Resistance to Botrytis cinerea and Quality Characteristics during Storage of Raspberry Genotypes

Abstract

<jats:p>Raspberries are a delicate, high-value crop with an extremely short shelf life exacerbated by postharvest decay caused by <jats:italic>Botrytis cinerea</jats:italic> Pers. European red raspberry (<jats:italic>Rubus idaeus</jats:italic> L.) is the most widely grown variety. Yellow (<jats:italic>R. idaeus</jats:italic> L.), black (<jats:italic>R. occidentalis</jats:italic> L.), and purple raspberries (<jats:italic>R. ×neglectus</jats:italic> Peck. or <jats:italic>R. occidentalis ×idaeus</jats:italic> hybrids) are available mainly at local markets and U-pick farms. To compare the postharvest quality of the raspberry color groups, pesticide-free fruit from cultivars and breeding selections of red, yellow, purple, and black raspberries were examined for oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), phenolics, anthocyanins, soluble solids, titratable acids, pH, color, firmness, decay and juice leakage rates, ethylene evolution, and respiration. There were significant correlations between decay rate and physiochemical properties. Both decay and leakage rates were correlated with weather conditions before harvest, but each color group responded differently to different weather factors. There were no correlations among changes in color, firmness, decay, or juice leakage rates. All the other color groups were less acidic than the familiar red raspberry. Yellow raspberries had the worst decay rates but the best leakage rates. Black and purple raspberries, with the highest phenolics and anthocyanins and the lowest ethylene evolution rates, resisted decay the longest but bled soonest.</jats:p>

Grey mould of strawberry, a devastating disease caused by the ubiquitous necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea

“…For instance, strawberries illuminated with white fluorescent light showed increased anthocyanin content and delayed development of grey mould (Saks et al , ). Reduced fruit decay has also been observed in raspberries with high pigmentation (Harshman et al , ) and in transgenic tomatoes that accumulate anthocyanins (Bassolino et al , ; Zhang et al , ). Other small phenolics, especially catechins, may have a role in quiescence.…”

Prevalence of Botrytis cinerea at different phenological stages of table grapes grown in the northern region of South Africa

“…In our study, B. cinerea was detected at pea size, a phenological stage where the content of phenols and organic acids is high (Nunan et al, 1998). This is significant because during pea size growth stage, pathogen proliferation is compromised (Harshman et al, 2014;Jia et al, 2016), further confirming the sensitivity of the ddPCR, as shown in previous work (Dreo et al, 2014). It is also important to note that pyrosequencing analysis of the same samples used in our present study did not detect B. cinerea (Carmichael et al, 2017), showing that ddPCR was more sensitive in this regard.…”

“…Therefore, susceptibility of the berries to pathogen incidence is enhanced during the ripening process. This is due to a decrease in phenolic compounds and organic acids in berries as well as other deciduous fruit (Padgett and Morrison, 1990;Deytieux-Belleau et al, 2009;Harshman et al, 2014;Jia et al, 2016).…”

Trends in maintaining postharvest freshness and quality of Rubus berries

“…Similarly, they produce an off flavor and foul smell due to the production of anaerobic products such as ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, lactic acid, and ethanol (Ellis et al., 2008; Moor et al., 2014). Pathogen‐mediated stress increases color modifications in Rubus berries due to the oxidation of anthocyanins and phenolics, while reducing oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay (Harshman et al., 2014). Overall, a higher proportion of fruit is rejected by consumers just because of 3% decay symptoms on fruit surfaces (Bell et al., 2021).…”

“…I G U R E 5 Relationship between different postharvest factors affecting the storability and shelf life of Rubus berries during postharvest phase (Harshman et al, 2014)…”