Management of important diseases in Mediterranean high value crops

 

 

 

M Mari*, F Neri and P Bertolini

CRIOF – University of Bologna, Via Gandolfi, 19, 40057 Cadriano, Bologna, Italy

 

 

 

Abstract

Purpose of review: This review focuses on management of diseases for high value fruits of the Mediterranean area, stressing their economic importance and benefits to human health. Emphasis is given to an integrated control strategy for preventing disease development during storage and shelf-life, and recent advances for disease control with alternative methods to synthetic fungicides are also discussed.

Findings: Correct choice of fruit maturity at harvest, careful handling and use of technologies that delay fruit ripening during storage should accomplish decay control. Efforts of research have developed novel control tools, such as natural compounds, biological control agents (BCA), generally recognised as safe (GRAS) additives and physical methods. Heat treatment, completely safe for human health, seems the most promising for decay control in most fruit species, while preharvest treatment with GRAS or postharvest vapour treatment (with ethanol or other antimicrobial volatile compounds) seems more interesting for table grapes.

Limitations: Detrimental effects on fruits, low persistence and possible toxicity to humans are general limitations for practical use of some alternative control methods. In addition, the long time required for registration of new control means in Europe routinely prevent application in packinghouses of BCAs, GRAS additives and biofumigants.

Directions for further research: Improvement of fruit management should be provided at the retail level and consumer sites to reduce losses favoured by ambient conditions. Further studies should optimise alternative treatments in relation to species, cultivar, destination market and usual management of fruits in packinghouses. Effects of some treatments on fruit quality and human health should also be better elucidated. Hence, research should provide tools for tailoring an integrated disease management strategy for each specific fruit situation.

 

Keywords: alternative control methods; integrated disease management; pome fruits; stone fruits; citrus fruits; kiwifruits; table grapes

 

Stewart Postharvest Review 2009, 2:2

Published online 01 April 2009

doi: 10.2212/spr.2009.2.2