Cold plasma: a potential new method to manage postharvest diseases caused by fungal plant pathogens

Development of alternative, chemical‐free approaches for control of postharvest fungi on a commercial scale has become a challenge for plant pathologists in recent years. Although there are several established techniques such as heat that are used as postharvest treatments, they often have disadvantages, including alteration of food quality due to physiological responses to the treatment, or environmental pollution. A promising new postharvest treatment is cold plasma, which is a gas‐derived mix of atoms, excited molecules and charged particles. Cold plasma has no known adverse effects on fresh produce or the environment. It is an established technology in the medical field and has been demonstrated to successfully control bacterial pathogens that cause food safety issues. This review focuses on the potential of cold plasma technology for postharvest disease control, especially those caused by fungi. An overview of plasma generation systems is provided, and in vivo and in vitro research is reviewed to consider benefits, limitations and research gaps in the context of cold plasma as a potential method for controlling postharvest fungal pathogens. Finally, recommendations are provided for the application of this technology in commercial facilities.     

Multiple preharvest treatments with harpin reduce postharvest disease and maintain quality in muskmelon fruit (cv. Huanghemi)

Decay caused by fungal pathogens is responsible for significant economic loss of muskmelon fruit (Cucumis melo L.) in China. However, postharvest treatment is not effective in controlling all of these pathogens, owing to the ability of some of them for latent infection. Therefore, preharvest treatment has been considered as a promising method to control postharvest decay in muskmelon fruit. The effect of multiple preharvest treatments with harpin on postharvest disease and quality of cv. ‘Huanghemi’ muskmelon fruit was investigated in this study. Results showed that harpin treatment significantly decreased the incidence of latent infection caused by Alternaria alternata and Fusarium spp. in harvested fruit. Meanwhile, the postharvest pink rot in treated fruit inoculated with Trichothecium roseum was suppressed noticeably. Moreover, preharvest treatment increased the activities of peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, 4-Coumarate:CoA ligase and β-1,3-glucanase compared with control fruit. Harpin treatment also contributed to the accumulation of total phenolic compounds and lignin. In addition, harpin treatments were able to maintain the quality of harvested fruit. These results suggest that multiple treatments with harpin before harvest may be a promising technology to control postharvest disease and delay quality losses in Huanghemi muskmelon fruits.     

Fenpropimorph: a promising fungicide for postharvest diseases in citrus fruits

Sour rot, green mold and blue mold are postharvest diseases of citrus fruit. Benzimidazole and imidazole fungicides control molds, and guazatine controls sour rot, but strains ofPenicillium spp. resistant to these chemicals have been reported. Aqueous formulations of fenpropimorph, a morpholine fungicide, are very active in controlling fungi attacking postharvest citrus fruits. The fungicidal effect of the chemical in the coating wax was investigated in combined treatments with guazatine in dip or spray applications on various citrus fruit varieties. Fenpropimorph alone was as good as or a better curative and protective treatment than the current commercial treatments applied in packinghouses in Israel for decay control.     

马铃薯糖苷生物碱对枸杞镰孢菌果腐病的诱导抗性及相关防御酶活性的影响

为探索马铃薯糖苷生物碱诱导采后枸杞鲜果抗病性的效应,采用菌丝生长速率法测定了离体条件下马铃薯糖苷生物碱对枸杞鲜果采后主要致腐病原菌镰孢菌Fusarium sp.的抑菌活性;采用浸泡处理法测定了马铃薯糖苷生物碱对采后枸杞鲜果发病病情指数及对果实多酚氧化酶(PPO)、过氧化物酶(POD)、苯丙氨酸解氨酶(PAL)和超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)等相关防御酶活性的影响。结果表明:不同浓度马铃薯糖苷生物碱对镰孢菌均具有一定的抑制作用,EC50为0.11 g/mL;0.05～0.25 g/mL(提取原料)的马铃薯糖苷生物碱能显著降低采后枸杞鲜果病情指数,较对照降低了10.18%～38.51%;以0.15 g/mL(提取原料)的马铃薯糖苷生物碱处理后对枸杞鲜果抗果腐病的诱导效果最好,达45.81%;马铃薯糖苷生物碱处理枸杞鲜果后,果实中4种防御酶PPO、POD、PAL、SOD的活性均较对照有不同程度提高,分别于处理后第4、5、2、2天与对照差异达到最大,较对照提高了30.76%、21.34%、31.35%和21.91%。表明马铃薯糖苷生物碱能够诱导枸杞鲜果对采后病害的抗性效应,且采后抗病性可能与枸杞相关防御酶活性的增加有关。     

