Phylloplane yeast associated with strawberry

Phylloplane yeast populations on strawberry leaves and fruits were assessed via plating and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The dominant yeast species detected from DGGE were minor or non-growers on the plates, whereas only one yeast isolate detected on the culture plates could be attributed to a represented strain in DGGE. Both on plates and in DGGE, the dominant yeasts belonged to the genera Cryptococcus, Rhodosporidium, and Sporidiobulus. Examination of the dynamics of the phylloplane yeast populations revealed differences in diversity and density depending on the growing system, strawberry tissue and sampling time. In general, immature fruits showed significantly larger populations than mature fruits or leaves.
We also studied the effect of the applications of two commonly used fungicides on the yeasts. Using both plating and DGGE, we observed only a minor impact of the fungicides on the compositions and concentrations of the phylloplane yeast communities. These results demonstrate the existence of fungicide resistance among phylloplane yeasts of strawberry and suggest the potential to use these