Search Results (396)

Postharvest soft rot is a major constraint in kiwifruit production, causing substantial economic losses and raising food safety concerns. Therefore, the development of sustainable biocontrol alternatives to conventional chemical treatments is urgently needed. In this study, thirty-seven fungi were isolated from healthy kiwifruit tissues and rhizosphere soil and screened for their biocontrol potential. Three highly effective antagonistic strains were ultimately identified: Mucor circinelloides N2-1-1, Aspergillus niger Pb-2-2, and Trichoderma hamatum Nd-1-1. In vitro antagonism assays showed that A. niger Pb-2-2 exhibited the strongest and broadest-spectrum inhibitory activity against four postharvest pathogens, namely Fusarium sp., Alternaria sp., Botryosphaeriaceae sp., and Phomopsis sp. In contrast, in vivo protection assays demonstrated that T. hamatum Nd-1-1 almost provided the highest control efficacy against all four pathogens in kiwifruit fruit. Fermentation broth protection experiments further revealed that A. niger Pb-2-2 produced stable and broad-spectrum antimicrobial metabolites. Although M. circinelloides N2-1-1 showed the weakest antagonistic activity among the three fungi, this is the first report indicating that M. circinelloides has antagonistic activity against phytopathogenic fungi. Physiological analyses indicated that all three antagonistic fungi alleviated the inhibitory effects of pathogens on superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase activities, helped maintain reactive oxygen species homeostasis, and activated the phenylpropanoid pathway, thereby enhancing disease resistance in kiwifruit. These findings provide a theoretical basis and promising microbial resources for the biological control of postharvest soft rot in kiwifruit. Full article

Chitosan, a chitin-derived biopolymer, is widely used in agriculture and food preservation. Fungal-derived chitosan offers a sustainable alternative to crustacean sources, and Ganoderma lucidum represents a promising source of this functional material. This study characterized fungal chitosan (F.Cs) extracted from G. lucidum cell-wall chitin by FT-IR, molecular weight, viscosity, and degree of deacetylation. Its antimicrobial activity was evaluated in vitro, and its preservative and disease control efficacy against Monilinia fructicola on postharvest apples was compared to commercial chitosan (C.Cs). DNA/protein leakage of the studied FGs and C.Cs were investigated to reveal the antimicrobial mechanisms. In particular, F.Cs exhibited promising in vitro antimicrobial activity, with MIC/MFC values of 0.75/0.75 mg/mL against M. fructicola and 0.75/1.5 mg/mL against Botrytis cinerea, compared to C.Cs. In addition, F.Cs induced greater membrane damage in M. fructicola than C.Cs, as evidenced by higher DNA leakage (24% vs. 13%) and more pronounced protein leakage (102% vs. 98%). In vivo assay demonstrated that F.Cs formed an effective protective coating layer, reducing fruit moisture loss, preserving firmness s, and significantly limiting M. fructicola-induced decay compared to C.Cs. Particularly, F.Cs (1.5%) were most effective, reducing disease incidence to 12.5% (preventive) and 20.8% (curative), with decay rates of 18 and 31%, respectively. C.Cs (1.5%) provided moderate protection, with disease incidences of 37.5 and 43.7% in preventive and curative treatments, respectively. These results demonstrate the superior efficacy of F.Cs over C.Cs in preserving apple quality and enhancing resistance to M. fructicola, highlighting the potential of G. lucidum-derived chitosan as a sustainable, multifunctional biopolymer for postharvest disease control and fruit quality preservation. Full article

Specialty crop industries generate heterogeneous knowledge across cultivation, pest and disease management, post-harvest handling, quality control, and marketing, yet this knowledge is often dispersed across technical documents, web resources, relational datasets, and expert experience. Taking the jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) industry as a case study, this study develops a reproducible ontology-constrained knowledge-engineering framework. A lifecycle-oriented domain ontology and a curated knowledge graph prototype were constructed from verified ontology-aligned records, while unstructured texts were used to evaluate prospective information-extraction components. Four BERT-based named entity recognition models were compared under leakage-controlled five-fold cross-validation, and versioned ontology-constrained trigger rules were evaluated under a gold-entity setting. The final ontology contained 457 RDF triples, 38 classes, 13 object properties, and 71 data properties, and logical consistency checks detected no inconsistent named classes. BERT-Softmax obtained the highest mean NER F1-score (0.328 ± 0.146) in this small corpus, but the fold variability does not support a general claim of superiority over CRF-based architectures. Under gold entities, the refined trigger rules achieved an F1-score of 0.683 ± 0.142; in a stricter diagnostic using automatically predicted fine-grained entities, end-to-end relation extraction declined to 0.035 ± 0.054. On a 93-question benchmark generated from verified graph triples, the rule-graph QA engine achieved a token-level F1-score of 0.973 and a tail-set exact accuracy of 98.9%, primarily reflecting relation mapping and graph retrieval correctness. A separate 20-question human-authored challenge audit found three partially supported questions and no fully supported question, illustrating the boundary beyond graph-grounded retrieval. The results provide case-specific, exploratory evidence that explicit ontology constraints can support reproducible knowledge organization and verifiable retrieval under limited domain data; they do not establish deployment-level or unrestricted agricultural QA performance. Full article

