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Sclerotinia rot infected by cosmopolitan fungi Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a serious and destructive disease in carrot production, especially during their postharvest storage. Natural products with the advantages of environmentally friendly and safety have been widely concerned. This research estimated the impact of hinokitiol against S. sclerotiorum and on the quality of carrots. In vitro and in vivo tests demonstrated that hinokitiol had promising antifungal activities against both carbendazim-susceptible and -resistant isolates of S. sclerotiorum. Importantly, it effectively kept the quality and prolonged the shelf life of carrot by declining the loss of weight, ascorbic acid, carotenoid, and total phenolics content, preventing the formation of malondialdehyde, and enhancing the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Further study found that hinokitiol inhibited the formation of sclerotia by destroying the morphology and the integrality of cell membrane, reduced the pathogenicity by suppressing the synthesis of oxalic acid and exopolysaccharide, declined the activities of enzymes and the gene expression related to sclerotia development in S. sclerotiorum. These information evidenced the great potential of hinokitiol as a natural fresh-keeping agent for the management of postharvest decay infected by S. sclerotiorum. • Hinokitiol had promising antimicrobial activities against S. sclerotiorum. • It maintained the quality and extend the shelf life of carrots. • It inhibited the myceliogenic and carpogenic germination of sclerotia. • Hinokitiol prevented the development of sclerotia might the main action mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum musae is a devastating post-harvest disease on bananas, and it leads to serious economic losses. Exploring environmentally friendly natural compounds to manage anthracnose in fruit has been attracting more attention. In the current study, the effect of hinokitiol against C. musae and on banana quality was investigated. Our results showed that hinokitiol exhibited promising antifungal activities both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, it effectively delayed banana ripening by maintaining weight, color, firmness, and TSS content, and it dramatically reduced the release of ethylene, the respiration rate, and the expression of genes involved in releasing ethylene. Moreover, the activities of defense-related enzymes including SOD, POD, and APX were enhanced by hinokitiol. The mechanism of hinokitiol against C. musae may be attributed to the destruction on the integrity of the plasma membrane, which leads to the leakage of cellular constituents and eventually the cell death of C. musae. Taken together, this study provided substantial evidence that hinokitiol had great potential to be developed as a natural antifungal agent against C. musae, prolonging the storage period of postharvest bananas. • Hinokitiol exhibited promising activity against C. musae both in vitro and in vivo. • Hinokitiol delayed banana ripening and enhanced the antioxidant enzyme activities.s • Hinokitiol destroyed the morphology and the cell membranes integrity of C. musae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]