POSTHARVEST PATHOLOGY OF ORGANIC APPLES FROM ROMANIA. PRELIMINARY STUDY.

Apple is one of the most important fruit species in the Northern hemisphere. As apple production is seasonal, the disparities between production and consumption may be balanced by storing the fruits with or without controlled atmosphere. By this, locally produced apples are kept fresh, in good condition, until the next production season. Pathogens may cause considerable losses during storage, quantitative and qualitative, both by degrading the appearance and fruits taste and by producing mycotoxins, a major food safety issue that becomes increasingly important for the consumer. Qualitative depreciation is a normal process during storage, but the level of degradation depends on storage conditions. Cold stored fruits (1°C, 90% humidity) produced in two Romanian organic orchards were analyzed in 2019, four months after harvest. No postharvest treatment was applied. Our results showed that postharvest diseases were predominantly caused by fungal pathogens and that both latent infections originating from the field (Gloeosporium sp.) and wounds infections (Penicillium sp., Fusarium sp.) were damaging the fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]