Use of a Plastic Rain Shield Reduces Fruit Decay and Need for Fungicides in Sweet Cherry
Abstract and Figures
It has been shown previously that covering sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium L.) with rain shields made of polyethylene or other waterproof, light-transmitting material prior to harvest to prevent fruit cracking will reduce fruit decay by various fungi. In the present work, the effects of extending the covering period on fruit decay, fruit quality, and the potential reduction in number of fungicide applications were investigated. In six of eight trials, there were significant reductions in fruit decay in covered fruit compared with fruit that were not covered. The most prevalent fruit-decaying fungi were Monilinia laxa and Botrytis cinerea. Mucor piriformis and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides occurred in high amounts in one trial each. The treatments included covering during rain periods until harvest was over from (i) bloom (bloom-cover), (ii) 6 to 7 weeks prior to harvest (early-fruit-cover), (iii) 3 to 4 weeks prior to harvest (late-fruit-cover), and (iv) not covered. In two trials, the number of fungicide applications was similar between different covering times (bloom-cover not included), and in one trial no fungicides were applied at all (all treatments included). There was a significant effect of covering on fruit decay in all three trials, but there was no difference between covering 6 to 7 and 3 to 4 weeks prior to harvest. In the sprayed fields, the incidence of decay was 48% in fruit that were not covered compared with from 6 to 11% in covered fruit. In the unsprayed field, covering from bloom resulted in 14% fruit decay compared with 23 to 26% in the other two cover treatments. In five trials, all covering regimes were included, and the number of fungicide applications varied with time of covering. The number of fungicide applications for the different treatments were: bloom-cover, 0; early-fruit-cover, 1 to 4; late-fruit-cover, 2 to 5; uncovered, 3 to 6. The mean incidence of fruit decay at harvest for the five trials (range in parentheses) was 3.4 (2.0 to 4.3), 1.8 (0.4 to 4.0), 3.8 (1.8 to 7.7), and 16.5% (2.5 to 39.7), respectively, for the covering times listed. There were no significant differences in decay after storage (3 to 7 days at 4degreesC followed by 2 to 4 days at 20degreesC) among the different covering times in the six experiments where fruit were stored. The results indicate that fungicide applications were not needed if fruit were covered during rainy periods from bloom until the end of harvest, and it was possible to omit I fungicide application if the covering period was increased from 3 to 4 weeks to 6 to 7 weeks. The fruit quality was not reduced by increasing the covering period from the normal 3 to 4 weeks in any of the experiments.
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... Therefore, rain shelter application became an effective means to avoid sweet cherry fruit cracking and rot in areas with frequent precipitation (Blanke & Balmer, 2008;Sotiropoulos et al., 2014). In addition, rain shelter cultivation may effectively protect trees from attack by infectious diseases (Børve & Stensvand, 2007), thereby improving the quality, yield, and commercial value of the fruit. According to previous research, covering shelters can also reduce fruit quality during ripening on tree when trees are exposed to an excessive heat before or during bloom leading to floral malformations. ...
... Differences in cultivation methods and varieties will affect the fruit quality of sweet cherries. According to Børve and Stensvand (2007), the skin color of uncovered sweet cherry fruits was brighter but less red than that the fruit under cover shields. In addition, Zadravec et al. (2009) found that the color parameter L* was significantly increased but the a* and b* values were significantly reduced by covering sweet cherry 'Hedelfinger'. ...
... In addition, the fruits can maintain a higher TSS content during storage. Research by Børve and Stensvand (2007) found that the sugar content (soluble solids) of sweet cherry fruits covered by rain shields was significantly higher (p = .01) than that of uncovered fruits in the Sekse 98 orchard, which was similar to our results. ...
This study investigated the effects of different shelter coverings (arched-shelter and umbrella-shelter) on the volatile components of sweet cherry mature fruits in rainy areas, and the postharvest quality of these fruits during storage at room temperature. A total of 68 volatile compounds were identified and semiquantified in mature fruits. Aldehyde compounds were the most abundant, followed by alcohols. Benzyl alcohol, acetaldehyde, 2-methyl-propanal, hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal and benzaldehyde were the major volatiles, and the proportions of these compounds were greatly affected by different shelter coverings. With the extension of the storage period, the color parameters (L*, a* and b*), texture parameters (hardness, springiness, chewiness, resilience, skin strength and flesh firmness) and titratable acidity of the fruit rapidly decreased. The total soluble solid content and weight loss of the fruit gradually increased. Principal component analysis indicated that the sweet cherry fruits from the arched-shelter had the best quality and the longest shelf life.
