Aug 2026· Beni-Suef University Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences· Vol 15· 0 citations· 177 references
Abstract
Fruits such as mango (Mangifera indica), apple (Malus × domestica ), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa), are consumed worldwide and fall under a highly economical category of crops. In contrast, the postharvest management against fungal infections particularly remains a challenge for maintaining the quality standards of these fruits. For decades, farmers have been dependent upon synthetic fungicides, thus having a serious impact on human health as well as the overall ecosystem. In order to avoid such situations, diverse research laboratories around the world have discovered safe alternatives to these chemical fungicides. The current review aims to summarize as well as analyze the substitute postharvest treatments, including plant extracts, edible films/coatings, green metallic nanoparticles, and plant-based essential oils for controlling fungal infections. The review also highlights the challenges related to each methodology. Natural fungicides effectively kill or inhibit postharvest fungi in addition to maintaining the overall fruit quality that is of utmost importance for retailers, farmers, and ultimate consumers.
Postharvest losses of horticultural produce, primarily due to microbial decay, remain a major challenge to global food security, accounting for 35–50% of production annually. To control this, overuse of synthetic fungicides has led to pathogen resistance, environmental contamination, and health concerns, prompting a shift toward sustainable biocontrol agents (BCAs). This review comprehensively examines the potential of microbial antagonists (yeasts, bacteria, and fungi), plant-based agents (essential oils and extracts), and natural compounds (e.g., chitosan, alginate, organic acids, etc.) for managing postharvest diseases in fruits and vegetables. Key mechanisms of action including competition for nutrients and space, production of antifungal metabolites and enzymes, biofilm formation, induction of host resistance, and volatile organic compounds are discussed in detail. Application strategies (pre- and postharvest), synergistic integrations with physical/chemical treatments, advantages over conventional pesticides, and major challenges (e.g., formulation stability, regulatory hurdles, and commercialization) are critically analyzed. Emerging approaches such as omics technologies, microbial consortia, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology offer promising avenues to enhance BCA efficacy and consistency. This review highlights successful examples and future perspectives of BCAs in postharvest diseases control setup and more importantly their co-applications together with other natural disease control methods and technologies. Finally, it underscores BCAs as viable, eco-friendly alternatives that can extend shelf life, preserve quality, and support sustainable postharvest management.
Esa Abiso Godana, Gerefa Sefu Edo, Sebahat Oztekin et al.· Frontiers in Nutrition· 0 citations
Cocoa production in West Africa continues to suffer significant yield losses due to black pod disease caused by Phytophthora spp. Conventional synthetic fungicides, though widely used, are increasingly constrained by rising costs, environmental risks, and variable field effectiveness. This study evaluates the economic viability of botanical fungicides specifically aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Eucalyptus grandis and Datura stramonium relative to synthetic fungicides using a comprehensive Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) and Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) approach under weekly and bi-weekly treatment regimes. A Completely Randomized Design with three replications was employed, with seven treatments: (i) 4% aqueous E. grandis, (ii) 4% aqueous D. stramonium, (iii) 3% aqueous mixture of E. grandis + D. stramonium, (iv) 1% ethanol extract of E. grandis, (v) 1% ethanol extract of D. stramonium, (vi) synthetic fungicide (commercial standard), and (vii) control. Spraying costs were included for weekly and bi-weekly schedules. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and means separated with New Duncan Multiple Range Test (p≤0.05). Results show that aqueous botanical treatments provided the highest economic returns, with the mixture of E. grandis + D. stramonium achieving the highest weekly BCR of 180.0 followed by aqueous D. stramonium (158.0). Under bi-weekly schedule, the mixture maintained strong performance (BCR 45.0), while aqueous D. stramonium recorded (BCR 28.0). Aqueous E. grandis, with no extraction cost, was economically dominant, yielding net benefits of ₦89,000 weekly and ₦50,000 bi-weekly. Synthetic fungicides showed the lowest BCR (7.17), confirming economic inefficiency. Conclusively, aqueous botanicals demonstrated superior profitability, cost efficiency, and sustainability, providing strong justification for their integration into cocoa disease management strategies in Nigeria and similar regions.