Alternative disease control agents induce resistance to blue mold in harvested 'red delicious' apple fruit

ABSTRACT Alternative control agents, including UV-type C (254 nm) irradiation, yeasts antagonistic to fungal growth, chitosan and harpin, were evaluated for their ability to induce resistance in cv. Red Delicious apple fruit against postharvest blue mold caused by Penicillium expansum. Freshly harvested and controlled atmosphere (CA)-stored fruit were treated with these agents at different doses and concentrations or with paired combinations of the agents. Treated fruit were inoculated with P. expansum 24, 48, or 96 h following treatment, and stored at 24 degrees C in the dark. The fruit were evaluated for development of disease every 2 days for 14 days by measuring the diameter of lesions that formed. The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) was calculated and analyzed statistically. All treatments were effective in reducing the AUDPC; UV-C was most effective, followed by harpin, chitosan, and the yeasts, respectively. Regardless of treatment, fresh fruit were more responsive to treatments than CA-stored fruit. There was a clear time-dependent response of the fruit to the treatments, in which treatments applied 96 h before inoculation provided the best results. In a few situations, the combinations of agents did provide an additive effect, but no synergistic effects were detected. Moreover, disease severity in fruit treated by any combination was markedly better than that in the controls. Although the combinations of treatments was overall less effective than the single treatments, they did provide significant reductions of the progress of disease in comparison with the controls. Because the fungus did not come into contact with any of the control agents, this study showed conclusively that the agents studied were able to induce resistance in the fruit rather than merely inhibit the pathogen directly. It also showed, for the first time, that harpin is able to induce resistance in harvested apple fruit. The use of these control agents may minimize the costs of control strategies and reduce the risks associated with the excessive use of fungicides in harvested apple fruit.     

Hot-water baths,biologicals and re-curing effects on rhizopus soft rot during sweetpotato packing

Rhizopus soft rot (RSR) caused by Rhizopus stolonifer is one of the most devastating postharvest diseases of sweetpotato. It causes greatest losses when sweetpotatoes are removed from storage, washed and packed for marketing. The disease has been managed effectively by prophylactic application of synthetic fungicides on the packing line. However, there is increasing demand for alternative management strategies that do not rely on prophylactic use of synthetic fungicides. While curing immediately after harvest is a standard industry practice, re-curing after storage is not widely practised for postharvest disease management. In this study, the use of hot-water baths, biocontrol agents and re-curing after storage were investigated as potential replacements for synthetic fungicides that are widely used during sweetpotato packing. Hot-water baths at 52 °C for 10–15 min immediately after inoculation reduced RSR incidence by as much as 75%, but increased susceptibility to post-treatment Rhizopus infection. The biological control product Bio-Save® (a.i. Pseudomonas syringae strain ESC-10), used in conjunction with a 4 min water bath at 52 °C, gave similar protection (1.2% RSR, t = −1.7, P = 0.514) as the industry standard treatment with dicloran. Re-curing for as little as 4 h after washing roots significantly reduced RSR and deserves further evaluation to optimize conditions and determine its influence on other postharvest diseases.     

