State of the art and future prospects of the biological control of postharvest fruit diseases

Synthetic fungicides are the primary means to control postharvest diseases of fruits. Biological control has emerged as one of the most promising alternatives to chemicals. During the last 20 years, several biological control agents have been widely investigated for use on different pathogens and fr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of food microbiology 2004-03, Vol.91 (2), p.185-194
Main Authors: Spadaro, Davide, Gullino, Maria Lodovica
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antagonist
antagonist formulation
Antibiosis
application methods
Biological and medical sciences
biological control
biological control agents
competitive exclusion
Consumer Behavior
Consumer Product Safety
Food industries
Food Microbiology
Food Parasitology
Food Preservation - methods
Fruit
Fruit - microbiology
Fruit - parasitology
Fruit and vegetable industries
fruits (food)
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
fungal antagonists
Humans
induced resistance
induced resistance in host tissue
integrated pest management
Mechanism of action
parasitism
Pest Control, Biological
pesticide formulations
Postharvest disease
postharvest diseases
postharvest treatment
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Summary:Synthetic fungicides are the primary means to control postharvest diseases of fruits. Biological control has emerged as one of the most promising alternatives to chemicals. During the last 20 years, several biological control agents have been widely investigated for use on different pathogens and fruit crops. Many biological control mechanisms have been suggested for use on fruit including antibiosis, parasitism, induced resistance in the host tissue and competition. With the aim of extending the use of the biofungicides, there have been many studies on the application of various combinations of control agents, and on the application integrated with chemical and physical means of protection. The formulation and application methods are key issues for the efficacy and successful outcome of the commercial product. Genetic engineering may provide a useful tool in the enhancement of the biological control efficacy. Since biofungicides are usually not as effective as pesticides, this approach should be viewed as an important component of an integrated disease management scheme given that a significant and permanent reduction of pesticide use is our goal.
ISSN:0168-1605
1879-3460
DOI:10.1016/S0168-1605(03)00380-5