Poster: Biology & Disease Mgmt: Postharvest Pathology & Mycotoxins
136-P
Use of induced resistance for the management of postharvest decay of fruit
G. ROMANAZZI (1) (1) Marche Polytechnic University, Italy
Up to 25-30% of fruit harvested nowadays is lost, and decay causing fungi are among the main causes of such losses. Harvested produce has high economic impact, covering the costs of production, harvesting, transport, eventual cold storage, exposure on the shelf of stores (so called shelf life) and final life at the home of consumer. During this period, the fruit can be exposed to a list of fungi able to take profit of storage conditions, with high humidity, low temperatures, and senescence, that make weaker the fruit reaction to the infection. The main postharvest pathogen is Botrytis cinerea, but considerable losses of fruit are caused, according to the species, by Penicillia, Colletotrichum spp., Moniliniae, Rhizpous spp., Mucor spp., Alternaria spp., Cladosporium spp. and some other decay causing fungi. Nowadays the most frequent way to prevent postharvest decay relies in the use of synthetic fungicides, but considering their limitations, alternatives based on the use of biocontrol agents, physical means, decontaminating agents, and natural compounds are deeply studies and often used in the field and/or in packinghouses. Most of these alternative treatments have direct antimicrobial activity and at the same time they elicit the host defenses. The different ways to apply the induced resistance, with negative and positive aspects, mechanisms involved and tools useful to track the physiological changes occurring in the host tissues will be discussed.