Application of synthetic fungicides has been the traditional
strategy for the management of fungal diseases of crops.
However, the possibility of fungicide resistance development in
plant pathogens, including toxigenic fungi, together with the public
concern over pesticide residues in food and the environment,
have increased the interest in alternative methods for diseasecontrol. Management of crop diseases by employing microbial
agents has been demonstrated to be a most suitable strategy to
diminish the use of chemical fungicides. This study demonstrated
the occurrence of native yeasts on grapes in Cyprus vineyards that
were able to control growth of A. tubingensis (the most predominant
black Aspergillus species in Cyprus vineyards, unpublished
data) on detached berries. The effectiveness of the selected yeasts
to inhibit fungal growth is promising but it is necessary to test
these isolates under field conditions. It has been shown that the
efficacy of biological control agents can be variable and is
depended on pathogen’s inoculum level and environmental conditions
(O’Neill et al., 1996; Shtienberg and Elad, 2002). Further studies
are ongoing to evaluate the selected A. pullulans strains in field
trials and to investigate the mode of action of the antagonists in
order to develop appropriate formulations and application
methods.