Identification of the Causal Agent of Aqueous Spot Disease of Sweet Cherries (Prunus avium L.) from the Jerte Valley (Cáceres, Spain)

Abstract

The pre and postharvest disease named ‘aqueous spot’ is an emerging risk for sweet cherries growing in Jerte Valley (Cáceres, Spain). Early stages of the disease appear in the tree, but it is usually detected after harvesting, during the postharvest period. Symptoms include the appearance of skin discolouration and translucency in the shoulder areas. At the most advanced stages, a mycelium of white colour partially or completely covers the fruit. This manuscript provides a detailed description of the microbes involved in this disease, such as bacteria, yeasts, and moulds. Microbes of different cherry cultivars were studied during two consecutive seasons (2019 and 2020). The counts of bacteria and yeast in damaged tissues were higher (7.05 and 6.38 log10 CFU/g for total aerobic mesophilic microbes and yeasts, respectively) than sound tissues (6.08 and 5.19 log10 CFU/g, respectively). The Enterobacterales order dominated the bacteria population. Among yeasts, Yarrowia lipolytica, in 2019, and Metschnikowia pulcherrima and Metschnikowia viticola, in 2020, were consistently isolated from all samples. The presence of moulds was inconsistently detected at the early stage of this disease by plate counts. However, microscopic observations revealed the presence of hyphae in cherry flesh. Different pathogenic moulds were identified, although white mycelium, identified as Botrytis cinerea by molecular methods, was consistently isolated at later stages. Inoculation tests confirmed the involvement of white-mycelium B. cinerea in the development of this new postharvest disease in the Jerte Valley. Its combination with Enterobacterales enhanced the evolution of rotting, whereas the combination with yeasts decreased and delayed the symptoms. This work presents the first report of a consortia of microorganisms implicated in the development of ‘aqueous spot’, an emerging disease in sweet cherry cultivars in the Jerte Valley.

Improvement of shelf‐life of cherry (Prunus avium L.) by combined application of modified‐atmosphere packaging and antagonistic yeast for long‐distance export

“…The most important spoilage fungi of sweet cherries are Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium expansum, and Monilinia spp. [10][11][12][13] Consequently, the SL of early cherry is limited to 7-10 days. 6,8 Therefore, strict storage conditions must be applied, alone or in combination with different postharvest strategies, to delay spoilage and maintain quality.…”

“…Among them, primarily diverse species of filamentous fungi cause relatively faster spoilage after harvesting. The most important spoilage fungi of sweet cherries are Botrytis cinerea , Penicillium expansum , and Monilinia spp 10‐13 . Consequently, the SL of early cherry is limited to 7–10 days 6,8 .…”