VIEW ARTICLE

The Toxicity of Acetaldehyde Vapors to Postharvest Pathogens of Fruits and Vegetables. Yair Aharoni, Department of Horticulture, University of Maryland, College Park 20742, Present address of senior author: Division of Fruit & Vegetable Storage, The Volcani Institute of Agricultural Research, Bet Dagan, P.O.B. 6, Israel; Glenn J. Stadelbacher, Department of Horticulture, University of Maryland, College Park 20742. Phytopathology 63:544-545. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-63-544.

Acetaldehyde vapors at some concentrations, ranging from 0.25% to 20.0% and applied for 0.50 to 120 min at room temperatures, killed all six tested microorganisms. Sublethal concentrations and exposure periods retarded microorganism growth. The most sensitive among tested microorganisms was Erwinia carotovora. Pseudomonas fluorescens, Botrytis cinerea, and Monilinia fructicola were less sensitive than was E. carotovora, whereas Rhizopus stolonifer and Penicillium expansum were most resistant.