Stem end rot infection of avocado (Persea americana)

Fostvedt, J. E., Dicks, L. and Wagstaff, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9400-8641 (2024) Stem end rot infection of avocado (Persea americana). Annual Plant Reviews online, 7 (1). ISSN 2639-3832 doi: 10.1002/9781119312994.apr0810

Abstract/Summary

Stem End Rot (SER) is the name given to a post-harvest rot disorder that manifests as internal browning and degradation of the tissues inside the fruit of avocado. It has commercial significance, causing up to 30 % of a grower’s yield to be negated. Symptom development is often only apparent when the fruit are opened by the consumer, resulting in complaints to the retailer, and consequent lost revenue along the supply chain. The disorder is proposed to be the consequence of infection by a number of pathogens including, Colletotrichum, Botryosphaeria, and Fusarium species and is exacerbated by orchard location, management, and environmental conditions. The exact mechanism and timing of infection is not clear although there is evidence for infection at flowering, during fruit development, and at harvest. An understanding of the infection routes of pathogens causing SER could guide effective mitigation strategies and this review explores how greater mechanistic insight into the route of infection of causative pathogens might be determined. Improvements that could be made to orchard management and at harvest/post-harvest handling of the fruit to reduce SER development are also discussed.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/113688
Identification Number/DOI	10.1002/9781119312994.apr0810
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IDRCs) > Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health (IFNH) Life Sciences > School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy > Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences > Human Nutrition Research Group
Publisher	Wiley
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