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Non-wounding contact-based Inoculation of fruits with fungal pathogens in postharvest

Summary

Researchers developed a new laboratory method to test how fungal molds spread between fruits during storage without damaging the fruit surface. Using oranges, tomatoes, and apples infected with common storage molds, they showed that disease can successfully spread through simple contact between fruits. The method achieved infection rates of 80% or higher and even detected infections before visible mold appeared using special imaging technology.

Background

Fungal pathogens cause significant postharvest losses in fruits and vegetables through diseases like rots and molds. Understanding how persistent fungal infections spread from infected to healthy fruits during postharvest storage is essential for developing effective control strategies. Current inoculation methods either lack standardization or do not accurately represent natural infection processes.

Objective

To develop a reliable and consistent non-wounding contact-based inoculation protocol that simulates disease spread from infected fruits to adjacent healthy fruits during postharvest storage. The study tested multiple fruit commodities and fungal pathogens to demonstrate protocol efficacy and versatility.

Results

Disease incidence rates of 80% or higher were achieved in most trials across all fruit-pathogen combinations tested. Multispectral imaging detected P. digitatum infections in oranges as early as 8 days post-contact inoculation, before visible symptoms appeared. The methodology proved robust even under unfavorable conditions such as fungicide treatment.

Conclusion

A novel non-invasive contact-based inoculation protocol was successfully developed to recreate postharvest infections caused by contact or nesting between fruits. The high reproducibility and efficacy across multiple pathosystems demonstrates the protocol’s potential for studying fruit-pathogen interactions and assessing innovative postharvest control strategies.
  • Published in:Plant Methods,
  • Study Type:Experimental Protocol Development,
  • Source: PMID: 38825669, DOI: 10.1186/s13007-024-01214-2
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