Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of gray mold, is a major contributor to postharvest losses in blueberry fruit. This study was undertaken to assess the inhibitory impacts of basil essential oil (BEO) fumigation on B. cinerea both in vivo and in vitro, as well as to evaluate its influence on carbohydrate and phenylpropanoid metabolic pathways in blueberries. The results demonstrated that fumigation with 0.04 mL L−1 BEO effectively suppressed the in vitro growth of B. cinerea mycelium and spore germination, compromised cell membrane integrity, and induced the leakage of intracellular proteins and nucleotides. In vivo experiments demonstrated that fumigation with 0.04 mL L−1 BEO delayed the decline in soluble and reducing sugars levels by improving amylase, sucrose synthase-synthesis, and sucrose phosphate synthase activities and their corresponding gene expressions, while simultaneously suppressing the acid convertase, neutral convertase, sorbitol oxidase, sucrose synthase-cleavage, NADP-sorbitol dehydrogenase, and NAD-sorbitol dehydrogenase activities and their corresponding gene expressions. Additionally, BEO fumigation enhanced the enzymatic activities and up-regulated the gene expressions level of key enzymes associated with phenolic biosynthesis, including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, 4-coumaroyl-CoA ligase, cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase. Additionally, BEO fumigation significantly enhanced the concentrations of endogenous phenylalanine, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, and sinapic acid, thereby promoting the accumulation of total phenolics and lignin in blueberries. Overall, BEO exerts direct inhibitory effects on the mycelial growth and spore germination of B. cinerea by disrupting cell membrane integrity. Furthermore, BEO fumigation enhances disease resistance in blueberry fruit against B. cinerea by activating key enzymatic activities and gene expressions involved in carbohydrate and phenylpropanoid metabolic pathways, leading to increased accumulation of phenolic compounds.
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