Biocontrol Agents against Post Harvest Decay in Fruits and Vegetables: A Review

Post harvest losses are the major threats in the supply chain between harvest and consumption which contribute 44% of the total loss of fruits and vegetables. Among the various causes, post harvest diseases are major decay of fruits and vegetables accounting for 20-25% losses. The causative fungus belonging to both biotrophic and necrotrophic nature belongs to the genera of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Botrytis, etc. Management of post harvest diseases by conventional chemicals is not preferred due to residual effects and toxicity. Considering the global demand and consumer awareness about the health effects of pesticides, biocontrol agents are getting attention in recent times for post harvest disease management. BCAs like Trichoderma, Bacillus and Pseudomonas have been explored for successful management of post harvest diseases of citrus, strawberry, tomato, etc. The possible mode actions of the BCAs are competition for nutrients and space, production of antimicrobial compounds, hydrolytic enzymes, and induced resistance. The added advantage of BCAs is that they can be integrated with other physical, natural compounds and additives for coatings due to their synergistic and mutualistic effect. The product development for biocontrol origin must be encouraged to utilize the benefits they provide. Several constraints in process of product development may arise which can be overcome by more research, education, training at the farm level, and multi-omics studies to unravel the potentials of the BCAs.