Bryophytes as a safeguard of fruits from postharvest fungal diseases: A Review

Abstract

Postharvest losses from fungal pathogens to essential fruits and vegetables are enormous and alarming. Orthodox synthetic fungicides are being used as a regular practice to restrict these losses. However, now by knowing the hazards of these chemical-based fungicides, the situation demands alternative green technology. Consequently, many angiosperms plant extracts have been evaluated for their antifungal nature and achieved substantial success. However, the second most prevalent flora on land, i.e. bryophytes, have been scarcely used and somewhat remain neglected besides their remarkable thallus organization, water relations and antimicrobial potential. For postharvest fungus control, these bryophytes, the first land plants' extracts to be researched and promoted due to concerns about drug resistance, nephrotoxicity and biomagnification related to current synthetic fungicides. Since these amphibious plants have their unique protective mechanism against fungal or bacterial attacks due to their unique phytochemistry, therefore have great potential to be used as eco-friendly fungicides. Considering these factors, this article seeks to direct the attention of interested researchers toward the relatively accessible but vast underutilised bryo-diversity to investigate their remarkable potential as postharvest antifungal agents first in laboratories and then on a commercial scale in the future.

Advancement of bryophytes from traditional uses to pharmaceutical applications: A review

“…The antimicrobial efficacy of bryophytes is attributed to their active constituents, including bibenzyls, sesquiterpenoids, steroids, acetophenones, and stilbenes (Joshi et al, 2022). These compounds hinder the growth of harmful bacteria such as Xanthomonas oryzae, which is responsible for rice blight (Li et al, 2022).…”

“…These findings could be valuable for developing natural and sustainable plant protection methods. These compounds have displayed substantial antifungal and antibacterial compounds, suggesting their potential as alternatives to synthetic chemical fungicides in the future (Joshi et al, 2022). Table 2 (Abay et al, 2013).…”

Occurrence, identification, and decontamination of potential mycotoxins in fruits and fruit by‐products

“…In addition, toxins from AOH, AFs, and OTA have also been reported (Mandappa et al., 2018). Therefore, it is necessary to monitor multimycotoxins’ presence in processed fruit products (Iqbal et al., 2018; Joshi et al., 2022). The onset of common rot or mold infections in the fruiting plants paves the way for entering the mycotoxins into the food web.…”