One significant trend in the research of plant treatment methods is that regarding the use of natural-based methods in plant protection. In this study, antimicrobial activity and changes in MdPR10 gene expression were tested for a total of five plant pathogens in a model of apple fruits, where strawberry and ivy EOs were used. The vapor-phase chemical composition of both EOs was profiled using HS-GC-MS. qRT-PCR was applied for a bacterial response analysis, together with disk diffusion assays, and minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined. To elucidate the molecular basis of the antibacterial potential of essential oils (EOs), docking analyses were performed. For Xanthomonas arboricola and Pectobacterium carotovorum, the presence of EOs resulted in the downregulation of MdPR10. Strawberry EO was more effective against weakly virulent strains of bacteria; ivy EO had greater inhibitory effects. HS-GC-MS detected 13 volatiles in strawberry EO-dominated by ethyl butyrate, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, ethyl hexanoate, and ethyl 3-methylbutanoate-and 16 in ivy EO, characterized by monoterpenes and monoterpenoids with 1,8-cineole as the principal component. P-cymene showed the most potent binding activity against D-alanine-D-alanine ligase. Ivy EO has the potential to be effective as a natural preservative alternative mainly in postharvest technology.

Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University 30 705 Kraków Poland

Department of Agroecology and Crop Production Faculty of Agrobiology Food and Natural Resources Czech University of Life Sciences Prague 165 00 Suchdol Czech Republic

Department of Chemistry and Technologies of Drug Sapienza University 00185 Rome Italy

Institute of Horticulture Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering Slovak University of Agriculture 94976 Nitra Slovakia

Institute of Plant and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources Slovak University of Agriculture 94976 Nitra Slovakia

Research Centre AgroBioTech Slovak University of Agriculture Trieda Andreja Hlinku 2 94976 Nitra Slovakia

School of Medical and Health Sciences VIZJA University 01043 Warszawa Poland

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