The effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was evaluated on the development of strawberry diseases and postharvest quality of fruits. The research was carried out in 2004 and 2005 in Paraná State, Brazil. Five different preparations of the yeast S. cerevisiae (a suspension of commercial fresh biological yeast for bakery, a suspension of yeast cells, a suspension of autoclaved cells, a filtered yeast liquid culture and the commercial product Agro-MOS®) were compared to control treatments (distilled water spraying and another one with fungicides). None of the preparations were effective against the mycosphaerella leaf spot (Mycosphaerella fragariae); preparations with living cells and the product Agro-MOS® showed effect against leaf blight (Dendrophoma obscurans); suspension of the bakery yeast and the filtered liquid culture reduced the incidence of anthracnose (Colletotrichum acutatum) in flowers and fruits. Preparations of S. cerevisiae with suspension of cells, suspension of autoclaved cells and filtered liquid culture increased the productivity of the strawberry plants, which ranged from 589.6 to 617.8 g plant-1. The preparations of S. cerevisiae, with living cells or not, modified the plant metabolism, improving the activity of the chitinase and glucanase enzymes, which are involved in the acquired systemic resistance. Except for the treatment with suspension of autoclaved cells, the other preparations reduced the incidence of gray mould (Botrytis cinerea) in the postharvest of fruits.
Fragaria x ananassa; antibiosis; antagonism; sistemic acquired resistance