Management of bakanae and bacterial seedling blight diseases in nurseries by irradiating rice seeds with atmospheric plasma

The control of seedborne rice seedling diseases in the seed beds is important to avoid epidemics in rice nurseries and paddies, which may result in severe yield loss. Recently, irradiation with plasma containing electrons, creating positive or negative ions and neutral species, has been shown to have an antimicrobial effect, probably via generation of reactive oxygen species. This study examines whether two seedborne rice seedling diseases, bakanae disease caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium fujikuroi, and bacterial seedling blight caused by Burkholderia plantarii, are suppressed by irradiation of infected rice seeds with atmospheric plasma. Seed germination and seedling growth were not inhibited in plasma‐treated healthy seeds. When F. fujikuroi‐infected rice seeds were irradiated with plasma after being immersed in sterile distilled water, bakanae disease severity index and the percentage of plants with symptoms were reduced to 18.1% and 7.8% of non‐irradiated control, respectively, depending on the duration of plasma irradiation. The bacterial seedling blight disease index was also reduced by plasma irradiation in vacuum‐inoculated seeds to 38.6% of the non‐irradiated control, and in infected seeds harvested from spray‐inoculated heads of rice plants to 40.1% of the control. Therefore, plasma irradiation seems to be effective in controlling two independent seedborne rice seedling diseases.     

Control of postharvest diseases of rambutan using controlled atmosphere storage and potassium metabisulphite or<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma harzianum</Emphasis>

Botryodiplodia theobromae, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides andGliocephalotrichum microchlamydosporum are the causal fungi of three rambutan postharvest diseases, stemend rot, anthracnose and brown spot, respectively. Two different treatments of rambutan fruits to control the diseases were investigated: application of potassium metabisulphite (250 ppm) or culture filtrate ofTrichoderma harzianum (TrH 40) followed by controlled atmosphere storage (CA) at 13.5°C and 95% r.h. Potassium metabisulphite at 250 ppm under CA effectively controlled the incidence and severity of the three postharvest diseases and maintained the eating quality and color of the fruit for 21 days. The greatest effect of this treatment was on brown spot disease, caused byG. microchlamydosporum. Application of TrH 40 was less effective than potassium metabisuphite. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting July 8, 2002.     

Cacao diseases: a global perspective from an industry point of view

ABSTRACT Diseases of cacao, Theobroma cacao, account for losses of more than 30% of the potential crop. These losses have caused a steady decline in production and a reduction in bean quality in almost all the cacao-producing areas in the world, especially in small-holder farms in Latin America and West Africa. The most significant diseases are witches' broom, caused by Moniliophthora perniciosa, which occurs mainly in South America; frosty pod rot, caused by M. roreri, which occurs mainly in Central and northern South America; and black pod disease, caused by several species of Phytophthora, which are distributed throughout the tropics. In view of the threat that these diseases pose to the sustainability of the cacao crop, Mars Inc. and their industry partners have funded collaborative research involving cacao research institutes and governmental and nongovernmental agencies. The objective of this global initiative is to develop short- to medium-term, low-cost, environmentally friendly disease-management strategies until disease tolerant varieties are widely available. These include good farming practices, biological control and the rational or minimal use of chemicals that could be used for integrated pest management (IPM). Farmer field schools are used to get these technologies to growers. This paper describes some of the key collaborative partners and projects that are underway in South America and West Africa.     

Effect of soil amendments and biological control agents (BCAs) on soil-borne root diseases caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pyrenochaeta lycopersici</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verticillium albo-atrum</Emphasis> in organic greenhouse tomato production systems

The effect of different soil amendments and biological control agents on soil-borne root diseases that cause significant economic losses in organic and other soil-based tomato production systems (Pyrenochaeta lycopersici and Verticillium albo-atrum) was compared. Organic matter inputs (fresh Brassica tissue, household waste compost and composted cow manure) significantly reduced soil-borne disease severity (measured as increased root fresh weight) and/or increased tomato fruit yield, with some treatments also increasing fruit number and/or size. Soil biological activity also increased with increasing organic matter input levels and there were significant positive correlations between soil biological activity, root fresh weight and fruit yield. This indicates that one mechanism of soil-borne disease control by organic matter input may be increased competition by the soil biota. Chitin/chitosan products also significantly reduced soil-borne disease incidence and increased tomato fruit yield, number and/or size, but had no effect on soil biological activity. Biological control products based on Bacillus subtilis and Pythium oligandrum and commercial seaweed extract (Marinure) and fish emulsion (Nugro)-based liquid fertilisers had no positive effect on soil-borne disease incidence and fruit yield, number and size. The use of ‘suppressive’ organic matter inputs alone or in combination with chitin/chitosan soil amendments can therefore be recommended as methods to control soil-borne diseases in organic and other soil-based production systems.     

