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Postharvest Diseases of Pomegranate: Alternative Control Means and a Spiderweb Effect

The pomegranate is a fruit known since ancient times for its beneficial properties. It has recently aroused great interest in the industry and among consumers, leading to a significant increase in demand. Consequently, its cultivation has been boosted all over the world. The pomegranate crop suffers...

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Autores principales: Mincuzzi, Annamaria, Picciotti, Ugo, Sanzani, Simona Marianna, Garganese, Francesca, Palou, Lluís, Addante, Rocco, Ragni, Marco, Ippolito, Antonio
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10456121/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37623578
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jof9080808
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author Mincuzzi, Annamaria
Picciotti, Ugo
Sanzani, Simona Marianna
Garganese, Francesca
Palou, Lluís
Addante, Rocco
Ragni, Marco
Ippolito, Antonio
author_facet Mincuzzi, Annamaria
Picciotti, Ugo
Sanzani, Simona Marianna
Garganese, Francesca
Palou, Lluís
Addante, Rocco
Ragni, Marco
Ippolito, Antonio
author_sort Mincuzzi, Annamaria
collection PubMed
description The pomegranate is a fruit known since ancient times for its beneficial properties. It has recently aroused great interest in the industry and among consumers, leading to a significant increase in demand. Consequently, its cultivation has been boosted all over the world. The pomegranate crop suffers considerable yield losses, especially at the postharvest stage, because it is a “minor crop” with few permitted control means. To control latent (Alternaria spp., Botrytis spp., Coniella spp., Colletotrichum spp., and Cytospora spp.) and wound (Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., and Talaromyces spp.) fungal pathogens, different alternative compounds, previously evaluated in vitro, were tested in the field on pomegranate cv. Wonderful. A chitosan solution, a plant protein hydrolysate, and a red seaweed extract were compared with a chemical control treatment, all as preharvest (field application) and postharvest treatments and their combinations. At the end of the storage period, the incidence of stamen infections and external and internal rots, and the severity of internal decay were evaluated. Obtained data revealed that pre- and postharvest application of all substances reduced the epiphytic population on stamens. Preharvest applications of seaweed extract and plant hydrolysate were the most effective treatments to reduce the severity of internal pomegranate decays. Furthermore, the influence of spider (Cheiracanthium mildei) cocoons on the fruit calyx as a possible barrier against postharvest fungal pathogens was assessed in a ‘Mollar de Elche’ pomegranate organic orchard. Compared to no-cocoon fruit (control), the incidence of infected stamens and internal molds in those with spiderwebs was reduced by about 30%, and the mean severity of internal rots was halved. Spiderwebs analyzed via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) disclosed a layered, unordered structure that did not allow for the passage of fungal spores due to its mean mesh size (1 to 20 µm ca). The aims of this research were (i) to evaluate alternative compounds useful to control postharvest pomegranate decays and (ii) to evaluate the effectiveness of spiders in reducing postharvest fungal infections by analyzing related mechanisms of action. Alternative control means proposed in the present work and calyx spider colonization may be helpful to reduce postharvest pomegranate diseases, yield losses, and waste production in an integrated control strategy, satisfying organic agriculture and the planned goals of Zero Hunger Challenge launched by the United Nations.
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spelling pubmed-104561212023-08-26 Postharvest Diseases of Pomegranate: Alternative Control Means and a Spiderweb Effect Mincuzzi, Annamaria Picciotti, Ugo Sanzani, Simona Marianna Garganese, Francesca Palou, Lluís Addante, Rocco Ragni, Marco Ippolito, Antonio J Fungi (Basel) Article The pomegranate is a fruit known since ancient times for its beneficial properties. It has recently aroused great interest in the industry and among consumers, leading to a significant increase in demand. Consequently, its cultivation has been boosted all over the world. The pomegranate crop suffers considerable yield losses, especially at the postharvest stage, because it is a “minor crop” with few permitted control means. To control latent (Alternaria spp., Botrytis spp., Coniella spp., Colletotrichum spp., and Cytospora spp.) and wound (Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., and Talaromyces spp.) fungal pathogens, different alternative compounds, previously evaluated in vitro, were tested in the field on pomegranate cv. Wonderful. A chitosan solution, a plant protein hydrolysate, and a red seaweed extract were compared with a chemical control treatment, all as preharvest (field application) and postharvest treatments and their combinations. At the end of the storage period, the incidence of stamen infections and external and internal rots, and the severity of internal decay were evaluated. Obtained data revealed that pre- and postharvest application of all substances reduced the epiphytic population on stamens. Preharvest applications of seaweed extract and plant hydrolysate were the most effective treatments to reduce the severity of internal pomegranate decays. Furthermore, the influence of spider (Cheiracanthium mildei) cocoons on the fruit calyx as a possible barrier against postharvest fungal pathogens was assessed in a ‘Mollar de Elche’ pomegranate organic orchard. Compared to no-cocoon fruit (control), the incidence of infected stamens and internal molds in those with spiderwebs was reduced by about 30%, and the mean severity of internal rots was halved. Spiderwebs analyzed via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) disclosed a layered, unordered structure that did not allow for the passage of fungal spores due to its mean mesh size (1 to 20 µm ca). The aims of this research were (i) to evaluate alternative compounds useful to control postharvest pomegranate decays and (ii) to evaluate the effectiveness of spiders in reducing postharvest fungal infections by analyzing related mechanisms of action. Alternative control means proposed in the present work and calyx spider colonization may be helpful to reduce postharvest pomegranate diseases, yield losses, and waste production in an integrated control strategy, satisfying organic agriculture and the planned goals of Zero Hunger Challenge launched by the United Nations. MDPI 2023-07-30 /pmc/articles/PMC10456121/ /pubmed/37623578 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jof9080808 Text en © 2023 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Mincuzzi, Annamaria
Picciotti, Ugo
Sanzani, Simona Marianna
Garganese, Francesca
Palou, Lluís
Addante, Rocco
Ragni, Marco
Ippolito, Antonio
Postharvest Diseases of Pomegranate: Alternative Control Means and a Spiderweb Effect
title Postharvest Diseases of Pomegranate: Alternative Control Means and a Spiderweb Effect
title_full Postharvest Diseases of Pomegranate: Alternative Control Means and a Spiderweb Effect
title_fullStr Postharvest Diseases of Pomegranate: Alternative Control Means and a Spiderweb Effect
title_full_unstemmed Postharvest Diseases of Pomegranate: Alternative Control Means and a Spiderweb Effect
title_short Postharvest Diseases of Pomegranate: Alternative Control Means and a Spiderweb Effect
title_sort postharvest diseases of pomegranate: alternative control means and a spiderweb effect
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10456121/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37623578
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jof9080808
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