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Bio-Control Potential of Microbial Antagonists Against Post-Harvest Diseases of Fruit Crops: A Review

Parthasarathy S, Rajalakshmi J, Narayanan P, Arunkumar K and Prabakar K

Postharvest diseases cause severe economic losses to horticultural fresh produce during the transportation and storage. The incidence of postharvest diseases can affect the quality and restrict the shelf life of the horticultural fresh produce. Synthetic fungicides, when applied are the primary factor to control postharvest diseases. At present legal regulations are enforced by the perishable produce importing nations regarding the minimum pesticide residue levels in the edible portion of the perishable produce. Most of fungal pathogens were reported to develop indigenous resistance against synthetic fungicides. Open disposal of metallic and synthetic fungicides has a hazardous impact on environmental footprint. All these valid reasons have demanded the lookup for a natural novel biological fungicide to replace the synthetic fungicide application in the supply chain system as postharvest application. Microbial antagonists were emerged as a promising eco-friendly alternative to chemicals. During the past twenty years, several microbial antagonists have been widely evaluated against various postharvest fungal and bacterial pathogens. Therefore, this current review summarizes the use and novelty of antagonists in the control of postharvest diseases of fruit crops, their mode of actions, effects on the defence mechanism and quality of fresh fruit.