Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Bioproducts Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #343490
Research Project: Bioproducts from Agricultural Feedstocks

Location: Bioproducts Research

Title: Biopolymer films to control fusarium dry rot and their application to preserve potato tubers

Author
item Bilbao-Sainz, Cristina
item Chiou, Bor-Sen
item Valenzuela-Medina, Diana
item Imam, Syed
item VEGA-GALVEZ, ANTONIO - University Of La Serena
item Orts, William

Submitted to: Journal of Applied Polymer Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/6/2016
Publication Date: 6/7/2016
Citation: Bilbao-Sainz, C., Chiou, B., Valenzuela-Medina, D., Imam, S.H., Vega-Galvez, A., Orts, W.J. 2016. Biopolymer films to control fusarium dry rot and their application to preserve potato tubers. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. doi:10.1002/app.44017.

Interpretive Summary: Fusarium solani causes dry rot, one of the most important diseases of stored tubers and seed potatoes. Infection occurs through wounds and may be controlled by coating tubers and seed with fungicide. Fungicides are usually applied in powder form which may result in worker and environmental health concerns. We evaluated sodium alginate and chitosan films each containing a low concentration of fungicide as possible coatings for potato seeds to prevent dry rot infections. Our results show promise as an alternative control measure of dry rot when tubers and seeds are coated with the film we developed.

Technical Abstract: Films were cast using sodium alginate (NaAlg), high molecular weight (HMW) chitosan, and low molecular weight (LMW) chitosan as film forming biopolymers. Fludioxonil (Fl) at 1% concentration was used as fungicide. Thermal stability, mechanical, and water sorption properties of the films were examined. The effects of films on the Fusarium solani colony radial growth were evaluated in vitro and in potato tubers. Results showed that chitosan films were more thermally stable and less hydrophilic than alginate films. Addition of fluodioxonil to the films significantly reduced the film strength and increased the elongation at break as well as the film stiffness. In vitro studies showed that when fludioxonil was added to the formulation, NaAlg and Chitosan-LMW films had significantly higher antifungal activity (Fungistatic index 556%) than Chitosan-HMW films (Fungistatic index 550%). In vivo studies showed that Chitosan-LMW-1% Fl films delay the mycelial growth of F. solani in tubers kept at 25°C for 2 weeks.