Abstract
The greatest challenge for the avocado (Persea americana Miller) industry is to maintain the quality of the fruit to meet consumer requirements. Anthracnose is considered the most important disease in this industry, and it is caused by different species of the genus Colletotrichum, although other pathogens can be equally important. The defense mechanisms that fruit naturally uses can be triggered in response to the attack of pathogenic microorganisms and also by the application of exogenous elicitors in the form of GRAS compounds. The elicitors are recognized by receptors called PRRs, which are proteins located on the avocado fruit cell surface that have high affinity and specificity for PAMPs, MAMPs, and DAMPs. The activation of defense-signaling pathways depends on ethylene, salicylic, and jasmonic acids, and it occurs hours or days after PTI activation. These defense mechanisms aim to drive the pathogen to death. The application of essential oils, antagonists, volatile compounds, chitosan and silicon has been documented in vitro and on avocado fruit, showing some of them to have elicitor and fungicidal effects that are reflected in the postharvest quality of the fruit and a lower incidence of diseases. The main focus of these studies has been on anthracnose diseases. This review presents the most relevant advances in the use of natural compounds with antifungal and elicitor effects in plant tissues.
Highlights
The greatest challenge for the avocado (Persea americana Miller) industry is to maintain the quality of the fruit in order to meet consumer requirements, e.g., in terms of shape, skin color, and texture, among others
The objective of this review is to gather published information about the natural defense mechanisms and elicitation occurrence on avocado fruit by different natural substances considered as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) compounds, as well as their antifungal effect on Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
Obianom et al [37] applied chitosan at 1.5% on avocado fruits inoculated with C. gloeosporioides, reducing the incidence of anthracnose by more than 65%
Summary
The greatest challenge for the avocado (Persea americana Miller) industry is to maintain the quality of the fruit in order to meet consumer requirements, e.g., in terms of shape, skin color, and texture, among others. Anthracnose, caused by different species of the genus Colletotrichum, is considered the most important disease in this industry [4,5,6] To control these fungi, the main method has been the use of commercial fungicides, such as azoxystrobin and azoxystrobin + fludioxonil. Information on the defense mechanisms of the fruit and those compounds with elicitor activity on the avocado fruit is scarce and dispersed, focusing mainly on physiological and quality aspects of the treated fruit. They tend to omit the enzymatic and molecular activation processes. The objective of this review is to gather published information about the natural defense mechanisms and elicitation occurrence on avocado fruit by different natural substances considered as GRAS compounds, as well as their antifungal effect (modes action and target sites) on Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
