11'Rojo Brillante' is currently the most important persimmon cultivar in Spain. The incidence 12 and etiology of postharvest diseases affecting this cultivar were determined under local 13 conditions. Latent and wound pathogens were assessed for two consecutive seasons on 14 commercially grown persimmons from two orchards. Healthy persimmons were either 15 surface-disinfested or artificially wounded on the rind and placed in humid chambers at 20 16 or 25ºC for up to 9 weeks. Additionally, decay was assessed on commercially handled 17 persimmons stored at 1ºC for up to 20 weeks. In all cases, the most frequent disease was 18 alternaria black spot (ABS) caused by Alternaria alternata and an ABS severity index 19 specific for 'Rojo Brillante' persimmons was established. Other minor pathogens causing 20 latent infections, mostly stem-end rots, included Botrytis cinerea, Lasiodiplodia 21 theobromae, Neofusicoccum spp., Pestalotiopsis clavispora, and Colletotrichum 22 Palou et al. Plant Dis. harm to fruit quality. This deastringency procedure, based on the application of carbon 41 dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations as high as 95-98% at 20ºC for 24 h (Arnal and del Río 2003) 42allows Spanish persimmon to be commercialized with a crisp texture that has been accepted 43 by major export markets (EU countries such as Germany,