Pre-harvest fungal colonization affects storage life of Bing cherry fruit

Treatment of sweet cherry (Prunus avium cv. Bing) trees with either two mildewcide cover sprays or multiple (18) applications of topical and systemic fungicides produced cherry fruit that were either highly colonized or relatively uncolonized by fungi, respectively. Fruit from the multiple application treatment had a storage life of up to 8 weeks (7 weeks at 1-4 degrees C plus 1 week at simulated retail temperatures of 20-21 degrees C), whereas the commercially-managed fruits (two mildewcides) were extensively colonized by fungi and extensively decayed when stored under the same conditions. Stringent post-harvest disinfection did not significantly reduce postharvest decay, and only slightly reduced isolation frequency of fungi. The data obtained in this study suggest that the degree of preharvest fungal colonization is a primary determinant of the percentage of post-harvest decay, and that pre-harvest colonization can potentially be addressed by pre- and post-harvest management practices.