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Effects of Sodium Selenite Treatment on Black Spot Disease and Storage Quality of Postharvest Apricot Fruit

GAO Chunli, LI Yongcai, BI Yang, LIU Xiao, YANG Lan, QIAO Wenjing, WANG Di, TANG Ying   

  1. College of Food Science and Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
  • Online:2016-07-25 Published:2016-07-26
  • Contact: LI Yongcai

Abstract:

Effects of sodium selenite on the in vitro and in vivo growth of Alternaria alternata, the causal agent of black
rot disease in vitro, disease development and storage quality of apricot fruit were investigated. The results showed that
mycelial growth and spore germination of A. alternata were significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited by sodium selenite treatment,
and the optimal inhibitory effect was achieved at a concentration of 40 mg/L. Additionally, sodium selenite treatment
caused changes in the morphological structure of A. alternata mycelia such as sunken and distorted hyphae as observed by
scanning electron microscopy (SEM), with a 30.8% reduction observed in its colony diameter as compared to the control.
In vivo experiments showed that the lesion expansion of apricot fruit inoculated with A. alternata was effectively inhibited
by treatment with 20 mg/L sodium selenite. In addition, the ethylene release and respiration intensity of apricot fruit were
significantly reduced while the reductions of weight loss and firmness were delayed. These findings suggested that selenium
has potential application in disease control and preservation of postharvest fruits and vegetables.

Key words: sodium selenite, apricot fruit, black rot, antifungal activity, storage quality

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