... In some perennial crops, rain shelter systems have shown great effectiveness in reducing the incidence of many fungal diseases whose development requires a certain period of wetting in trees. For example, in Norway, Borve and Stensvand [11] showed that the installation of transparent rain shelters on cherry trees during rainy periods from flowering to harvest made it possible to avoid fungicide protection while producing a relatively healthy harvest. In fact, covered trees presented on average only 3.4% of rotten cherries, mainly due to Monilinia laxa and Botrytis cinerea (Pers.). ...
... In fact, covered trees presented on average only 3.4% of rotten cherries, mainly due to Monilinia laxa and Botrytis cinerea (Pers.). In contrast, unprotected trees received between three and six fungicide treatments from flowering to harvest and averaged 16.5% of rotten cherries [11]. In France, the rain shelters offered by Filpack ® were evaluated from 2010 to 2015 on Braeburn and Gala apple varieties. ...
Blossom and twig blight, caused by Monilinia spp., is the main disease in apricot trees. In this study, we installed transparent rain shelters in apricot orchards to study their influence on the modification of the microclimate at the level of the tree canopy and on the reduction in moniliosis damage in twigs. Rain shelters significantly reduced the leaf wetness time measured within the foliage compared to the unsheltered trees (a reduction of between 43% and 67%). However, very few differences were observed in the daily averaged air temperature (up to 6%) and daily averaged air relative humidity (up to 1%). In the first experiment, on the apricot variety Bergarouge® (CEP Innovation, Lyon, France), moniliosis damage on twigs in the absence of phytosanitary protection was reduced by up to 62% for the trees provided with rain protection compared to the trees that did not receive rain shelters. A second experiment, involving five apricot tree varieties, made it possible to verify that fungicide protection could be reduced for the trees protected by rain covers, reducing moniliosis damage on twigs compared to full fungicide protection combined without rain protection. Finally, a third experiment comprising two apricot tree varieties has shown that in organic orchards, rain protection provides protection against moniliosis (twig blight) that is equivalent to an organic farming fungicide protection programme based on the use of copper sulphate and calcium polysulphide.
... Patogen Avstraliya, Yangi Zelandiya, Janubiy Afrika, Shimoliy va Janubiy Amerika va Yaponiyada aniqlangan [11]. Keyinchalik bir necha Yevropa mamlakatlari Frantsiya [19,20,21]. ...
... As temperature and relative humidity (RH) can increase under these covers, there is a higher risk of disease incidence, and thus ventilation is required to prevent damage to the leaves and fruit, decreased fruit color, and fruit softening (Simon, 2006;Lang et al., 2011;Bastías et al., 2017;Bastías and Leyton, 2018). Nevertheless, other studies indicate that covers also reduce the need for fungicides during the rainy periods from flowering to the end of harvest (Børve and Stensvand, 2003). Greenhouse cultivation is a more recent practice in cherry orchards, which allows the creation of more favorable conditions for plant growth by artificially controlling air temperature and RH to extend growing seasons and improve yields (Perrin et al., 2014). ...
Climate change is increasing sweet cherry (Prunus avium (L.) L.) production under cover systems such as high tunnels, rain covers, and nets. The objective of this review was to provide an overview of the environmental factors and physiological responses involved in cherry production under different types of protective covering systems. The most important environmental factors affected by cover systems are photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed, which in turn affect leaf gas exchange, plant water relations, tree growth, flower development, and fruit quality. The use of covering systems has a positive effect on photosynthesis by increasing the amount of diffused PAR, but a negative effect on the reproductive-vegetative tree balance due to lower total PAR availability. Increases in air temperature by cover systems alter differentially flowering and fruit set, impacting positively the ripening time and cell division of the fruits. Plant water status is improved under cover systems, allowing for greater tolerance to water deficit as well as improved potential fruit cell expansion, with an ensuing positive effect on fruit size, but decreasing fruit firmness due to lower Ca availability fruits. The multiple environmental factors and physiological responses observed in cherry production under cover systems suggest the need to adjust agronomic practices such as pruning, crop load regulation, irrigation, and nutrition according to these specific conditions.