The postharvest phase: Emerging technologies for the control of fungal diseases

Postharvest biological treatment entails a range of different approaches, including strengthening of the commodity’s natural defense mechanisms and application of antagonistic microorganisms and natural antimicrobial substances. Postharvest biological treatment has highlighted the potential of antagonistic microorganisms (fungi, bacteria and yeasts) against a limited number of pathogens, and only on specific hosts. Further studies are therefore required to identify antagonists with a broad spectrum of activity. The resistance of fruits and vegetables to postharvest diseases is closely linked to the ripening process, and drops markedly with the onset of tissue senescence: It is now possible to protect the product by inducing disease resistance. Plants produce a large number of secondary metabolites with antimicrobial effect on the main postharvest pathogens. Detailed studies have been conducted on aromatic compounds, essential oils and volatile substances. Combination of the above complementary techniques could well lead to effective control of postharvest fungal diseases.     

草莓灰霉病研究进展

草莓灰霉病是草莓上最重要的病害之一,在温室和露地栽培中均普遍发生,草莓生长期和采后果实均可被侵染,造成严重的经济损失。本文结合作者近年来对草莓灰霉病的有关研究,就草莓灰霉病的症状和危害,病原菌的种类,分生孢子萌发的最适温湿度,病原菌的抗药性,影响草莓灰霉病发生的因素包括品种抗感性、不同器官的带菌量和空气中的孢子量及环境条件,草莓灰霉病综合防治等方面的国内外研究进展进行综述,以期为从事相关研究的科研人员和生产技术人员提供参考与帮助。     

Antifungal activities and the mechanisms of biocontrol agent WE-3 against postharvest sour rot in citrus

European Journal of Plant Pathology - Sour rot caused by Geotrichum citri-aurantii is a serious postharvest disease of citrus that can result in devastating economic losses. In this study, a new...     

天然产物防治果蔬采后病害研究进展

果蔬采后病害的防治正朝着安全、环保的方向发展,各种生物防治方法成为研究的热点,天然产物用于控制果蔬采后病害的研究也受到了越来越多的关注。本文综述了风味化合物、精油、乙酸、茉莉酸类化合物、芥子油甙、蜂胶、植物提取物、壳聚糖、醋酸瓜类萎蔫醇等天然产物在果蔬采后病害防治中的研究、开发与应用,为未来的商业化开发提供新的思路。     

Facilitating trade in fresh fruits and vegetables by developing disinfestation protocols: a case study

The export of horticultural produce, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, has been on the increase in India. There is an increased realization and implementation of pre- and post-harvest pest management practices, leading to increased production, quality and shelf life while meeting WTO requirements. Several countries prohibit imports from India owing to the presence of quarantine pests, particularly commodities that are host plants of Bactrocera dorsalis and Bactrocera cucurbitae . However, once a complete disinfestation technique has been established and approved, importation can be permitted. In the past, specific imports of fresh fruits have already been allowed on the basis of agreed treatments. Appropriate disinfestation protocols for other fresh fruits are currently being developed in India, particularly with respect to fruit flies, to allow prohibitions of export to Japan and other countries to be lifted.     

