Biocontrol of gray mold in grapes with the yeast Hanseniaspora uvarum alone and in combination with salicylic acid or sodium bicarbonate

Abstract The yeast Hanseniaspora uvarum alone or in combination with salicylic acid or sodium bicarbonate was investigated for control of gray mold, postharvest quality and antioxidant enzymes of grapes. The results indicated that the treatment of H. uvarum suspension of 1 × 10 8  CFU mL −1 combined with either 2 mmol L −1 SA or 2% SBC resulted in a remarkably improved control of Botrytis cinerea infections on grapes. Disease incidence and lesion diameter in treated fruit by H. uvarum alone or combined with SA or SBC were significantly lower than those of the control fruit ( P H. uvarum with SA and with SBC both significantly reduced the browning index, the decay incidence, weight loss while maintained the fruit appearance, firmness, total soluble solids (TSS) and titratable acidity (TA) of the grapes ( P Botrytis . The proper combination of H. uvarum and chemical reagent can thus provide an effective strategy to reduce postharvest decay of grape berries.