Alternaria sp. is a major pathogen causing postharvest storage decay of European plum. This study evaluated the antifungal activity of low-temperature plasma (LTP) against Alternaria sp. and elucidated its mechanism. With increasing LTP exposure, both mycelial growth and spore germination of Alternaria sp. were progressively inhibited; at 70 kV for 40 s, inhibition reached 100% and 99.32 ± 0.59%, respectively. Ultrastructural observations revealed abnormal spore morphology (swelling and shrinkage). Fluorescence microscopy showed compromised membrane integrity and increased permeability. The activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) decreased by 86.08%, 82.86% and 75.47%, respectively, compared with the 0 s control group. Therefore, the accumulation of H₂O₂ and O₂⁻ in cells destroys the redox homeostasis, further damages the membrane structure and function, and leads to the time-dependent increase in nucleic acid leakage, soluble protein leakage and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. Collectively, LTP exhibits strong antifungal activity against Alternaria sp. and shows promise for controlling postharvest diseases of plum fruit. Full article

Alternaria alternata often causes preharvest potato early blight and postharvest tuber rot, which can result in substantial yield losses. Demethylation inhibitors (DMIs) are widely used to control Alternaria diseases. However, the underlying resistance risk remains poorly understood. In this study, 114 A. alternata isolates from five major potato-producing regions in Shandong, China, were evaluated for sensitivity to four DMIs (mefentrifluconazole, prothioconazole, tebuconazole, and difenoconazole). The mean EC₅₀ values were 0.622, 6.053, 4.763, and 0.651 mg·L⁻¹, respectively. The Shapiro–Wilk test confirmed unimodal sensitivity distributions, allowing these mean EC₅₀ values to serve as baseline sensitivities. Two-year, two-location field trials demonstrated good control efficacy for all fungicides, with mefentrifluconazole exhibiting the highest efficacy. Three resistant mutants produced by artificial selection in the laboratory exhibited 3.78-, 28.06-, and 15.73-fold higher EC₅₀ values and showed fitness costs, including reduced or comparable mycelial growth, sporulation, and spore germination, pathogenicity similar to that of the parental strain, and lower temperature adaptability. By establishing the first baseline sensitivity of A. alternata from potato to these four DMI fungicides and assessing the resistance risk of mefentrifluconazole, this study provides a basis for rational fungicide application, resistance management, and future field resistance monitoring. Full article

To meet consumer expectations for larger litchi fruits and better postharvest storage quality, this study assessed the effects of preharvest chitosan application on litchi fruit size, weight, postharvest quality and storage performance. Litchi fruits were sprayed with a commercial aqueous chitosan formulation (Kadozan) in five different concentrations, namely, 1:250 (V_Kadozan: V_{Kadozan + Water}), 1:500, 1:750, 1:1000 and 0:1000 (control), at 45, 55, and 65 days after full blossom (AFB), and then harvested at commercial maturity (90 days AFB). After harvest, the fruit were cleaned, air-dried, packaged, and subsequently stored at room temperature (25 ± 1 °C). The results revealed that preharvest Kadozan treatment produced heavier and larger fruits with higher vitamin C at harvest. During storage, it delayed the decline in total soluble solids, soluble sugars, and vitamin C in the aril while preserving higher pericarp anthocyanin, chlorophyll, carotenoid, and flavonoid contents. Kadozan treatment also reduced respiration rate, weight loss, and cell membrane permeability, increased total phenolics and decreased polyphenol oxidase activity, leading to a lower browning index. Notably, it enhanced lignin, upregulated phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase activities, and accordingly suppressed disease development and improved marketable fruit rate. In conclusion, among the tested treatments, the 1:750 Kadozan application was the most effective in improving fruit quality at harvest, delaying postharvest senescence, and enhancing storage performance, thus offering a practical strategy for both preharvest quality improvement and postharvest quality maintenance of litchi fruits. Full article

