1.2 Fungal Plant Pathogens
For centuries, Canadian farmers have lost their crops to disease caused by fungal plant pathogens. In agriculture, crop contamination is detected in both pre- and postharvest stages of growth (Bonaterra et al., 2003). During preharvest field preparation, the objective is for farmers to mitigate the negative impacts on biodiversity, improve forest production and minimize impacts on the residual forest stand, soil and water values (Chung et al., 2008). The current use of synthetic fungicides is the primary means for controlling postharvest diseases. Further along, at the postharvest stage, processing steps include cleaning, sorting, and packing of the crops which are handled. Results from previous studies indicate …show more content…
Not only do they cause crop contamination, but such pathogenic species result in environmental damage as well. Fortunately, during the storage of harvested commodities, environmental parameters are quite stable (Pusey and Wilson, 1984). For this and other reasons, biological control methods by means of microbial antagonists are thought to have a greater potential for success when applied postharvest. However, one of the major obstacles in the development of postharvest biocontrol agents is that they are unable to control previously established infections (Arrebola, Jacobs, & Korsten, …show more content…
The molecular actions that govern microbial competition, leading to microbial control, remain undetermined. A recent FAO report indicates that approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted (FAO, 2014). Each mold contributes to plant quality loss as they are known to be phytopathogenic species. Most studies have indicated that crop losses by phytopathogens are hard to quantify. In this study, fungal competitors include Alternaria solani, Fusarium sambucinum, Rhizopus stolonifer, and Verticillium
For centuries, Canadian farmers have lost their crops to disease caused by fungal plant pathogens. In agriculture, crop contamination is detected in both pre- and postharvest stages of growth (Bonaterra et al., 2003). During preharvest field preparation, the objective is for farmers to mitigate the negative impacts on biodiversity, improve forest production and minimize impacts on the residual forest stand, soil and water values (Chung et al., 2008). The current use of synthetic fungicides is the primary means for controlling postharvest diseases. Further along, at the postharvest stage, processing steps include cleaning, sorting, and packing of the crops which are handled. Results from previous studies indicate …show more content…
Not only do they cause crop contamination, but such pathogenic species result in environmental damage as well. Fortunately, during the storage of harvested commodities, environmental parameters are quite stable (Pusey and Wilson, 1984). For this and other reasons, biological control methods by means of microbial antagonists are thought to have a greater potential for success when applied postharvest. However, one of the major obstacles in the development of postharvest biocontrol agents is that they are unable to control previously established infections (Arrebola, Jacobs, & Korsten, …show more content…
The molecular actions that govern microbial competition, leading to microbial control, remain undetermined. A recent FAO report indicates that approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted (FAO, 2014). Each mold contributes to plant quality loss as they are known to be phytopathogenic species. Most studies have indicated that crop losses by phytopathogens are hard to quantify. In this study, fungal competitors include Alternaria solani, Fusarium sambucinum, Rhizopus stolonifer, and Verticillium