Rapid screening for antagonists against Botrytis storage rots using leaf and fruit tissue

A rapid screening procedure is described to assay for potential antagonists among the epiphytic microflora on kiwifruit. This procedure involved wounding kiwifruit and kiwifruit leaves. The wounded tissue was first treated with washings containing microflora from kiwifruit surfaces and subsequently challenged with Botrytis cinerea spores. Potential antagonists were isolated from wounds which did not develop lesions. Twelve antagonists were isolated using this rapid screening procedure. Two new yeast isolates were further tested on kiwifruit and beans for control of botrytis storage rot. Both isolates gave significant reduction of the rot.