A total of 67 bacterial isolates were obtained from apple and pear fruits with signs of soft rot collected from Egyptian markets. Pathogenicity tests showed that 25 isolates (37%) were pathogenic to apple and pear fruits, with considerable variation of virulence. Among these isolates, 16 (64%) were Gram‐positive, motile, spore‐forming long rods and were identified as members of the genus Bacillus based on an API test. In addition, five isolates (20%) were Gram‐negative, non‐spore‐forming, motile, oxidase and catalase‐positive short rods and were identified as members of the genus Pseudomonas. Furthermore, four isolates (16%) were Gram‐negative, non‐spore‐forming, motile, catalase‐positive and oxidase negative short rods and were identified as belonging to the genus Erwinia. All selected isolates showed a wide host range and could cause soft rot of all representative fruits and vegetables tested. The three most virulent isolates, AB4, AB6 and PB6, exhibited the highest soft rot severity on different apple and pear cultivars, and apple cv. Anna (116) was the most susceptible to infection by isolates AB4 and AB6, with soft rot severities of 63.33 and 60.67%, respectively. Also, pear cv. Le‐Conte was most susceptible to infection by isolate AB6, with a soft rot severity of 89.9%. A phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strains AB4 and AB6 were very similar to one another and also showed a similarity of 99% to Bacillus altitudinis, and strain PB6 revealed a similarity of 99% to Bacillus pumilus. To our knowledge, this is the first report of B. altitudinis as a soft rot pathogen for both apple and pear fruits.

Three natural antibacterial compounds including bacteriocin like substance (BLS) produced from lactic acid bacteria (LAB), ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP), and nine plant extracts were evaluated against soft rot Bacillus strains. Testing in vivo these compounds were evaluated to control pear and apple soft rot disease. Among eight BLS tested, BLS of LAB2, LAB105 and LAB 107 exhibited the highest antibacterial activity as indicated by the formation of clear inhibition zone. Propolis extracts exhibited significant antibacterial activity against all tested soft rot Bacillus strains and it was noticed that the antibacterial activity was concentration dependent. Among nine plant extracts tested, extracts of Eucalyptus globulus and Psidium guajava exhibited the highest antibacterial activity. All tested antibacterial products significantly decreased apple and pear soft rot severity caused by Bacillus altitudinis compared to untreated control. The highest reduction percentage of soft rot severity was recorded for EEP followed by BLS from LAB and plant extracts tested, respectively. Combined pre-and post-harvest treatments of apple and pear with antimicrobial compounds proved to be more effective in reducing the soft rot severity and improved the physical and chemical properties of fruits during storage in both years of the study. The natural antimicrobial agents used in this study were promising compounds, since it seems to be more safe, economical and great potential for extending the shelf life and improve the quality of fruits. Therefore, the application of these compounds in the control of apple and pear soft rot could be advantageous for consumers, producers, and the environment.

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