Samuel Álvarez García

• Ph.D.
• Universidad de León & Marche Polytechnic University

Gray mold and brown rot, caused respectively by Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia spp., are fungal diseases responsible for significant losses during the storage of fruit and vegetables. Nowadays, the control of postharvest diseases is shifting towards more sustainable strategies, including the use of plant secondary metabolites. In this study, the an...

The study of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has expanded because of the growing need to search for new bioactive compounds that could be used as therapeutic alternatives. These small molecules serve as signals to establish interactions with other nearby organisms in the environment. In this work, we evaluated the antifungal effect of VOCs produc...

Although increasing focus is being given to the control of insect pests with natural products, the study of volatile mediated microbe-insect interactions has been largely neglected so far. Currently, no standardized method is available for the in vitro evaluation of the effects produced on insects by Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) directly emitt...

The field of plant-microbe interactions mediated by Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) still faces several limitations due to the lack of reliable equipment. We present a novel device designed to evaluate in vitro plant-microbe volatile interactions, the plant-microbe VOC Chamber. It was tested by evaluating the effects exerted on wheat de...

Biological interactions mediated by Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) is a well-established field that has been researched for decades. Although extensive focus is currently given to the control of insect pests using natural molecules, the study of volatile interactions between microorganisms and insects has been largely neglected and has...

Trichoderma is a genus of fungi used for the biological control of plant diseases and a large number of its bio-formulates are available in the market. However, its efficacy under field conditions remains unclear, especially for the protection of grapevine plants against Grapevine Trunk Diseases (GTDs). These diseases are caused by a complex of fun...

The interest in the study of microbiological interactions mediated by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has steadily increased in the last few years. Nevertheless, most assays still rely on the use of non-specific materials. We present a new tool, the volatile organic compound chamber (VOC chamber), specifically designed to perform these experiment...

Fungal species from the genus Fusarium are important soil-borne pathogens worldwide, causing significant economic losses in diverse crops. The need to find sustainable solutions against this disease has led to the development of new strategies—for instance, the use of biocontrol agents. In this regard, non-pathogenic Fusarium isolates have demonstr...

Self-inhibitory processes are a common feature shared by different organisms. One of the main mechanisms involved in these interactions regarding microorganisms is the release of toxic diffusible substances into the environment. These metabolites can exert both antimicrobial effects against other organisms as well as self-inhibitory ones. The in vi...

Acanthoscelides obtectus is an insect pest feeding on common beans Phaseolus vulgaris. Three strains of Trichoderma harzianum and one strain of Trichoderma citrinoviride were sprayed on insect adults and Phaseolus vulgaris L. beans in order to investigate the efficiency of the fungi in combating Acanthoscelides obtectus insect pest. The strains E20...

Xylotrechus arvicola is an insect pest on Vitis vinifera in the main wine-producing regions of Spain. X. arvicola larvae bore inside grapevine wood, which cause structural damages in the plants´ biomechanical properties. Grapevine wood affected and unaffected by larvae, were collected from vineyards. Compression and flexural tests were used to quan...

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) has become, over the last 20 years, a competitive crop in national, regional, and international markets. This situation presents a dynamic environment for producers and researchers of this crop and requires a rethinking of current strategies against research and production needs, the opportunities and challenges...

The bean weevil, Acanthoscelides obtectus Say (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae), causes severe post-harvest losses in the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L. The control of this insect is still poor and involves the use of conventional insecticides. There is an increasing demand in the search for new active substances and products for pest cont...

Acanthoscelides obtectus is an insect pest that feeds on wild and cultivated common beans. Two trichodiene (TD) producers (T34–5.27, E20–5.7) of Trichoderma spp., and their corresponding wild strains (T34, E20), were evaluated to determine the effect of TD production on the toxicity of these strains against A. obtectus adults. TD is a non-phytotoxi...