Evaluation of industry needs with respect to postharvest diseases of stone fruit in South Africa

Chemical fungicides provide good control of postharvest fungal decay of stone fruits. However, a continuous use of fungicides has led to major public concerns regarding fungicide toxicity and development of resistance by pathogens. The overall aim of this research was to evaluate various alternative control strategies that can be used to reduce dependency on synthetic fungicides. Recently, the use of non-chemical products to control decay caused by postharvest pathogens has been widely investigated and have the potential to replace synthetic fungicides. This review describes the effectiveness of using biological control agents, soft products, sanitizers, essential oils and chitosan for the management of postharvest diseases of stone fruits.