Breno de H. Almeida , Maria H.D. Costa , Luiz F.B. Evangelista , Rebeca M.S. Frutuoso , Atarissis M. Dias , Jarlan L.S. Silva , Daniel J. Silva , Jackson T. Lobo , Washington da Silva , Márcia M.Q. Ambrósio
{"title":"Sustainable management of fusarium rots in melons: A dual strategy combining thermotherapy and 1-MCP","authors":"Breno de H. Almeida , Maria H.D. Costa , Luiz F.B. Evangelista , Rebeca M.S. Frutuoso , Atarissis M. Dias , Jarlan L.S. Silva , Daniel J. Silva , Jackson T. Lobo , Washington da Silva , Márcia M.Q. Ambrósio","doi":"10.1016/j.cropro.2025.107522","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Brazil is a leading producer and exporter of Galia melon (<em>Cucumis melo</em> L.), a variety renowned for its exceptional sensory qualities. However, postharvest diseases caused by <em>Fusarium</em> spp. Lead to significant economic losses, estimated at up to US$22 million annually. The current reliance on fungicides, such as Imazalil, is unsustainable due to regulatory restrictions and the increasing fungal resistance to current chemistry, which calls for the development of alternative control strategies. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of thermotherapy combined with ripening phytoregulators for managing rots caused by <em>F. falciforme</em> and <em>F. sulawesiense</em> in Galia melons. Inoculated fruits underwent eight different treatments [Mock (control), HWT (hot water treatment), 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene), HWT + 1-MCP, GA (gibberellin), HWT + GA, GRAD (Graduate A+®), and HWT + GRAD] and were stored for 20 days at 10 ± 2 °C. We evaluated disease severity, melon fruit physicochemical parameters, and the activity of plant defense enzymes. Most treatments significantly reduced rot severity compared to the control. Notably, Graduate A+® achieved up to a 72.9 % reduction, and its efficacy was enhanced when combined with thermotherapy. Furthermore, 1- methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment, alone and with thermotherapy, preserved postharvest quality and enhanced defense-related enzyme activity. These findings suggest that the combination of thermotherapy and 1-MCP represents a promising and sustainable approach to reducing Fusarium rot in Galia melons destined for export, with no associated regulatory risks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10785,"journal":{"name":"Crop Protection","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 107522"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Crop Protection","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261219425004144","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/12/15 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AGRONOMY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Brazil is a leading producer and exporter of Galia melon (Cucumis melo L.), a variety renowned for its exceptional sensory qualities. However, postharvest diseases caused by Fusarium spp. Lead to significant economic losses, estimated at up to US$22 million annually. The current reliance on fungicides, such as Imazalil, is unsustainable due to regulatory restrictions and the increasing fungal resistance to current chemistry, which calls for the development of alternative control strategies. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of thermotherapy combined with ripening phytoregulators for managing rots caused by F. falciforme and F. sulawesiense in Galia melons. Inoculated fruits underwent eight different treatments [Mock (control), HWT (hot water treatment), 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene), HWT + 1-MCP, GA (gibberellin), HWT + GA, GRAD (Graduate A+®), and HWT + GRAD] and were stored for 20 days at 10 ± 2 °C. We evaluated disease severity, melon fruit physicochemical parameters, and the activity of plant defense enzymes. Most treatments significantly reduced rot severity compared to the control. Notably, Graduate A+® achieved up to a 72.9 % reduction, and its efficacy was enhanced when combined with thermotherapy. Furthermore, 1- methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment, alone and with thermotherapy, preserved postharvest quality and enhanced defense-related enzyme activity. These findings suggest that the combination of thermotherapy and 1-MCP represents a promising and sustainable approach to reducing Fusarium rot in Galia melons destined for export, with no associated regulatory risks.
期刊介绍:
The Editors of Crop Protection especially welcome papers describing an interdisciplinary approach showing how different control strategies can be integrated into practical pest management programs, covering high and low input agricultural systems worldwide. Crop Protection particularly emphasizes the practical aspects of control in the field and for protected crops, and includes work which may lead in the near future to more effective control. The journal does not duplicate the many existing excellent biological science journals, which deal mainly with the more fundamental aspects of plant pathology, applied zoology and weed science. Crop Protection covers all practical aspects of pest, disease and weed control, including the following topics:
-Abiotic damage-
Agronomic control methods-
Assessment of pest and disease damage-
Molecular methods for the detection and assessment of pests and diseases-
Biological control-
Biorational pesticides-
Control of animal pests of world crops-
Control of diseases of crop plants caused by microorganisms-
Control of weeds and integrated management-
Economic considerations-
Effects of plant growth regulators-
Environmental benefits of reduced pesticide use-
Environmental effects of pesticides-
Epidemiology of pests and diseases in relation to control-
GM Crops, and genetic engineering applications-
Importance and control of postharvest crop losses-
Integrated control-
Interrelationships and compatibility among different control strategies-
Invasive species as they relate to implications for crop protection-
Pesticide application methods-
Pest management-
Phytobiomes for pest and disease control-
Resistance management-
Sampling and monitoring schemes for diseases, nematodes, pests and weeds.