Post-harvest entomology research in the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service

This is a review of current post-harvest entomology research conducted by the Agricultural Research Service, the research branch of the US Department of Agriculture. The review covers both durable and perishable commodities. Research on biochemistry, genetics, physiology, monitoring and control of insects infesting stored grain, dried fruits and nuts, and processed commodities is reviewed. Research on development of quarantine treatments, particularly for fruit flies, is also reviewed, including research on thermal and irradiation treatments and a discussion of risk management for quarantine pests. Two areas of research are covered more extensively: a project to map the genome of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, and the use of near-infrared spectroscopy for detection of hidden infestations in grain, quantification of insect fragments in food, determination of quality in dried fruits, identification of insect species and age-grading insects. Future research directions are identified.     

Transgenic crops and beyond: how can biotechnology contribute to the sustainable control of plant diseases?

Disease resistance is without argument the best technological approach to control diseases in plants since no management input is required by the grower once the resistant variety has been planted. The biggest problems in using disease resistance lie in the facts that effective sources of resistance are not available for many important diseases, especially those caused by necrotrophic pathogens; and that pathogen populations adapt to the utilisation of novel sources of resistance, most notably for air-borne biotrophic pathogens. Several biotechnological approaches have been developed to produce disease resistant plants, the most recent known as NBT – New Breeding Technologies. This review focuses on recent advances in those technologies which adapt the knowledge obtained using molecular genetic approaches for the study of plant-microbe interactions to combat plant diseases.     

Successful disinfestations of sap-beetle contaminations from organically grown dates using heat treatment: A case study

Palm dates suffer from high infestations of sap-beetle (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) populations. Organically grown dates are particularly subject to high infestations for lack of alternative treatments both during pre- and postharvest, while export requirements of null infestations are in effect. Present methods of postharvest control include treatments using CO₂, which are expensive and require several hours. In this report we describe an effective, short-duration and inexpensive method of postharvest heat-treatment using a postharvest heating container (PHHC). Laboratory experiments determined the optimum temperature regime for maximum escape of beetles from the fruit to be 55°C for 2.5 h; this temperature was attained at a rate of 1.8°C/min. Subsequent successful disinfestation of beetles was obtained in the PHHC after a total exposure time of 2.5 h. Sampling dates before and after treatment and quality control tests on cartons ready for export showed that this method compared in efficiency with CO₂ treatments but was much more economical.     

Reverse modelling to estimate yield losses caused by crop diseases

Yield loss analysis is critical to inform tactical and strategic decisions in crop health management, and requires quantification of three elements: the levels of injury caused by disease or pest, the actual (injured) yield, and the attainable (uninjured) yield. Reverse modelling allows reconstruction of an object or a process from limited information combined with a mathematical model. This approach is applied to estimate yield losses caused by diseases in winter wheat using a process‐based simulation model (WHEATPEST), in combination with field data generated by a network of experiments across France, where multiple disease injuries and actual yields, but not attainable yields, were measured. The analysis covers 70 [year × region × variety × crop management] combinations encompassing five years (2004–2008), four French regions, two winter wheat varieties (one high‐yielding and one hardy variety), and two levels of crop management corresponding to two levels of chemical intensification. The analysis involved three main successive modelling steps where actual yield, attainable yield and yield losses associated with individual diseases were simulated. Overall, simulated yield losses to combined diseases ranged from 0 to 4.2 t ha^?1, and averaged 0.80 t ha^?1. Septoria tritici blotch caused the highest mean yield loss of 0.66 t ha^?1. The results highlight the contribution of varietal improvement to agricultural sustainability and performances. Reverse modelling can be applied to other crops and diseases or pests, in order to estimate individual and combined disease yield losses.     

豌豆白粉病研究进展

豌豆白粉病是由气传性豌豆白粉菌(Erysiphe pisi)引起的病害。近年来白粉病对于豌豆的危害日趋严重,直接导致豌豆大面积减产,鲜荚和籽粒的数量和品质下降,从数量和质量上严重制约豌豆生产,已成为世界性重要病害。本文对豌豆白粉病病原菌、病害症状及其侵染发生规律进行了阐述。并对抗病性鉴定、抗性机理、种质资源、防治策略和分子标记等国内外新近研究进展进行了综述,并探讨了豌豆白粉病抗性研究的方向。