Articles
Preharvest application of fungicides to control postharvest diseases of blueberries in California
Article number
1440_43
Pages
309 – 318
Language
English
Abstract
Gray mold and Alternaria rot caused by Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata, respectively, are the two major postharvest diseases affecting stored blueberries in California.
A four-year field study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of preharvest application of fungicides to control these postharvest diseases of blueberries.
Over the course of the four-year study, ten different fungicides were tested.
Depending on the fungicide labels, each fungicide was applied once to the blueberry plants 1 to 7 days prior to harvest.
The harvested fruit were carefully packed into clamshells (170-g fruit each) and then stored at 0-1°C for 4 to 5 weeks for decay development.
The treatments were evaluated for their effects on naturally occurring postharvest diseases, the fruit-to-fruit spread (nesting) of gray mold during the storage, and decay on the fruit artificially inoculated with either B. cinerea or A. alternata. On the inoculated fruit, certain fungicides significantly reduced disease incidence and severity, while for the naturally occurring postharvest diseases, the effectiveness of some fungicides varied with trial year.
The limitation of preharvest application of fungicides for the control of postharvest diseases in stored blueberries is discussed.
A four-year field study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of preharvest application of fungicides to control these postharvest diseases of blueberries.
Over the course of the four-year study, ten different fungicides were tested.
Depending on the fungicide labels, each fungicide was applied once to the blueberry plants 1 to 7 days prior to harvest.
The harvested fruit were carefully packed into clamshells (170-g fruit each) and then stored at 0-1°C for 4 to 5 weeks for decay development.
The treatments were evaluated for their effects on naturally occurring postharvest diseases, the fruit-to-fruit spread (nesting) of gray mold during the storage, and decay on the fruit artificially inoculated with either B. cinerea or A. alternata. On the inoculated fruit, certain fungicides significantly reduced disease incidence and severity, while for the naturally occurring postharvest diseases, the effectiveness of some fungicides varied with trial year.
The limitation of preharvest application of fungicides for the control of postharvest diseases in stored blueberries is discussed.
Publication
Authors
C.L. Xiao, S. Saito
Keywords
blueberry, chemical control, fungicide, Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea
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