Postharvest decay of strawberry fruit: Etiology, epidemiology, and disease management

Abstract

Strawberry fruit are delicate and succulent, and after harvest they can commonly undergo fungal spoilage. The main strawberry pathogen is Botrytis cinerea, followed by Rhizopus stolonifer, Mucor spp., Colletotrichum spp., Penicillium spp., which are the major pathogens responsible for postharvest decay of strawberry fruit. The traditional strategy of control of postharvest strawberry decay rely on the application of fungicides during the crop growing cycle. Conventional fungicides are applied around flowering, and treatments can be repeated up to harvest. Nowadays, there are many alternatives to conventional fungicides that are characterized by low impact on the environment and on human health. These include biological control agents, natural compounds, decontaminating agents, physical methods, and their combinations. According to an integrated pest-management approach, management of postharvest diseases starts before cultivation in the field, with the suitable choice of the strawberry variety, place of cultivation, and cultivation technique. This continues during the crop development, with weed control, soil sanitation, and management of water and humidity. Careful picking at harvest and then rapid and constant cold storage are the key factors to assure good quality of harvested strawberry fruit. A modified atmosphere that is enriched in ozone, oxygen, or carbon dioxide is frequently used during strawberry storage, to slow down senescence and reduce decay.

Grey mould of strawberry, a devastating disease caused by the ubiquitous necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea

“…Many disease management strategies have been implemented for the control of B. cinerea in strawberry as further described below. However, even combined approaches are only capable of reducing disease incidence and severity but cannot completely prevent or eliminate grey mould in strawberries (Feliziani and Romanazzi, ).…”

“…Rapid and constant cooling of strawberries at temperatures below 2.5 ºC is another critical strategy to reduce or inhibit reactivation of B. cinerea quiescent infections (Nunes et al , ). Often, strawberries are also stored in modified atmospheres, which are generally low in oxygen and high in carbon dioxide to slow down metabolic processes, senescence and fungal decay (Feliziani and Romanazzi, ). Relative humidity during storage is usually kept around 85%–90% to prevent dehydration of fruit, but limit fungal growth (Almeida et al , ).…”

Postharvest Preservation of the New Hybrid Seedless Grape, ‘BRS Isis’, Grown Under the Double-Cropping a Year System in a Subtropical Area

“…Fr., is known to be the most important postharvest pathogen causing gray mold of table grapes [5,6]. Infection caused by this fungus remains inactive in the field unless it gets favorable environmental conditions, i.e., fruit injuries that assist pathogen development [7,8]. Even a small infection on a single berry can damage the whole lot of grapes, and if it is not noticed at pre-harvest stage, during packaging, or during shipment, it may progress and spread the infection in postharvest or during the cold storage period of table grapes, even at low temperatures [9][10][11].…”

Priming of Defense Systems and Upregulation of MYC2 and JAZ1 Genes after Botrytis cinerea Inoculation in Methyl Jasmonate-Treated Strawberry Fruits

“…Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is a relevant fruit crop worldwide due to its extraordinary organoleptic characteristics [2,3]. However, during postharvest storage, this fruit has a high susceptibility to being infected by necrotrophic fungi [4]. Gray mold disease, caused by the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea, is one of the most important postharvest diseases, affecting more than 200 plant species [5].…”