Effect of gaseous chlorine on spore and mycelium viability of Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer

Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer are responsible for important losses of fruits and vegetables during storage. The effect of chlorine under gaseous form (0-20 ppm) was evaluated on spore and mycelial viability of these pathogens in sealed glass containers for 0 to 168 h. Results demonstrated that spore mortality in both fungi was complete following a 6-h exposure to 10 ppm chlorine. Moreover, mycelium was killed at chlorine concentrations of 5 and 20 ppm for R. stolonifer and B. cinerea, respectively. These in vitro assays demonstrated that both spores and mycelia of these two decay fungi could be directly destroyed when exposed to relatively low concentrations of gaseous chlorine. These results suggest a potential for controlling these decay pathogens by chlorine.