... Par exemple, en Norvège, l'installation trois à quatre semaines avant la récolte de couvertures anti-pluie est devenue une pratique courante chez les producteurs de cerises pour limiter l'éclatement des fruits. L'installation de telles couvertures durant les périodes pluvieuses de la floraison à la récolte permet, en outre, de supprimer la protection fongicide et d'obtenir une récolte saine (peu de fruits pourris par monilioses) (Borve et Stensvand, 2003). Plus récemment en France, des bâches anti-pluie associées à des filets anti-grêle ont été utilisées sur pommiers. ...
... В регионах с влажным и тёплым климатом, где часто наблюдаются сильные дожди, рекомендуют укрывать деревья в период от цветения до сбора урожая различными плёнками, как, напр., в Норвегии для защиты деревьев черешни от M. laxa и других возбудителей гнили плодов. Использование этого метода значительно уменьшило встречаемость болезни и сделало ненужным применение фунгицидов (Børve, Stensvand, 2003). ...
ABSTRACT
Batyr A. Khasanov, Rajabboy O. Ochilov, Fozil M. Boyjigitov. Brown fruit rot diseases of orchard trees. A monograph. Tashkent, 2019, 168 pages, with colour photos.
Key words: Fruit tree, blossom blight, brown rot, Junctoriae, Disjunctoriae, Monilinia, Monilia, control measures.
Brown rots are economically important and widely spread diseases of orchard trees in the world. Their symptoms are flower blight and fruit brown rot that can result in significant yield losses.
Causal agents of the brown rot diseases are ascomycete fungi of the genus Monilinia, with anamorph stages in the genus Monilia. Conidial stages of some Monilinia spp. have not been found, while in some other anamorphic species, vice versa, teleomorph stages are not known.
There are descriptions of some 40 species of the genus Monilinia in the scientific literature, but numbers of names of anamorphic (Monilia) species exceed 300 binomials. Among the latters there are some saprophytes, some others still are unresolved names and are not well studied.
Plant pathogenic representatives of the genus Monilinia are grouped in two – Junctoriae и Disjunctoriae – sections. There are six species described in the Junctoriae section till now, including well known pathogens of fruit trees – M. fructigena, M. laxa, M. fructicola, and recently described M. polystroma and two anamorphic species – Monilia mumecola and M. yunnanensis.
Section Disjunctoriae contains 28 species placed in five groups (or subsections). There are four more Monilinia species, which belonging to any of sections or groups is unknown.
Sections Junctoriae and Disjunctoriae, and some economically important species of the latter (M. kusanoi, M. linhartiana, M. mali M. vaccinii-corymbosi) are described minutely.
All six species of the section Junctoriae are up-to-date characterized in detail, including their geographic distribution, diagnostic characters, host range, symptoms of diseases caused, disease cycles and their ecology. Information about similarities and differences of Monilinia / Monilia species from the section Junctoriae, and current methods of their identification are given in the separate chapter.
Last chapter of the book analyses cultural, genetic / breeding, chemical, biological and non-chemical control methods of diseases, caused by Monilinia / Monilia species, and main components of the IPM system against these (and other) diseases of the orchard trees.
Attachment 1 enclosed at the end of the book contains Latin, Uzbek, Russian, and English common names of 132 species of fruit and other trees and shrubs as hosts of Monilinia / Monilia species. Attachment 2 contains a list of fungicides and PGRs currently registered for use on fruit trees in Uzbekistan. Glossary is given in the Attachment 3.
... Species in Mucor are ubiquitous in nature, especially soils, and predominantly found as saprotrophs or endophytes [72]. They are predominantly associated with humans as pathogens [73], but have also been reported to be harmful in plants such as Mucor piriformis, causing rot in field and post-harvest on cherries [74]. Other MOTUs that were found in lower abundances, such as Rhizopus, are known to cause rots in other crop, such as grapes, while Rhizopus stolonifer has been linked to the seed of sorghum [75]. ...
Plant-associated fungi, or the mycobiome, inhabit plant surfaces above ground, reside in plant tissues as endophytes, or are rhizosphere in the narrow zone of soil surrounding plant roots. Studies have characterized mycobiomes of various plant species, but little is known about the sor-ghum mycobiome, especially in Africa, despite sorghum being one of the most important indigenous and commercial cereals in Africa. In this study, the mycobiome associated with above-and below-ground tissues of three commercial sorghum cultivars, as well as from rhizosphere and surrounding bulk soil samples, were sequenced using targeted sequencing with the Illumina MiSeq platform. Relative abundance differences between fungal communities were found between above-ground and below-ground niches, with most differences mostly in the dominant MOTUs, such as Davidiellaceae sp. (Cladosporium), Didymellaceae sp. 1 (Phoma), Fusarium, Cryptococcus and Mucor. Above-ground communities also appeared to be more diverse than below-ground communities, and plants harboured the most diversity. A considerable number of MOTUs were shared between the cultivars although, especially for NS5511, their abundances often differed. Several of the detected fungal groups include species that are plant pathogens of sorghum, such as Fusarium, and, at low levels, Alternaria and the Ustilaginomycetes. Findings from this study illustrate the usefulness of targeted sequencing of the ITS rDNA gene region (ITS2) to survey and monitor sorghum fungal communities and those from associated soils. This knowledge may provide tools for disease management and crop production and improvement.
... Sweet cherry losses in storage caused by Monilinia sp. can be higher than losses during vegetation period (BØRVE & al [15]). Also, LARENA & et al [16] stated that peach losses caused by Monilinia sp. ...
Sweet cherry fruits are perishable goods, and the fruit quality can additionally be affected by fungal diseases, primarily by Monilinia species. A promising method for fungal disease control in storage is the use of essential oils. Three different methods of wild oregano essential oil application were tested: incorporation (5% dilution), exposing to the vapor phase (0.08 and 0.16 µl/cm3), and fruit immersion in 5% dilution. Incorporation of essential oil showed the strongest inhibitory effect on Monilinia laxa in both tested cultivars (Regina and Karina). The vapor phase had the same effect on inhibition of Monilinia laxa at both concentrations on cold-stored fruits of cv. Regina after incubation at room temperature, while on cv. Karina, higher concentration showed a stronger inhibitory effect. The immersion in EO dilution caused phytotoxic changes on the fruit skin. Necrosis development rates significantly increased after the cold storage period terminated.
Keywords Moniliosis caused by the species of the Monilinia genus attacks fruit tree orchards wherever seeds fruits tree and stone fruits tree species are cultivated, producing economically significant losses. Monil-iosis is also present in Romanian orchards, requiring control of this disease because it can evolve both in the field and in storage conditions, too. The research aimed to test the antifungal in vitro activity of fenugreek extract against the pathogen Monilinia spp. Monilinia spp was isolated and successively replicated from fresh plant material, represented by apple fruits with specific sporodochia. The fenu-greek extract (ska) was tested in concentrations of 3.3% (ska 3,3%) and 10% (ska 10%), comparing the results with the control variant. At the 10% fenugreek extract, the fungus did not grow in the first 3 days, registering a vegetative growth after 6 days of incubation. After 12 days of incubation with the 10% fenugreek extract, the diameter of the mycelium colonies was 6.3 mm compared to the control variant, where the value of the colony diameter was 56.3 mm. The effectiveness of the fenugreek extract at a concentration of 10%, as a percentage of inhibition, was 88.80%. Monilinia spp., antifungal activity, efficacy To cite this article: CriSTeA STeliCA. Research on the action of fenugreek extract on the growth of the pathogen Monilinia spp. in vitro.
Leaf spot is a common and serious disease of sweet cherry worldwide and has become a major concern in China. From 2018 to 2020, disease investigations were carried out in Beijing City, Sichuan, Shandong and Liaoning Provinces in China, and 105 Colletotrichum isolates were obtained from diseased samples. Isolates were identified by morphological characterization coupled with multi-gene phylogenetic analyses based on six loci (internal transcribed spacer region, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, calmodulin, actin, chitin synthase and β-tubulin). A total of 13 Colletotrichum species were identified, namely: Colletotrichum aenigma, C. gloeosporioides, C. fructicola, C. siamense, C. temperatum, C. conoides, C. hebeiense, C. sojae, C. plurivorum, C. karsti, C. truncatum, C. incanum and C. dematium. Among these, C. aenigma (25.7%) was the most prominent species isolated from diseased leaves, followed by C. gloeosporioides (19.0%) and C. fructicola (12.4%). Pathogenicity was tested on detached leaves of cv. ‘Tieton’ and ‘Summit’, and young seedlings of cv. ‘Brooks’ under greenhouse conditions. All 13 species were pathogenic to cherry leaves, and C. aenigma, C. conoides and C. dematium showed high levels of virulence. Seedlings inoculated with the isolates developed similar symptoms to those seen in the orchards. This study provides the first reports for 11 of the 13 Colletotrichum species on sweet cherry in the world, except for C. aenigma and C. fructicola. This is the first comprehensive study of Colletotrichum species associated with cherry leaf spot in China and the results will provide basic knowledge to develop sustainable control measures for cherry leaf spot.
