2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Postharvest loss of horticultural produce continues to be a major area of study due to its impact on global food waste. Small fruit are particularly prone to such loss due to their limited shelf-life of mature fruit and their susceptibility to diseases during shipping and storage. Quality can be directly correlated with the age and maturity of the fruit and the rate of fruit respiration which has also been shown to stimulate pathogen activity. Increased levels of carbon dioxide and reduced levels of oxygen have been shown to slow the rate of respiration in fruit which could possibly cause a secondary effect on the pathogen signaling. In this study, Botrytis cinerea, a major postharvest pathogen, was evaluated for growth and maturation under 3 differential atmospheres: (1) a high CO2 and low O2 treatment, (2) high CO2, ambient O2, and (3) ambient CO2 and O2. Pure cultures were subjected to these parameters in Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) bags and evaluated for both growth and the presence of sexual structures. Studies were conducted at room temperature as well as cold storage temperatures (0-4C) in order to simulate postharvest cold storage.