Black spot disease caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata (C. fimbriata) is a severe postharvest disease of sweet potatoes. This study evaluated the biocontrol potential of Bacillus velezensis (B. velezensis) L33a against this pathogen. Confrontation assays showed that L33a inhibited mycelial growth by 82.83%. FDA/PI staining and scanning electron microscopy revealed that L33a disrupted cell membrane integrity and caused severe mycelial deformation. Co-culture experiments indicated that L33a altered the expression of key pathogenic genes in C. fimbriata. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from L33a inhibited the pathogen by 77.78%, outperforming cell-free supernatant (CFS). VOCs primarily suppressed spore germination, with phenylethanol (PEA) and octanoic acid achieving 100% inhibition. In planta tests on sweet potato tubers showed that both L33a culture and VOCs significantly reduced lesion expansion. Using qPCR analysis, we found that L33a activated defense-related genes in tissues around wounds, particularly those involved in the jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway. In summary, B. velezensis L33a effectively controls sweet potato black rot through multiple mechanisms: direct antifungal activity, inhibition of spore germination, modulation of pathogen gene expression, and induction of host defense responses. It represents a promising natural inhibitor for postharvest disease management. Full article

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is a volatile phytohormone that regulates diverse physiological processes and mediates plant responses to various external stressors. Recently, MeJA has emerged as a promising postharvest alternative for the improvement of fruit quality. Here, we reviewed the research progress on the application of exogenous MeJA to postharvest fruits, focusing on its regulatory roles in regulating fruit ripening, improving postharvest fruit quality, alleviating postharvest chilling injury, and controlling postharvest diseases. The potential physiological and biochemical mechanisms mainly include: (1) inducing endogenous JA biosynthesis; (2) mediating JA signaling transduction; (3) enhancing antioxidant capacity; (4) inducing the defense system; (5) regulating sucrose metabolism; and (6) modulating energy metabolism. Additionally, a specific finding is the possible crosstalk of applications of MeJA and various phytohormones during postharvest fruit storage, which provides a new method and insight for the fruit quality industry. Full article

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber dry rot caused by Fusarium spp. is a major postharvest disease responsible for significant storage losses worldwide. This study investigated Fusarium isolates recovered from symptomatic potato tubers collected in February 2025 from storage facilities in the Mascara region of Algeria. To our knowledge, this is the first regional characterization of Fusarium-associated dry rot in stored potato tubers from Mascara, Algeria. By integrating morphological characterization, quantitative pathogenicity assessment, and targeted molecular identification, the study examined the relationship between morphotype occurrence and disease-causing potential. A total of 118 purified Fusarium isolates were obtained from symptomatic potato tubers and grouped into 28 morphotypes based on cultural and morphological characteristics. One representative isolate from each morphotype was evaluated for pathogenicity on potato tubers of cv. ‘Arizona’ under controlled incubation conditions, and disease severity was quantified by image analysis. Of the 28 representative isolates tested, 15 induced dry rot symptoms, with marked differences in aggressiveness, whereas several isolates induced little or no necrosis under the conditions tested. Selected aggressive isolates were further analyzed using TEF1-α sequencing, which identified F14 as F. sambucinum and F171 as F. redolens, while F4 and F34 were identified to the F. oxysporum and F. solani species-complex level, respectively. Importantly, morphotype frequency did not necessarily reflect disease severity, as some of the most aggressive isolates belonged to less common morphotypes. These findings suggest that isolation frequency alone may not adequately reflect pathogenic importance and support the integration of occurrence data, pathogenicity testing, and molecular identification in the assessment of Fusarium-associated dry rot in potato storage systems. Full article

