Abstract

LOPEZ-DIAZ, Sigifredo et al. Chitosans and chitosan-sodium octanoate composite reduce strawberry rot in postharvest. Rev. Mex. Cienc. Agríc [online]. 2021, vol.12, n.6, pp.1131-1137.  Epub Mar 21, 2022. ISSN 2007-0934.  https://doi.org/10.29312/remexca.v12i6.2705.

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) is an exquisite food, which provides health benefits, making it the berry with the highest production and export in Mexico. However, it is highly perishable, susceptible to postharvest damage, mainly by Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer, among others. The use of pesticides in preharvest is the control strategy of these pathogens; however, pesticides are documented to harm human health and the ecosystem, showing the need to explore friendly alternatives. Reagent grade chitosan (QGR) is an innocuous polymer with widely reported antifungal activity, while sodium octanoate (8:0) (OS) also has this property; however, so far it is unknown whether commercial grade chitosan (QGC) (the most suitable candidate to conduct a larger commercial study, due to its cost), available in Mexico, has the same effect. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of QGR and the QGR-OS composite in the protection of strawberry in postharvest and compare it with that of QGC and that of the QGC-OS composite. The compounds were sprayed on the fruits and incubated simulating export conditions. The results showed significant reduction in the severity and incidence of postharvest strawberry fungal diseases after the application of QGR, QGC and QGR-OS, QGC-OS, but not that of OS applied alone. QGC and the QGC-OS composite are excellent candidates for use in a larger commercial study.

Keywords : innocuous alternatives; fungal diseases; antifungal polymers.

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