Biological control of post
harvest diseases of fruits
Dinithi Vihanga De Silva

Content
1)What is post harvest disease?
2)Factors affecting post harvest diseases
3)Impacts
4)Management of Post harvest diseases
5)Biological control
6)Conclusion
7)References

What is post harvest disease?
Postharvest diseases are those that appear and
develop after harvest. (https://irrec.ifas.ufl.edu/)
Fig 01- Cherry fruit rots
https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-
disease/cherry-prunus-spp-postharvest-rots
Fig 02- Mango stem- end rots
https://www.qualireg.org/en/library/just-published/postharvest-
treatment-of-mango-potential-use-of-essential-oil-with-thymol-to-
control-anthracnose-development

Post harvest
physiological
changes
 Respiration
 Ethylene production
 Compositional changes
 Water loss
 Physical damages
 Physiological breakdown
 Pathological breakdown

 But infection may occur pre-harvest or postharvest
conditions.
 Infection may occur through,
i. Direct penetration through skin,
ii. Natural openings
iii. Injuries .

Common Post Harvest Diseases
Fig 03- Papaya anthracnose Fig 05 - Gray molds of
strawberries
Fig 04- Sour rots of grapes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/scotnel
son/15003087410
https://www.growingproduce.c
om/fruits/grapes/how-to-stop-
sour-rot-of-grapes/ https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2021/03/03
/protein-discovery-could-help-enable-
eco-friendly-fungicides

Fig 06- Blue molds of citrus Fig 07 -Crown rot of banana
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sc
otnelson/8233471806
https://apps.lucidcentral.org/pppw_v10/text/we
b_full/entities/citrus_storage_moulds_197.htm

https://www.postharvest.biz/en/news/a-review-about-
management-strategies-for-postharvest-diseases-of-temperate-
fruits/_id:80208/
Table 01 – Major postharvest diseases of temperate fruits

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263699000_Postharvest_qualit
y_risks_by_stressethylene_management_to_mitigate/figures?lo=1
(References : Ansari, M.W. and Tuteja, N., 2015. )
Table 02- Major postharvest diseases of fruits

what are the Factors affecting post harvest
diseases?
postharvest
environment
(temperature,
humidity,
composition)
Host physiological
status
(produce maturity
and ripeness stage
& dormant stage)
postharvest
hygiene.
Mode of infection
cultivar
susceptibility to
postharvest
disease
Handling methods
treatments used
for disease control

 Reduce the post harvest
quality
 Reduce the shelf life
 with defects are
unmarketable leading to
increased cost of production
and occasionally loss of an
entire crop.
 Influence the food security
 Health issues
Impacts
Fig 08- rotton fruits at store
https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2016/02/09/
Rotten-fruit-at-Nottingham-store-found-in-HMI-
inspection

Management
of Post harvest
diseases
https://kashmirreader.com/2021/03/18
/ignoring-scientific-advice-apple-
growers-spray-lethal-combination-
recommended-by-pesticide-sellers/
Fig 09 – synthetic chemical applied after
fruiting
https://minnetonkaorchards.com/when-to-spray-apple-trees/
Fig 10- chemical treatments

Ex:
synthetic chemical
pesticides &
fungicides
Treatments
Chemical Physical Biological
Ex:
Heat treatment
Ionizing radiation
Ex:
Biocontrol methods
Natural fungicides

Biological control
 use of antagonistic microorganisms for the control of postharvest diseases.
Fermented food
products
Surface of leaves
Surface of Fruits
Surface of
vegetables
Isolated from

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/9/3/121/htm
Fig 11- Mechanisms of action of biocontrol agents. (Carmona-Hernandez, S., et al
2019)

 Genetically stable
 Effective at low concentrations
 Survival capability under adverse environmental conditions
 Capability of adhering to and colonizing the host surface
 Effective against a range of phytopathogens
 Production in a low-cost growth medium
 Preparation in a simple formulation that can be stored for long time periods
 Environmentally friendly
 No production of secondary metabolites or harmful toxins
Ideal characteristics of a biological control agen

Example :
both field and postharvest applications of Bacillus
subtrlis and B.
licheniforrnts suppress anthracnose (caused by
Colletotrichum gloeo sponoides) and
stem end rot (caused by Dothiorella spp. and other
fungi) development in avocado.
References :
Coates, L. and Johnson, G., 1997. Postharvest diseases of fruit and
vegetables. Plant pathogens and plant diseases, pp.533-548.
Host -- Avocado
Biocontrol agent -- Bacillus subtrlis
Pathogen -- Colletotrichum gloeo sponoides
Disease -- Antharacnose
Host -- Avocado
Biocontrol agent -- Bacillus licheniforrnts
Pathogen --Dothiorella spp
Disease -- stem end rot
Fig 12 - (a) External symptoms of SER on ripe
avocado fruit, and (b). A vertically halved avocado
showing internal pulp symptoms due to SER. (stem
end rot)
Reference:
Karunanayake, K.O.L.C. and Adikaram, N.K.B., 2020.

