Abstract

Decay, caused by Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Fr., is the major sanitation problem of Chilean table grapes shipped to the USA, Europe and Asia. Postharvest treatments are compulsory to avoid significant losses. At present, this is achieved through the inclusion of one sulfur dioxide (SO2)-generator pad per box in combination with storage at 0 degrees C. Chlorine gas (Cl-2) produced by a salt mixture and combined with 25 days of storage at 0 degrees C significantly (P 0.05) reduced Botrytis decay in artificially inoculated table grapes cvs. 'Flame Seedless','Thompson Seedless', and 'Ribier'. Infections by conidia or mycelium of B. cinerea, were suppressed for up to 45 days in cool storage, providing a similar degree of protection to that of one SO2-generator pad. Naturally infected grapes, from a commercial harvest developed significantly less Botrytis decay than controls upon arrival in the USA after 25 days transportation. No deleterious effect due to chlorine gas generation was observed. These results suggest that this is a sound alternative to SO2 for postharvest control of decay in table grapes. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.