Salmonella remains one of the most critical zoonotic pathogens in the poultry sector, linked to animal disease, foodborne illness, and the global crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Poultry acts as a major reservoir, enabling Salmonella transmission from hatchery to retail products through horizontal, vertical, and environmental routes. Despite the use of biosecurity, vaccination, antibiotics, and chemical decontamination, effective and sustainable control across the poultry value chain remains difficult, particularly in the face of rising multidrug-resistant strains and growing consumer concerns over chemical residues. Bacteriophages (phages), viruses that selectively infect and lyse bacteria, have emerged as a promising biological alternative for Salmonella control. Although many studies have reported the effectiveness of phages against bacterial species, including Salmonella, in the poultry industry, reports on their full potential to combat antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella across the entire poultry value chain remain limited. Therefore, this review synthesizes current evidence on the application of phages throughout the poultry value chain, including on-farm interventions, processing plant decontamination, and food packaging and storage. Findings from the reviewed articles indicate over a 90% reduction in Salmonella spp. in poultry farms and post-harvest meat, along with lower mortality in phage-treated groups compared to untreated groups; however, these outcomes depend on several factors (e.g., phage strains, concentrations, application methods, and environmental conditions). Laboratory, pilot, and field studies consistently demonstrate that phage preparations, especially when formulated as cocktails or combined with complementary interventions, can achieve substantial reductions in Salmonella, including antibiotic-resistant serovars, in live birds, eggs, poultry environments, and meat products. Unlike antibiotics and chemical sanitizers, phages act with high specificity, preserving beneficial microbiota and maintaining the sensory and nutritional quality of poultry products. Their safety has been supported by toxicological and genomic assessments, and several phage-based products have obtained regulatory approval, including Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for food applications in the United States. By integrating efficacy, safety, regulatory, and practical deployment data, this review highlights bacteriophages as a scientifically validated and One Health–aligned tool capable of reducing Salmonella transmission from farm to fork across the poultry value chain, thereby laying the foundation for their future adoption in the poultry industry. Phage-based interventions offer a sustainable pathway to enhance food safety, limit antimicrobial resistance (AMR) dissemination, and strengthen consumer confidence in poultry products. However, the major limitation is the emergence of phage-resistant bacterial strains, as well as the potential involvement of some phages in the transfer of resistance and virulence genes, which could raise public concern. Nevertheless, the use of phage cocktails and whole-genome sequencing, involving tools such as ResFinder and virulence finder, can facilitate the selection of safe phages for application. Full article

The main causes of lemon fruit senescence and deterioration are fungal diseases and postharvest quality loss. Edible coatings have been proposed to delay quality loss in fresh produce by reducing moisture loss and helping preserve external appearance. Natural functional coatings are increasingly being investigated as potential alternatives to synthetic waxes and preservatives due to environmental and consumer safety concerns. The effect of a natural edible coating based on Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage on extending the shelf-life of lemons during cold storage was investigated. Lemon fruits were treated with the mucilage-based edible coating and subsequently stored under controlled cold conditions. Coated and uncoated lemon fruits were evaluated for their physicochemical properties, including weight loss, total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, color, and microbiological analysis, as well as total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity, over a 60-day storage period at 5 ± 0.5 °C and 95% relative humidity. The results showed that the mucilage-based coating improved lemon fruit storage performance, effectively preserving key physicochemical and microbiological parameters over 60 days of cold storage (p ≤ 0.05). In particular, the treatment maintained fruit firmness, reduced weight loss (up to 45%), increased juice content (up to 1.8-fold), and delayed microbial decay compared to control samples. Coated fruits also exhibited higher total polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity than control samples at the end of storage. In addition, using mucilage extracted from cactus pear cladode waste provides a sustainable way to add value to the product, with promising industrial applications as an alternative to synthetic fruit coatings. Full article

Blue mold caused by Penicillium italicum triggers severe tissue decay and limits postharvest shelf life, representing the primary constraint to the commercial supply chain of Shatangju mandarins (Citrus reticulata cv. Shatangju). In this study, the biocontrol efficacy of an antagonistic yeast, Meyerozyma guilliermondii SR1, against postharvest blue mold in Shatangju mandarins was evaluated. The results showed that SR1 significantly inhibited the in vitro growth of P. italicum, delayed disease progression and restricted pathogen sporulation in inoculated fruits during storage. Furthermore, SR1 rapidly colonized fruit wounds to establish a population advantage and enhanced the antioxidant defense capacity of the host fruits. Meanwhile, SR1 treatment significantly reduced postharvest weight loss, with no significant differences in total soluble solids (TSS) and titratable acidity (TA) compared with the control. In conclusion, M. guilliermondii SR1 showed significant biocontrol efficacy against postharvest blue mold in Shatangju mandarins, which provides an experimental basis for the research and development of green citrus postharvest preservatives. Full article

