New approaches to control postharvest rot in fruits

Abstract

Postharvest fungal diseases are one of the main factors causing losses of fresh produce in the warm and humid tropical regions. Levels of postharvest losses are affected by type of commodity, country, weather condition, production practices, infrastructure, transportation environment or equipment, and refrigeration facilities. Fungal pathogens penetrate host tissues by direct breaching of the host cuticle or through wounds caused by biotic or abiotic agents in the field or in storage, and through natural openings such as lenticels, stem ends and the fruit pedicel. An integrated approach for postharvest disease management should include cultural preharvest and postharvest practices. Postharvest diseases are often controlled by the application of synthetic fungicides, however, to reduce postharvest losses with minimal use of fungicides, other alternatives such as plant bioactive compounds, biological control agents, generally recognized as safe (GRAS) products, and physical treatments have been investigated in papaya, mango, banana, and pineapple fruits. Integration of two or more of such alternatives to control pathogens could improve management of fruit postharvest diseases.