In Vitro and In Vivo Inhibitory Effects of Gaseous Chlorine Dioxide Against Diaporthe batatas Isolated from Stored Sweetpotato

Chlorine dioxide (ClO(2)) can be used as an alternative disinfectant for controlling fungal contamination during postharvest storage. In this study, we tested the in vitro and in vivo inhibitory effects of gaseous ClO(2) against Diaporthe batatas SP-d1, the causal agent of sweetpotato dry rot. In in vitro tests, spore suspensions of SP-d1 spread on acidified potato dextrose agar were treated with various ClO(2) concentrations (1–20 ppm) for 0–60 min. Fungal growth was significantly inhibited at 1 ppm of ClO(2) treatment for 30 min, and completely inhibited at 20 ppm. In in vivo tests, spore suspensions were drop-inoculated onto sweetpotato slices, followed by ClO(2) treatment with different concentrations and durations. Lesion diameters were not significantly different between the tested ClO(2) concentrations; however, lesion diameters significantly decreased upon increasing the exposure time. Similarly, fungal populations decreased at the tested ClO(2) concentrations over time. However, the sliced tissue itself hardened after 60-min ClO(2) treatments, especially at 20 ppm of ClO(2). When sweetpotato roots were dip-inoculated in spore suspensions for 10 min prior to treatment with 20 and 40 ppm of ClO(2) for 0–60 min, fungal populations decreased with increasing ClO(2) concentrations. Taken together, these results showed that gaseous ClO(2) could significantly inhibit D. batatas growth and dry rot development in sweetpotato. Overall, gaseous ClO(2) could be used to control this fungal disease during the postharvest storage of sweetpotato.