• YieldPlus (Cryptococcus albidus) – developed in South Africa for pome fruit
• Avogreen (Bacillus subtilis) – South Africa for avocado
• Shemer (Metschnikowia fructicola) – Israel for apricot, peach, citrus, grapes,
pepper, strawberry, sweet potato
• Several other products such as Candifruit (Candida sake),
NEXY (Candida oleophila), and Boni-Protect (Aureobasidium pullulans) are in
in development.
Commercial Biocontrol products registered in world wide.

Application of Biocontrol Agents
 Bio-control agents can be applied in to soil, seeds, & plant surface etc.
Application
Application of
Biocontrol Agents in
Pre-harvest Stages
Application of
Biocontrol Agents in
Post harvest Stages
How to apply
 Applied directly to fruit by pulverization or
immersion in solution.
Purpose
 Suppressing phytopathogen agents during
storage
How to apply
 Spray on surface & applied to soil
Purpose
 Protecting postharvest cultivation

Advantages & disadvantages of using biological control for
post harvest disease controlling
Advantages
• Environmentally friendly
• Self-perpetuating or self-sustaining and therefore
permanent
• Cost-effective
• Does not disturb the soil or create large empty
areas
• Cause no harm to humans & animals.

Disadvantages
• Host specific
• Biological control agents are expensive to find
• Expensive at start up
• Slow process
• whether native species are now extinct because
of the activity of introduced natural enemies,

Conclusion
• Postharvest diseases affect a wide variety of crops, leading to
fruit losses. The management of postharvest diseases plays an
important role by avoiding pathogenic infections and their
spread to susceptible fruits.
• Biological controlling at the postharvest stage represents an
interesting tool as an alternative to chemical control of
postharvest pathogens without sacrificing fruit quality.

References
 Carmona-Hernandez, S., Reyes-Pérez, J.J., Chiquito-Contreras, R.G., Rincon-Enriquez, G., Cerdan-
Cabrera, C.R. and Hernandez-Montiel, L.G., 2019. Biocontrol of postharvest fruit fungal diseases by
bacterial antagonists: a review. Agronomy, 9(3), p.121.
 Chalutz, E. and Droby, S., 1998. Biological control of postharvest disease. Plant–microbe interactions
and biological control. Dekker, New York, pp.157-170.
 Ansari, M.W. and Tuteja, N., 2015. Post-harvest quality risks by stress/ethylene: management to
mitigate. Protoplasma, 252(1), pp.21-32.
 Hewajulige, I.G.N., Sivakumar, D., Sultanbawa, Y. and Wijesundara, R.L.C., 2006. Effect of chitosan
coating of postharvest life of Papaya (Carica papaya L.) var Rathna grown in Sri Lanka.
 Sivakumar, D., Wijeratnam, R.W., Wijesundera, R.L.C. and Abeysekera, M., 2012. Post-harvest
diseases of rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) in the western province. Journal of the National
Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, 25(4).
 Coates, L. and Johnson, G., 1997. Postharvest diseases of fruit and vegetables. Plant pathogens and
plant diseases, pp.533-548.
 Karunanayake, K.O.L.C. and Adikaram, N.K.B., 2020. Stem-end rot in major tropical and sub-tropical
fruit species. Ceylon J Sci, 49(5), pp.327-336.
 Wijesinghe, C.J., Wijeratnam, R.W., Samarasekara, J.K.R.R. and Wijesundera, R.L.C., 2010.
Identification of Trichoderma asperellum from selected fruit plantations of Sri Lanka. Journal of the
National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, 38(2), pp.125-129.
 Gamagae, S.U., Sivakumar, D. and Wijesundera, R.L.C., 2004. Evaluation of post-harvest application
of sodium bicarbonate-incorporated wax formulation and Candida oleophila for the control of
anthracnose of papaya. Crop Protection, 23(7), pp.575-579.

Acknowledgement

Thank you…