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The aim of this study was to evaluate the interactions between wheat plant (spikelets and straws), a strain of mycotoxigenic pathogen Fusarium graminearum and commercial biocontrol agents (BCAs). The ability of BCAs to colonize plant tissue and inhibit the pathogen or its toxin production was observed throughout two phases of the life cycle of pathogens in natural conditions (colonization and survival). All evaluated BCAs showed effective reduction capacities of pathogenic traits. During establishment and the expansion stage, BCAs provoked an external growth reduction of F. graminearum (77–93% over the whole kinetic studied) and mycotoxin production (98–100% over the whole kinetic studied). Internal growth of pathogen was assessed with digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) and showed a very strong reduction in the colonization of the internal tissues of the spikelet due to the presence of BCAs (98% on average). During the survival stage, BCAs prevented the formation of conservation perithecia of the pathogen on wheat straw (between 88 and 98% of perithecia number reduction) and showed contrasting actions on the ascospores they contain, or perithecia production (−95% on average) during survival form. The mechanisms involved in these different interactions between F. graminearum and BCAs on plant matrices at different stages of the pathogen’s life cycle were based on a reduction of toxins, nutritional and/or spatial competition, or production of anti-microbial compounds.

Wild yeasts isolated from the surface of apples were screened for antagonistic activity against Penicillium expansum, the main producer of the mycotoxin patulin. Three antagonistic yeasts (Y33, Y29 and Y24) from a total of 90 were found to inhibit P. expansum growth. Identification by ITS region sequence and characterization showed that three selected isolates of yeast should be different strains of Metschnikowia pulcherrima. Several concentrations of the selected yeasts were used to study their in vitro antifungal effectivity against P. expansum on Petri dishes (plates with 63.6 cm2 surface) whereas their potential activity on patulin reduction was studied in liquid medium. Finally, the BCA that had the best in vitro antifungal capacity against P. and the best patulin degradation capacity was selected to be assessed directly on apples. All the selected strains demonstrated antifungal activity in vitro but the most efficient was the strain Y29. Isolated strains were able to reduce patulin content in liquid medium, Y29 being the only strain that completely reduced patulin levels within 120 h. The application of Y29 as biocontrol agent on the surface of apples inoculated with P. expansum, inhibited fungal growth and patulin production during storage. Therefore, the results shown that this yeast strain could be used for the reduction of P. expansum and its mycotoxin in apples or apple-based products by adapting the procedure application., The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (France) (PATRISK project: ANR-17-CE21-0008) and the financial support of the European Union (Erasmus grant attributed to Laura Settier-Ramírez).