Tamarindus indica L., a key economic tree species in tropical regions, suffers severely from postharvest decay. From 2023 to 2025, disease fruits exhibiting pericarp softening, pulp browning, and sticky exudates were collected in Yunnan, China. Pathogenicity tests following Koch’s postulates, combined with morphological characterization and phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF 1α), and beta-tubulin (TUB) gene regions, identified the causal pathogen as Botryosphaeria fabicerciana (isolates ZWML-06, ZWML-44, ZWML-17). This is the first report of this postharvest disease on tamarind in Yunnan, filling an etiological gap. Additionally, an endophytic bacterium, designated BV-1, was isolated from asymptomatic pulp tissues. Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis identified it as Bacillus velezensis. Strain BV-1 exhibited strong in vitro antagonistic activity against the pathogen, indicating promising biocontrol potential. Functional annotation revealed that BV-1 possesses a complex genetic system with developed transporter systems; its core metabolic network is dominated by nitrogen metabolism and redox processes, suggesting a potential “multi-target” antimicrobial mechanism. This study provides a theoretical basis and novel resources for the green control of postharvest diseases in tamarind. Full article

This study aimed to identify the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the essential oil (EO) of Schinus lentiscifolia and to evaluate the effect of chitosan coatings (1%) enriched with EO of S. lentiscifolia (1000, 2000, and 4000 mg L⁻¹) on the control of Penicillium sp. and on the quality of ‘Fuji’ apples. The EO was extracted from S. lentiscifolia collected in the municipality of Lages, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, in March, May, and November 2022. The antifungal activity of S. lentiscifolia EO against Penicillium sp. was evaluated in vitro. Apples were stored under refrigerated conditions (0 ± 0.5 °C; 90 ± 5% RH) for 30 days and subsequently under ambient conditions (23 ± 3 °C; 70 ± 5% RH) for 5 days. A total of 14 VOCs were identified in the EO of S. lentiscifolia, with the monoterpenes β-pinene (34.68%) and α-pinene (30.61%) as the major compounds, followed by γ-terpinene (10.13%), camphene (9.66%), and o-cymene (7.14%). The application of chitosan coating with S. lentiscifolia EO (2000 mg L⁻¹) reduced the severity of blue mold in ‘Fuji’ apples by 88.1% during refrigerated storage and by 69.2% under ambient conditions. Ethylene production by the apples was also reduced when treated with chitosan and EO. No influence of the treatments was observed on fruit quality attributes. The postharvest application of chitosan coatings combined with S. lentiscifolia EO reduces disease caused by Penicillium sp. in ‘Fuji’ apples without affecting fruit quality. Full article

Reliable potato quality monitoring during postharvest handling requires compact sensing systems that can acquire chemically relevant information while operating on irregular tuber surfaces. In this study, a Flexible Spectral Sensing Gripper (FSSG) was developed by integrating a low-cost 12-channel visible/near-infrared (Vis/NIR) spectral sensor array, electronic components, and an ESP32-S microcontroller onto a flexible printed circuit (FPC) substrate encapsulated with PDMS. By embedding the sensing units into the grasping interface, the FSSG enables conformal, multi-point spectral acquisition during potato handling, reducing optical-coupling uncertainty associated with unstable contact. Spectral reflectance data were collected from potato tubers, and dry matter content (DMC) and starch content (SC) were determined by standard chemical analysis as reference values. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were compared under Norm, SNV, MSC, SNV-Norm, and MSC-Norm preprocessing conditions, and support vector machine (SVM) classification was used to distinguish healthy and artificially induced deteriorated samples. Normalization combined with MLR provided the best performance among the evaluated regression approaches, achieving cross-validation coefficients of determination ($R_{CV}^2$) of 0.847 and 0.817 and RPD values of 2.557 and 2.345 for DMC and SC, respectively. The SVM model achieved 98.67% accuracy for healthy versus artificially induced deteriorated potato samples. Overall, the FSSG demonstrates the value of combining gripper-integrated spectral sensing with interpretable chemometric modeling for potato quality screening. The FSSG enables real-time non-destructive quality prediction and disease-detected classification of potatoes, improves sorting accuracy and production efficiency, and provides general sensing solutions for controlled-environment agriculture, cold-chain logistics, and value-added processing of agricultural products. Full article