Postharvest Disease Management in Horticultural Crops: Recent Developments and Insights

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Pathology and Disease Management (PPDM)".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2025) | Viewed by 1295

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unidad de Tecnología de Alimentos, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, Ciudad de la Cultura S/N, Tepic C.P. 63000, Nayarit, Mexico
Interests: biological control; phytochemistry; food chemistry; postharvest management

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CEOT, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Edf. 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Interests: postharvest technologies of horticultural crops; non-destructive prediction of quality parameters; harvest date prediction; microbial analysis in fruits; edible coatings to improve storage and minimally processed foods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR), Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz 23096, Mexico
Interests: biological control; food microbiology; phytochemistry

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unidad de Tecnología de Alimentos, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, Ciudad de la Cultura S/N, Tepic C.P. 63000, Nayarit, Mexico
Interests: postharvest period; postharvest management; edible coatings

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Postharvest diseases are among the main causes of loss of agricultural production. The main causal agents of postharvest diseases on horticultural products are fungi, although postharvest commodities can also be susceptible to attack by some bacteria. Chemical fungicides are traditionally used to control these pathogens. However, the chemicals used can be toxic to the environment, as well as to the consumer. Therefore, there is now a trend towards integrated postharvest disease management, where various mechanisms are established for disease control, such as biological control, where beneficial organisms are used, since they are generally considered harmless to the environment, the horticultural product, and the consumer. On the other hand, organic acids, plant extracts, edible coatings, and physical methods have also been used, which can be used alone or in combination with these techniques. This Special Issue aims to collect information related to the integrated management of horticultural products, whether that is with the use of biological controls, phytochemicals, organic acids, and edible coatings, alone, or in combination, to mitigate the effect of postharvest diseases.

Dr. Pedro Ulises Bautista-Rosales
Dr. Adriana Guerreiro
Dr. Paola Magallón-Servín
Dr. Rosendo Balois-Morales
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • postharvest disease management
  • biological control
  • biocontrol action mechanisms
  • antimicrobial compounds
  • antimicrobial edible coatings
  • plant–microorganism interaction

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 3317 KB  
Article
Effects of Melatonin and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MPA 1034 on the Postharvest Quality of Potato Tubers
by Londeka Akhona Mbatha and Nokwazi Carol Mbili
Horticulturae 2025, 11(9), 1119; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11091119 - 15 Sep 2025
Viewed by 336
Abstract
Fusarium oxysporum is the causal agent of Fusarium dry rot disease (FDR), which results in postharvest potato losses. Biological control agents (BCAs) and phytohormone melatonin have antifungal effects on fungal pathogens and can be used as alternatives to synthetic chemical fungicides. The aim [...] Read more.
Fusarium oxysporum is the causal agent of Fusarium dry rot disease (FDR), which results in postharvest potato losses. Biological control agents (BCAs) and phytohormone melatonin have antifungal effects on fungal pathogens and can be used as alternatives to synthetic chemical fungicides. The aim of the study was to evaluate the integrated effects of melatonin (MEL) and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (Bamy) on the postharvest quality of potato tubers. Bamy was integrated with six MEL concentrations and screened against F. oxysporum in vitro and in vivo. The effects of the best performing treatment were evaluated for antioxidant activity, phenolic content, ascorbic acid content, and protein content on potato tubers. In the in vitro screening trial, treatment with Bamy + MEL100 had the highest mycelial growth inhibition percentage (59.92%), followed by Bamy + MEL15 and Bamy + MEL50 (56.12% and 55.27%, respectively). Potato tubers treated with Bamy + MEL100 had the lowest disease severity of FDR (50.61%) and a pathogen penetration value of 6.39 mm. Bamy + MEL50 showed a disease severity percentage of 59.72%. The exogenous application of melatonin at a concentration of 100 µM combined with B. amyloliquefaciens was the most effective treatment with the highest phenolic content (144.1 mg GAE/g DW) and protein content (68 mg/g DM) compared to the untreated tubers (104.4 GAE/g DW phenolic content and 50.06 mg/g DM protein content). Tubers treated with melatonin had the highest ascorbic acid content (5.48 mg AAE/100g DM) compared to the untreated tubers (4.09 mg AAE/100 g DM). Overall, tubers treated with a combination of melatonin and B. amyloliquefaciens showed less severe symptoms of FDR across all concentrations. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that B. amyloliquefaciens and melatonin at 100 µM concentration can be used in combination to inhibit the growth of F. oxysporum. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 2391 KB  
Article
In Vitro and In Vivo Effects of UV-C Irradiation Against Fusarium solani in Potatoes
by Gcinokuhle Buthelezi, Nokwazi Carol Mbili and Asanda Mditshwa
Horticulturae 2025, 11(9), 1098; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11091098 - 11 Sep 2025
Viewed by 365
Abstract
Potatoes are a vital staple crop globally, valued for their high nutritional content and yield; however, they are highly susceptible to microbial attacks, mainly during postharvest handling and storage. One of the most important potato diseases that reduces the yield and quality of [...] Read more.
Potatoes are a vital staple crop globally, valued for their high nutritional content and yield; however, they are highly susceptible to microbial attacks, mainly during postharvest handling and storage. One of the most important potato diseases that reduces the yield and quality of potatoes is Fusarium solani. Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation has become a potential postharvest disease control method; however, its efficacy against F. solani on potatoes is poorly understood. This study investigated the in vitro and in vivo effects of UV-C irradiation against F. solani of potatoes. UV-C light (254 nm) treatment was applied to F. solani for 5, 10, and 15 min at 10, 15, and 20 cm to evaluate the in vitro effects. The treated plates were incubated at 25 °C for seven days. UV-C treatment at a 10 cm distance for 10 and 15 min successfully inhibited F. solani mycelial growth, with the 15 min exposure showing the highest inhibition rate of 57.96%. Both treatments were selected for further screening. Subsequently, ‘Sifra’ potatoes were treated with UV-C for 10 and 15 min, and the results showed low disease incidence of 33% and 22%, respectively, compared to 96% for the untreated tubers. The scanning electron microscopy assay showed broken and shrunken mycelia, along with damaged spores of F. solani, on potatoes treated with UV-C. The findings suggest that UV-C irradiation may offer a potential alternative, environmentally friendly method to chemical fungicides for controlling postharvest F. solani of potatoes. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop