Abstract
In the agricultural sector, citrus is one of the most important fruit genus in the world. In this scenario, Brazil is the largest producer of oranges; 34% of the global production, and exporter of concentrated orange juice; 76% of the juice consumed in the planet, summing up US$ 6.5 billion to Brazilian GDP. However, the orange production has been considerable decreasing due to unfavorable weather conditions in recent years and the increasing number of pathogen infections. One of the main citrus post-harvest phytopathogen is Penicillium italicum, responsible for the blue mold disease, which is currently controlled by pesticides, such as Imazalil, Pyrimethanil, Fludioxonil, and Tiabendazole, which are toxic chemicals harmful to the environment and also to human health. In addition, P. italicum has developed considerable resistance to these chemicals as a result of widespread applications. To address this growing problem, the search for new control methods of citrus post-harvest phytopathogens is being extensively explored, resulting in promising new approaches such as biocontrol methods as “killer” yeasts, application of essential oils, and antimicrobial volatile substances. The alternative methodologies to control P. italicum are reviewed here, as well as the fungal virulence factors and infection strategies. Therefore, this review will focus on a general overview of recent research carried out regarding the phytopathological interaction of P. italicum and its citrus host.
Highlights
Citrus is one of the most produced and exported fruit genus in the world (Liu et al, 2012; Papoutsis et al, 2019) being consumed in natura or as derived products
The main pesticides used to control P. italicum are sterol demethylase inhibitor (DMI) Zhang et al (2019) fungicides, like Imazalil (IMZ), Pyrimethanil, Fludioxonil, and Tiabendazole, which are toxic chemicals that are harmful to the fruit and to human health (Ragsdale and Sisler, 1994; Singh et al, 2012; Papoutsis et al, 2019)
The fungus P. italicum is one of the main responsible pathogen for post-harvest diseases in oranges. It is responsible for significant drops in fruit production, and directly affects the economy of many countries, especially Brazil, as it is the largest producer and exporter of this product in the world
Summary
Citrus is one of the most produced and exported fruit genus in the world (Liu et al, 2012; Papoutsis et al, 2019) being consumed in natura or as derived products. The most harmful phytopathogenic fungi of oranges are Penicillium digitatum, which causes the green mold disease, responsible for about 90% of post-harvest losses (Costa et al, 2019b; Papoutsis et al, 2019), and Penicillium italicum Wehmer, the causing agent of the blue mold disease. The latter disease develops more slowly, it presents higher resistance to cold (Whiteside et al, 1993; Palou et al, 2002; Iqbal et al, 2012, 2017) and to low water availability (Plaza et al, 2003), spreading and contaminating a greater number of healthy oranges. Temperature at the range of 20–25◦C and high spore concentration in skin wounds increases de severity of disease development (Papoutsis et al, 2019)
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 call