Sweet cherry fruits covered with aluminum foil bags at the beginning of pit hardening were visibly larger than those exposed to light when examined 14 days later. With ‘Bing’ fruits this difference in size remained nearly constant until harvest while with ‘Royal Ann’ it continued to diverge during “final swell.” The size of covered fruits was larger at harvest, but soluble solids content was much less than in exposed fruits. The alcohol insoluble substances (AIS) of control mesocarp tissue of ‘Bing’ decreased from 15 to 7% during the 2 weeks prior to harvest; those of dark-grown fruits decreased from 13 to 10%. The trends for the ‘Royal Ann’ fruits were similar. About 45% of the AIS was hydrolyzable with pectinase. Comparisons of levels of gibberellins, auxin-like and ABA-like substances between covered and exposed fruits showed neither consistent trends nor differences correlative to size increase during 3 weeks before harvest wherein the possible roles of these hormones could be ascribed. Humidity and ambient temp were not effective factors compared to light in this growth phenomenon.
Limbs of ‘Bing’ cherries ( Prunus avium L.) were shaded with neutral density shade structures to reduce light levels to 10–15% full sun. Three placement times were used: a) petal fall to pit hardening (PF-PH), b) pit hardening to harvest (PH-H), and c) petal fall to harvest (PF-H). Shaded limbs had reduced fruit set, and fruit color and soluble solids were less in comparison to fruit from unshaded limbs. Fruit from shaded limbs were smaller than unshaded for the first 2 harvests, but for the last 2 harvest dates, fruit shaded from PF-PH or PF-H were larger. The time to reach dark red maturity was delayed 5 days by shading from PF-PH or PH-H and 12 days by shading from PF-H. When compared at equal color maturities, fruit from unshaded limbs were firmer than those from shaded limbs. In a study using natural shade, the relationship of fruit color and soluble solids to the percentage of full sun (FS) was logarithmic, with both variables dramatically reduced at light levels below 10–15% FS. Neither fruit weight nor firmness were related to the percentage of FS.
Fruits of Vista and Bing sweet cherries and Montmorency sour cherry were harvested at weekly intervals between shuck fall and full maturity in 1986 and 1987. Unwounded fruits were inoculated individually with a 30-ml drop containing 10x6, 10x5, 10x4, or 10x3 conidia of Monilinia fructicola per milliliter. Fruits were evaluated for lesion development after incubation for 6 days at 20 C and relative humidity above 95%. Sweet cherries were more susceptible to infection than sour cherries at intermediate and low inoculum concentrations. Initially the immature fruits of both species were as highly susceptible to infection as mature fruits at inoculum concentrations of 10x6 conidia/ml. Host resistance rose with the onset of pit hardening but decreased 3 wk before maturity, coinciding with yellowing and reddening of the epidermal tissue. Fungicide protection against brown rot appears warranted at shuck fall and before harvest for both sweet and sour cherries. Midseason protection appears necessary for sweet cherries but not for Montmorency sour cherry.
Peach fruits of the cultivars Redhaven and Loring were harvested weekly beginning in early June and continuing to full ripeness. and were inoculated under controlled conditions with Monilinia fructicola at a range of 10x3-10x6 conidia/ml. In both years of the study, fruits were susceptible to infection at all inoculum concentrations for 2 to 3 wk in June. At pit hardening they became resistant to infection at all the inoculum concentrations. Fruits again became increasingly susceptible to infection approximately 2 wk before full ripeness.
The primary objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of plastic rain shelters and Colt and F.12/1 rootstocks on the rain-induced fruit cracking of sweet cherries (Primus avium L.). Fruit cracking on trees from Colt rootstock was ‘significantly reduced from 63% on covered trees to 5% on uncovered trees. However, no significant difference in the total number of cracked fruits was observed from covered and uncovered trees on F. 12/1 rootstock. Susceptibility to cracking was greater in fruits from covered trees on F. 12/1 rootstock. Fruits from covered trees were associated with a 10% increase in weight. This paper will discuss the implications of tree covers and rootstocks as they relate to their effects on rain-induced fruit cracking and on fruit-quality characteristics.