Y. Oladigbolu, Q. Ogunwolu, A. Claudius-Cole et al.· Journal of Biotechnology and...· 0 citations
Postharvest fungal rot is a severe barrier to sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) production in Nigeria, with diseases such as Rhizopus stolonifer, Fusarium spp., Aspergillus niger, and Penicillium spp. Accounting for 20-40% of storage losses. The extensive use of synthetic fungicides has prompted concerns about their environmental impact, human health, and the development of pathogen resistance, emphasizing the need for sustainable botanical alternatives. This study assessed the antifungal activity of ethanolic garlic (Allium sativum) extract and clove (Syzygium aromaticum) bud preparations in the treatment of sweet potato postharvest fungal rot. A total of 147 healthy tubers were divided into seven treatments in a perfectly randomized design with three replications. The treatments included garlic extract at doses of 75%, 50%, and 25%, clove powder, entire clove buds, mancozeb as a positive control, and an untreated control. Treated tubers were maintained at room temperature for six weeks, with weekly checks on weight loss, disease incidence, and disease severity index (DSI). Standard phytochemical screening was also performed on the plant materials. Phytochemical research revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, and steroids in garlic extract, whereas clove preparations also contained tannins and saponins. Clove powder resulted in the lowest weight reduction (17.7 ± 1.39%) compared to the untreated control (27.3 ± 0.81%). Both clove powder and 25% garlic extract significantly reduced illness incidence and severity, with efficacy comparable to mancozeb; however, treatment differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The data show that clove powder and low-concentration garlic extract are effective botanical agents for preventing postharvest fungal degradation and preserving sweet potato quality. Their comparable performance to synthetic fungicides, combined with their affordability and environmental compatibility, suggests that these botanicals could serve as long-term alternatives for postharvest disease management, resulting in lower storage losses, less chemical dependence, and improved food security.
D. E. Dawen, B. Patrick, C. Amienyo· Direct Research Journal of A...· 0 citations
Postharvest green mold, caused by Penicillium digitatum, is considered one of the most economically significant diseases affecting citrus fruit. Current management strategies for green mold rely primarily on the pre- and postharvest application of synthetic fungicides. Plant-derived essential oils (EOs) have been presented as sustainable and ecofriendly alternatives to synthetic pesticides. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the antifungal property of Salvia rosmarinus, Lavandula dentata, and Cymbopogon citratus EO and their mixture against P. digitatum. Under in vitro environment, all treatments exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on P. digitatum mycelial growth. The ternary EOs mixture exhibited significant effect compared to their individual application, showing lowest value of IC50 (0.0452 µL/mL). Moreover, the application of this mixture on infected fruits showed significant inhibitory effect compared to the control. The lesion diameter measured for untreated fruits was 64.29 mm, and 36.05 mm for fruits treated with EOs. In addition, disease incidence of P. digitatum was complete 100% in all fruits tested. Nonetheless, a significant decrease in disease severity was observed among fruits treated with EOs (56.67%). The findings of this study indicate that combining these EOs represents a promising natural strategy for controlling P. digitatum infections.
S. Chafiki, Abdallah Oukarroum, R. Qessaoui et al.· Frontiers in Plant Science· 0 citations
Woody plants are threatened by fungal and oomycete pathogens that cause root and wood rots, cankers, vascular wilts, dieback, fruit decay, and other diseases. Meanwhile, intensive production systems and repeated fungicide use have raised concerns about resistance, environmental persistence, and non-target effects. Essential oils (EOs) have emerged as promising natural antimicrobial resources, yet their effectiveness depends strongly on chemical composition, pathogen susceptibility, concentration, formulation, and application strategy. This review synthesizes current evidence on EO-based management of pathogens affecting forest trees, fruit trees, woody crops, and wood materials, emphasizing the chemical and biological determinants of antifungal efficacy. Across diverse pathosystems, EO activity is associated with phenolic monoterpenes, aldehydes, monoterpene hydrocarbons, and oxygenated terpenoids, while chemotypic and geographical variation can substantially influence performance. EOs act through multiple complementary mechanisms, including disruption of fungal cell membranes and walls, ergosterol depletion, interference with sterol and cell-wall biosynthesis, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, morphological damage, inhibition of spore germination, and suppression of pathogen development. Some EOs may additionally stimulate host defense responses, indicating that disease suppression can involve both direct antifungal activity and plant-mediated resistance. Advances in vapor delivery, coatings, nanoemulsions, and wood-preservative applications further enhance their potential. However, practical deployment remains limited by compositional variability, volatility, phytotoxicity, formulation instability, limited persistence, inconsistent dose responses, and insufficient field validation. Future research should prioritize standardization, mechanism-guided formulation, synergistic combinations, ecotoxicological assessment, techno-economic evaluation, and field- and commercial-scale validation to enable reliable integration of EOs into sustainable woody plant disease management.
It is demonstrated that endophytic fungi possess significant potential as sustainable biological control agents in fruit production systems, highlighting the need to develop standardized models, validate their efficacy under field conditions, and conduct studies focused on the commercial scalability of EF-based management strategies.
Pablo Parra-Verdugo, Daniel Martínez-Cisterna, Ignacio Matamala et al.· Applied Sciences· 0 citations
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