Five common fungal strains, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Aspergillus clavatus, Penicillium citrinum, Fusarium oxysporum, and Alternaria alternata, were cultivated in presence of iodide and iodate to evaluate their efficiency in iodine biovolatilization and bioaccumulation. Our results suggest that iodide and iodate bioaccumulation by microscopic filamentous fungi is similar although the biological transformation into volatile iodine compounds is driven by various pathways resulting in higher volatilization efficiency of iodate. Thus, the mobilization of iodate by filamentous fungi is superior to iodide mobilization. Our paper is also the first to compare the iodide and iodate volatilization efficiency by microorganisms. Our results highlight the significant role of filamentous fungi in biogeochemistry of iodine, especially in formation of environmentally reactive volatile forms that may contribute to ozone layer destruction.

This article evaluates various extraction techniques’ suitability for soil mercury phytoavailable fraction assessment, including DGT method and extraction with microscopic filamentous fungi metabolites, MgCl₂, rainwater, and EDTA. After mercury extraction from contaminated soils by these techniques, the obtained data were compared to mercury accumulation by shoots of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Comparison of these values showed that DGT method is able to separate soil mercury with the best agreement to total mercury concentration in shoots of barley. However, comparing mercury extraction efficiency of selected techniques to extraction efficiency of barley, statistical significance at 0.05 significance level was proved for fungal Cladosporium sp. and Alternaria alternata metabolites. Our results indicate that these extraction techniques are suitable for risk assessment of mercury phytoavailability in contaminated areas.

Significant losses in harvested melon can be directly attributable to decay fungi. In the present study, the use of UV-C treatment combined with biocontrol yeast, Pichia cecembensis, was evaluated for their ability to control postharvest decay of melon fruits after they were artificially inoculated with Fusarium oxysporum and Alternaria alternata. Natural infection of fruit was also assessed. As a stand-alone treatment, UV-C or P. cecembensis significantly reduced Fusarium rot and Alternaria rot, and also the level of natural infection on melon fruit, relative to the untreated control. The combination of UV-C or P. cecembensis, however, provided a superior level of decay control on artificially inoculated and naturally infected fruit, compared to either treatment alone. None of the treatments impaired fruit quality. Integrating the use of UV-C treatment with biocontrol yeast has potential as an effective method to control postharvest decay of melon.

The saprotrophic fungus Alternaria alternata is widespread in the agro-environment and produces more than ten allergenic proteins, mostly protein Alt a 1. The frequency of the Alt a 1 gene was analyzed in a group of A. alternata isolates from winter wheat kernels obtained in Poland, and the effectiveness of various fungicides targeting the pathogen was evaluated. The Alt a 1 gene was identified in four of the seven tested isolates. A. alternata colonized 35.67% kernels on average, but its frequency increased in stored grain where the presence of epiphytes was noted on 23.09 to 51.38% kernels, and endophytes—in 26.21 to 42.01% of kernels. The efficacy of field-applied fungicides did not exceed 50%, despite the fact that A. alternata is highly sensitive to propiconazole, fenpropimorph, and tebuconazole under in vitro conditions. The analyzed isolates were characterized by limited sensitivity to azoxystrobin (EC₅₀ ranged from 0.505 to 1.350 μg cm⁻³) due to a mutation at codon 143 of the CYT b gene, responsible for resistance to quinone outside inhibitor fungicides, which was noted in all isolates. The spread of A. alternata can be effectively controlled with suitable fungicides and by monitoring the prevalence of pathogenic isolates in the environment.