Postharvest Pathogen Management in Pome Fruits
Summary
Pome fruits such as apples and pears are vulnerable to a suite of fungal and bacterial pathogens during storage, leading to significant economic losses and threats to food security. Postharvest infections may arise from wounds sustained during harvesting, latent quiescent infections acquired in the orchard or environmental contamination during packing and transport. Management strategies combine cultural practices, temperature and humidity control, chemical treatments and emerging alternatives such as physical interventions, natural compounds and biocontrol agents. Resistant cultivars and robust monitoring of storage environments complement integrated approaches that consider the disease cycle from orchard to warehouse. Advances in molecular diagnostics and an improved understanding of host–pathogen interactions are driving more targeted and sustainable solutions on a global scale.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Postharvest Pathogen Management in Pome Fruits publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in postharvest pathogen management in pome fruits across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Quiescent infection: A latent, asymptomatic stage of pathogen development that becomes active during storage.
Transcriptomics: The study of the complete set of RNA transcripts produced by the genome under specific conditions, used to reveal host–pathogen interactions.
Volatilomics: Analysis of volatile organic compounds emitted by fruits, which can serve as early indicators of infection.
Biocontrol agent: A living organism, such as a beneficial microbe, applied to suppress a plant pathogen by competition or antagonism.
References
- Transcriptomic and volatilomic profiles reveal Neofabraea vagabunda infection-induced changes in susceptible and resistant apples during storage. Postharvest Biology and Technology (2024).
- Relationships between fungal diversity and fruit quality of Yuluxiang pear during low temperature storage. Frontiers in Microbiology (2023).
- Latent postharvest pathogens of pome fruit and their management: from single measures to a systems intervention approach. European Journal of Plant Pathology (2020).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.