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Advances in Postharvest Disease Management in Fruits and Vegetables

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A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Postharvest Biology, Quality, Safety, and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 7555

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Montserrat Calderón-Santoyo

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Guest Editor

Laboratorio Integral de Investigación en Alimentos, Tecnológico Nacional de México/Instituto Tecnológico de Tepic, Av. Tecnológico 2595, Tepic 63175, Mexico
Interests: biological control of diseases in pre- and postharvest; bioformulation of antagonistic microorganism

Dr. Juan Arturo Ragazzo-Sánchez

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Guest Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fresh fruit and vegetables are recognized as an important part of healthy eating. However, deficient postharvest management causes losses in these horticulture products. Diseases are induced by a variety of phytopathogens such as species of Colletotrichum, Alternaria, Botrytis, Penicillium, Mucor, and Monilinia, among others, which are the main causative agents of postharvest losses. Various strategies have been proposed to manage postharvest diseases such as physical (controlled and modified atmosphere storage, heat, radiation, refrigeration), chemical (fungicides such as copper oxychloride, mancozeb, metiram, benzimidazole, propineb, thiabendazole, prochloraz), or biological (essential oils, plant extracts, bioactive peptides, biological agents) strategies. With the changes in environmental conditions, the increasing number of resistant phytopathogens to traditional treatments, and the growing demand for fruit and vegetables, there is a need to develop new and efficient methods for postharvest disease control.

This Special Issue welcomes original and review articles in (but not limited to) the following areas:

Emerging phytopathogens and strategies for their control;
Novel approaches for detecting phytopathogens;
Novel methods to control postharvest diseases;
Biological control approaches for postharvest disease management;
The mechanism employed by these novel methods;
Design of bioformulations for the treatment of postharvest diseases;
Scaling-up of methods developed at a laboratory scale;
Strategies for biological agent application to fruits and vegetables.

Dr. Montserrat Calderón-Santoyo
Dr. Juan Arturo Ragazzo-Sánchez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

novel strategies
postharvest disease management
emerging phytopathogens
action mechanisms
bioformulations
scaling-up

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 3091 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Induced Defense in Avocado Fruits Mediated by Secondary Metabolites Produced by Bacillus atrophaeus B5

by Miriam del Carmen Bañuelos-González, Esther Angélica Cuéllar-Torres, Ulises Miguel López-García, Efigenia Montalvo-González, Rosa Isela Ortiz-Basurto, Selene Aguilera-Aguirre and Alejandra Chacón-López

Horticulturae 2023, 9(6), 714; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/horticulturae9060714 - 17 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1062

Abstract

Biocontrol agents are an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides against phytopathogens. The effectiveness of metabolites produced by Bacillus atrophaeus B5 for controlling anthracnose produced by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in harvested fruit and the possible action mechanisms have been studied. Avocado fruit treated with metabolites reduced 54% of anthracnose incidence and nearly 70% of the lesion than untreated fruit. The treatment enhanced the activities of peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase. Additionally, the transcription of PAL and EIN3-like genes related to defense were increased. These results suggest that metabolites produced by B. atrophaeus B5 enhance disease resistance against C. gloeosporioides in avocado fruit. In the fruit, the induced resistance is related to the priming of defense responses. Metabolites in the cell-free supernatant could also be a potential biological preservative for avocado protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Postharvest Disease Management in Fruits and Vegetables)

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11 pages, 1472 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Yeast Mixtures for Postharvest Biocontrol of Diverse Fungal Rots on Citrus limon var Eureka

by Rose Meena Amirthanayagam Edward-Rajanayagam, José Alberto Narváez-Zapata, María del Socorro Ramírez-González, Erika Alicia de la Cruz-Arguijo, Melina López-Meyer and Claudia Patricia Larralde-Corona

Horticulturae 2023, 9(5), 573; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/horticulturae9050573 - 12 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1637

