect of temperature was not linear, and any temperature increase at high temperatures accelerated the PRR more than proportionally. One dispenser type showed a non-linear release trend of the pheromone emission in field conditions with respect to the considered variables; further, the stepwise regression pointed out the importance of the dichotomous variable associated with the vineyard for increasing the goodness-of-fit. Conclusions: The equations developed in this work are dispenser-dependent and can provide information on the PR during the season for each dispenser type, as influenced by weather conditions. These equations could serve as an input for a pheromone concentration model to predict concentrations based on meteorological conditions.