Skin pitting currently represents one of the major postharvest diseases of kiwifruit and one of the most difficult to manage in packinghouses due to its latent behavior and the difficulty in predicting its emergence. Our research demonstrates the potential to use different bacterial strains (Pseudomonas synxantha and Bacillus spp.) instead of synthetic compounds to preserve kiwifruit from the development of postharvest skin pitting symptoms, following the momentum towards sustainable strategies. The antagonists tested with in vitro assays showed different efficacy rates against C. luteo-olivacea (strain Cad21) mycelial growth by producing non-volatile metabolites. The biochemical composition of the most active bacterial non-volatile secondary metabolites was described through FT-IR (Fourier-Transform Infrared) spectroscopy. Pseudomonas synxantha strain 117-2b emerged as the most active strain in in vivo experiments, both as a curative and preventive treatment (63% and 84.7% of inhibition, respectively). In addition to its ability to reduce disease incidence, the biological antagonism exerted by P. synxantha strain 117-2b was further demonstrated by qPCR analysis as a reduction in the pathogen's abundance. In view of these results, alternative solutions in the field and during postharvest storage could be considered to control C. luteo-olivacea of kiwifruit.
