ABSTRACT
Postharvest losses are mostly due to postharvest diseases and impact food availability in domestic markets and also influence the profitability of exported fruit and vegetables. Applications of postharvest fungicide spray or dip treatments have been traditionally used to control postharvest diseases. Increasing consumer concerns regarding food safety and the presence of fungicide residues on these products have motivated a search for natural, environmentally friendly, alternative disease control strategies. The use of essential oil vapors is a novel approach for the management of postharvest diseases of fruit and vegetables. This chapter reviews the use of essential oils as an alternative to synthetic fungicides for the control of postharvest diseases, with special emphasis on strategies that have been developed to provide the avocado industry with a durable and environmentally friendly product that is safe for workers and consumers. This chapter describes the recent developments of the use of essential oils for the control of blue mold of pomes, green mold of citrus fruit, brown rot of stone fruit, gray mold of many hosts, and anthracnose of avocado in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, studies on the mechanisms of action of essential oils with a particular focus on improving the host defense by means of its signaling effects and the integrated application with other postharvest treatments are covered.