Abstract

Mexico is among the most important citrus fruit producers in the world. However, during storage, several problems related to fungi can arise. The most common fungal postharvest diseases detected on Citrus limon var Eureka (Italian lime) produced in the Tamaulipas state are green/blue mold (Penicillium spp.), fusarium rot (F. oxysporum, F. solani, F. proliferatum, among others), and anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.). In this work, we selected yeasts, occurring as the natural epiphytic mycoflora of lemons or from fermented traditional products, to be tested as part of a formulation for protecting stored lemons against fungal diseases. The best-performing yeasts, labeled as LCBG-03 (Meyerozyma guilliermondii), LCBG-30 (Pseudozyma sp.), and LCBG-49 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), were selected to test their compatibility and biocontrol performance against strains of Penicillium digitatum (AL-38), Fusarium sp. (AL-21), Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (AL-13), and Epicoccum sorghinum (H3A). Based on their in vitro performance regarding the percentage of radial growth inhibition, both applied individually or as two yeasts mixed at equal cellular concentrations, the best combinations (containing M. guilliermondii formulated with either Pseudozyma sp. or S. cerevisiae) were selected with efficacies higher than 95% in both in vitro fungal radial growth rate inhibition and on stored lemon fruits. This work contributes to the search for compatible yeast combinations with the aim to diminish the fungal losses of citrus fruits using biocontrol for citrus postharvest protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Postharvest Disease Management in Fruits and Vegetables)

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Review

Jump to: Research

15 pages, 3483 KiB

Open AccessReview

SO₂-Generating Pads and Packaging Materials for Postharvest Conservation of Table Grapes: A Review

by Aline Cristina de Aguiar, Maíra Tiaki Higuchi, Fábio Yamashita and Sergio Ruffo Roberto

Horticulturae 2023, 9(6), 724; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/horticulturae9060724 - 20 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2106

Abstract

Table grapes are one of the leading fruit species cultivated in several countries due to their distinguishing sensory and nutritional properties. However, grapes are a non-climacteric fruit with relatively low physiological activity after harvest, and they are highly perishable due to gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea as well to mass loss, berry softening, color degradation, and dehydration and darkening of the stem. To avoid all these difficulties, several packaging materials are used during cold storage to keep table grapes fresh and healthy for consumers. Proper packaging and cold storage combined can extend the shelf life of high-quality bunches by protecting them from mechanical injuries and decays during transportation and storage. In recent years, several packaging materials have been developed to be used for domestic and export markets, especially those when the conservation of table grapes has to be extended for several weeks or even months. This review addresses the main recent packaging materials for postharvest conservation of table grapes during cold storage, including SO₂-generating pads, perforated plastic, and bio-based liners. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Postharvest Disease Management in Fruits and Vegetables)

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19 pages, 847 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Molecular Aspects Revealed by Omics Technologies Related to the Defense System Activation in Fruits in Response to Elicitors: A Review

by Esther Angélica Cuéllar-Torres, Selene Aguilera-Aguirre, Miguel Ángel Hernández-Oñate, Ulises Miguel López-García, Julio Vega-Arreguín, Efigenia Montalvo-González, Rosa Isela Ortiz-Basurto and Alejandra Chacón-López

Horticulturae 2023, 9(5), 558; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/horticulturae9050558 - 08 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1734

Abstract

Fruit losses and wastage are mainly due to postharvest diseases; their control is reduced with pesticides. The excessive use of synthetic fungicides has caused harmful effects on human health and the environment, so it is therefore necessary to reduce their use. The development of new innocuous strategies has led to the use of compounds of natural or biological origin with the capacity to induce the plant defense system, which improves the fruit’s response against future pathogen attacks in addition to reducing the incidence of postharvest diseases. These compounds are known as “elicitors”. Although the use of molecular tools such as RT-qPCR or the measurement of the enzymatic activity of molecular markers makes it possible to determine the activation of the plant defense system in response to the application of an elicitor compound, in recent years, omics technologies such as the transcriptome, proteome, or metabolome have provided new and interesting information that helps to elucidate the molecular aspects involved in the activation of the plant defense system in response to the application of elicitors. This review summarizes recent advances in molecular aspects, highlighting the contribution of omics technologies to a better understanding of fruit defense mechanisms induced by different elicitors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Postharvest Disease Management in Fruits and Vegetables)

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