Effect of peach trichome removal on post-harvest brown rot and on the fruit surface microbiome

Postharvest peaches undergo rapid soft ripening and are susceptible to fungal diseases, which often result in severe losses during storage. The peach epidermis contains trichomes that form a specific structure on the peach surface. However, the relationship between trichomes and postharvest disease and involved mechanisms has not been well studied. In this study, the removal of trichomes reduced the disease incidence of peach brown rot caused by Monilinia fructicola. Cryo-scanning electron microscope observations showed that the fungal hyphae were found attached to the surface of trichomes. The fungal and bacterial communities on the peach surface at 0 d and 6 d were obtained by amplicon sequencing technology. Fungal communities on the peach surface contained a total of 1089 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), which were demarcated into eight fungal phyla, 25 classes, 66 orders, 137 families, and 228 genera. The bacterial communities contained 10,821 ASVs assigned to 25 phyla, 50 classes, 114 orders, 220 families, and 507 genera. Higher bacterial diversity than fungal diversity was recorded on the peach epidermis. Trichome removal changed the microbial diversity and community on the peach surface. Compared with peach epidermis samples, the peach epidermis excluded trichomes samples contained similar fungal alpha diversity but significantly lower bacterial diversity. Seventeen different fungal genera and twenty-eight different bacterial genera were identified between peach trichome and peach epidermis excluded trichomes samples. The fungal and bacterial diversity on the peach epidermis showed a decreasing trend during storage. Beta diversity analysis revealed that the microbial communities of the peach epidermis and trichomes show different change trends between 0 d and 6 d. Trichome removal decreased relative abundance of Monilinia spp. and increased relative abundance of potential yeast and bacterial biocontrol agents. This study suggested that trichomes might modulate the microbial communities on fruit surfaces, and trichome removal technology after harvest might be developed to control peach postharvest decay.