Variations in the Community Structure of Fungal Microbiota Associated with Apple Fruit Shaped by Fruit Bagging-Based Practice

Abstract

The various fungal communities that adhere to apple fruit are influenced by agricultural practices. However, the effects of fruit bagging-based management practice on the fungal microbiota are still unknown, and little is known about the fungal communities of bagged apple fruit. We conducted a study using apple fruit grown in a conventionally managed orchard where pesticide use is an indispensable practice. Fungal communities were collected from the calyx-end and peel tissues of bagged and unbagged fruit and characterized using barcode-type next-generation sequencing. Fruit bagging had a stronger effect on fungal richness, abundance, and diversity of the fungal microbiota in comparison to non-bagging. In addition, bagging also impacted the compositional variation of the fungal communities inhabiting each fruit part. We observed that fruit bagging had a tendency to maintain ecological equilibrium since Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were more distributed in bagged fruit than in unbagged fruit. These fungal communities consist of beneficial fungi rather than potentially harmful fungi. Approximately 50 dominant taxa were detected in bagged fruit, for example, beneficial genera such as Articulospora, Bullera, Cryptococcus, Dioszegia, Erythrobasidium, and Sporobolomyces, as well as pathogenic genera such as Aureobasidium and Taphrina. These results suggested that fruit bagging could significantly increase fungal richness and promote healthy fungal communities, especially the harmless fungal communities, which might be helpful for protecting fruit from the effects of pathogens. This study provides a foundation for understanding the impacts of bagging-based practice on the associated fungal microbiota.

Fruit bagging reduces the postharvest decay and alters the diversity of fruit surface fungal community in ‘Yali’ pear

“…However, the effects of fruit bagging on surface microbiota of ‘Yali’ pear and its role in postharvest fruit decay remain unclear. Studies have shown that the interaction between antagonists, pathogens, and host affects the occurrence of disease [ 11 , 12 ], prompting us to study the relationship between fruit bagging and postharvest diseases with a new perspective. The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of fruit bagging in field on postharvest decay and fungal community of fruit surface, and to further analyze the control mechanism of diseases during storage in ‘Yali’ pear.…”

Diversity of Culture Microorganisms from Portuguese Sweet Cherries

“…With regard to other fruits, Mycosphaerella (45%), followed by Mortierellaceae (11.3%) and unidentified Capnodiales (10.5%), are the fungal families most found in strawberries [64], while Aureobasidium (49.86%), Alternaria (18.43%), Hanseniaspora (17.63%), and Pleospora (6.63%) are commonly identified in grapes [65]. In apples, Articulospora, Bullera, Cryptococcus, Dioszegia, Erythrobasidium, and Sporobolomyces are the most dominant (49.5%), while Cladosporiaceae, Sclerotiniaceae, and Mycosphaerellaceae are highly abundant in blueberries, accounting for 40.9% of total fungi [66,67]. These data indicate that the composition of the fungal community associated with sweet cherries from the Beira Interior region in Portugal shares numerous common elements with other fungal communities in edible fruits.…”