Strawberry disorders and diseases
Good quality products are free from diseases and disorders! Customers will not buy strawberries with rots or with damaged skin. There are dozens of different diseases and disorders and these are not always easy to recognize. However, a good diagnosis is important. By recognizing the symptoms of a disease or disorder, it can be linked to the cause. If you know the cause, you know what measures can be taken to prevent the disease or disorder in the future.
Disease management
A range of postharvest diseases can occur in the strawberry supply chain. Both pre-harvest factors (e.g. plant spacing) and postharvest factors can contribute to less disease infestation. Care should be taken to keep diseased or wounded strawberries out of trays at harvest, as strawberry diseases could easily spread from diseased to nearby healthy fruits. Fungal rots after harvest can be controlled by fast cooling of harvested fruit and avoidance of bruising and injuries. These mechanical damages will reduce appearance, but also increase water loss (weight loss) and respiration, which can speed up firmness loss and senescence.