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Title: COMPARISON OF VOLATILE NATURAL PRODUCTS FOR THE REDUCTION OF POSTHARVEST DECAY IN STRAWBERRIES

Author
item Moline, Harold
item Buta, Joseph - George
item Saftner, Robert
item Maas, John

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/26/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Gray mold rot of strawberry fruit, caused by Botrytis cinerea, causes more losses to this crop than any other disease. Because of consumer concerns that synthetic chemicals may be harmful to their health we have explored the use of a natural plant product, Methyl Jasmonate, to control this disease. Our results show that treatment of fruit with methyl jasmonate can reduce gray mold rot of strawberries. Methyl Jasmonate is a volatile compound, allowing fruit to be treated without dipping them in water, thereby reducing the chances of contamination during treatment. An added bonus is the flavor enhancing property of methyl jasmonate. This treatment offers an alternative to the use of synthetic fungicides to extend the shelf life of strawberries.

Technical Abstract: Exposure of strawberry fruit to vapors of methyl jasmonate at a potential concentration of 10-5M or 10-6M for 24 hours at 20C in sealed containers reduced gray mold rot during 4 days of storage at 20C. Treatment with methyl jasmonate at concentrations of 10-4M and 10-5M in film wrapped containers during storage at 10 and 5C reduced decay during 10 to 14 days of storage. Treatment with 2-nonanone and carvone vapors also reduced in film-wrapped containers, but these treatments were not as effective as methyl jasmonate. Firmness measurements and polyamine analysis gave no evidence that methyl jasmonate vapors accelerated senescence of treated fruit. Treatments were more effective in reducing decay in the cultivars Mohawk and Allstar which are more susceptible to gray mold rot caused by Botrytis cinerea Pers.:Fr than in the strawberry cultivars Earliglow and Delmarvel, which have a moderate level of resistance.