Recently developed, night-time irradiation provided the breakthrough that made ultraviolet (UV) technology with 254 nm (UV–C) commercially feasible as a sustainable alternative to synthetic fungicides for control of pre and postharvest diseases of fruit crops. To make UV technology more efficient, we explored the effectiveness of far UV (222 nm) produced by a Krypton–Chlorine excimer lamp to kill major fungal pathogens of strawberry such as Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium expansum, and various Colletotrichum species and compared it to the conventional 254 nm UV-C treatment in light and dark. We found that 222 nm far UV was three-to ten-fold more effective than 254 nm UV-C in killing conidia of these pathogens, did not require a dark period for enhancing its efficacy, and had no negative effect on plant photosynthesis, pollen germ tube growth and fruit set at doses required to kill these pathogens. The independence from the light conditions most likely spawns from the mechanism of far UV that targets mainly proteins and not DNA as is the case with 254 nm UV-C. Using 222 nm far UV light would allow treatment application at any time of the day as there is no longer the need for a period of darkness as with 254 nm UV-C irradiation. The greater efficacy of 222 nm far UV light treatment will allow UV applicators to travel at increased speeds and cover greater field area making the UV technology even more useful for protecting plants from fungal pathogens.

最近开发的夜间照射提供了突破，使 254 nm (UV-C) 的紫外线 (UV) 技术成为商业上可行的合成杀菌剂的可持续替代品，用于控制水果作物的采前和采后病害。为了提高紫外线技术的效率，我们探索了氪-氯准分子灯产生的远紫外线（222 nm）杀死草莓主要真菌病原体的有效性，如灰葡萄孢、膨胀青霉和各种炭疽菌物种，并将其与传统的 254 nm UV-C 处理在明暗条件下进行比较。我们发现 222 nm 远紫外线在杀死这些病原体的分生孢子方面比 254 nm UV-C 有效三到十倍，不需要黑暗期来增强其功效，并且对植物光合作用、花粉、以杀死这些病原体所需的剂量促进胚管生长和果实结实。与光照条件的独立性很可能源于远紫外线的机制，该机制主要针对蛋白质而不是 DNA，就像 254 nm UV-C 的情况一样。使用 222 nm 远紫外线将允许在一天中的任何时间进行治疗，因为不再需要像 254 nm UV-C 照射那样需要一段时间的黑暗。