Integration of pre- and postharvest treatments for the control of black spot caused by Alternaria alternata in stored persimmon fruit

In Israel, black spot caused by Alternaria alternata is the main postharvest factor that impairs the quality and reduces the storability of persimmon fruit (Diospyros kaki cv. Triumph). The fungus infects the fruit in the orchard and remains quiescent until harvest. After harvest, the pathogen slowly colonizes the fruit during storage at 0°C, which elicits black spot symptom development 2–3 months after storage entry. A commercial postharvest dip treatment in chlorine at 500mgL⁻¹, released from sodium troclosene tablets, effectively controlled black spot in fruit stored for up to 2 months. However, decay incidence increased as the length of storage was extended beyond 2.5 months. The long incubation period that precedes black spot symptom development after harvest enabled the development of a series of integrative approaches for application at the pre- and postharvest stages, in combination with the commercial chlorine dip treatment, to improve the control of black spot disease. Preharvest treatments included treatment with the cytokinin-like N₁-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N₃-phenylurea (CPPU) 30d after fruit set, or a single spray with the curative fungicide polyoxin B 14d before harvest, and when one of these was applied in combination with the postharvest chlorine dip treatment, the black spot infected area was reduced by 3 and 60%, respectively, compared with the chlorine dip alone. At the postharvest stage, fogging during storage, or post-storage on-line spraying with sodium troclosene, when applied in combination with the postharvest chlorine dip, improved the percentage of marketable fruit by 2 or 10%, respectively, compared with the chlorine dip alone. The results indicate that postharvest pathogens that show a slow colonization pattern might enable the integration of pre- and postharvest disease control methods to improve quality and reduce postharvest disease development.