Disease management in fruit crops worldwide is heavily dependent upon the application of synthetic fungicides for pathogen control However restrictions on fungicide use and widespread emergence of pathogen resistance has increased global demand for more sustainable production systems and driven research towards alternative disease control strategies Biological control which includes elicitors of host defence microbial antagonists and natural products offers an attractive alternative to synthetic pesticides This paper reviews the commercialisation of biological control agents for botrytis in grapes (BOTRYZen) and fire blight in apples and pears (Blossom Bless PomaVita) and the development of a biological control agent for sclerotinia in kiwifruit The importance of understanding disease epidemiology as a prerequisite for developing a biological control system is discussed along with future prospects for biological control of these pathogens

Market tolerance of fungicide residues on fruit is declining and alternative disease control strategies are required An integrated management system to reduce and ultimately replace fungicides with acceptable alternatives is being developed The components include improved knowledge of pathogen epidemiology thereby optimising the timing of fungicides manipulation of tree nutrition to enhance fruit disease resistance biological control inoculum removal strategies to reduce disease risk and postharvest treatment for improved storage life The integration of these disease management tools provides the basis for consistent and more effective disease control This paper describes research with Monilinia fructicola the cause of brown rot in summerfruit to highlight the benefits of this multifaceted approach Green immature fruit (prepit hardening) were susceptible to infection highlighting the need for fruit protection at this stage Foliar calcium biological control inoculum removal and postharvest treatment each significantly reduced brown rot incidence but field validation of a combined approach is still required