Effects of yeast antagonist in combination with UV-C treatment on postharvest diseases of pear fruit

The yeast antagonist and ultraviolet-C (UV-C) treatment were investigated for controlling infection following artificial inoculation with or , or natural infection in pear fruit stored at 20A degrees C. Applied separately, both and UV-C (5 kJ m(-2)) effectively inhibited decay caused by or , and natural infection. The combination of and UV-C showed better control efficacy. Application of UV-C did not affect the growth of in pear fruit wounds, while UV-C induced a significant increase in the activities of chitinase, beta-1,3-glucanase, catalase and peroxidase in pear fruit. The mechanism by which UV-C enhanced the biocontrol efficacy of may be related to the elicitation of defense responses in pear fruit. The combination of and UV-C radiation could be a promising method for the control of and in pear fruit.