Commercial Testing of Aspire: A Yeast Preparation for the Biological Control of Postharvest Decay of Citrus,

Aspire, a biocontrol product containing the yeastCandida oleophilaas the active ingredient, is registered in the United States and Israel for commercial use. The efficacy of Aspire in controlling postharvest decay of citrus fruit was evaluated in commercial packinghouse tests. The combination of Aspire with 200 μg/ml thiabendazole (TBZ) often reduced the incidence of decay, caused by the green and blue molds (Penicillium digitatumandP. italicum,respectively), as well as a conventional fungicide treatment. Furthermore, Aspire was highly efficacious against sour rot caused byGeotrichum candidum,a decay not controlled by the conventional treatments. Suppression of decay achieved with Aspire plus TBZ was maintained throughout a 5-day period during which the fruit was shipped to Europe and subsequently held in cold storage at 5°C for 45 days. However, the incidence of decay in shipped fruit was 1% greater for fruit treated with Aspire plus TBZ than for fruit that received the conventional fungicide treatment including sodiumO-phenylphenate (SOPP), TBZ, imazalil, and metalaxyl.