Each year, roughly 25 percent of the fruits and veggies produced across the globe are lost due to fungal diseases. In fleshy fruits, like tomatoes, this issue is more pronounced, especially as they ripen. Researchers from the Blanco Lab at the University of California, Davis, in collaboration with researchers from University of Nottingham, have demonstrated how susceptibility factors that accumulate during the ripening process promote infection by fungal pathogens.
Quality and safety of perishable horticultural commodities. Pre-harvest to postharvest research and outreach education on diverse fresh and minimally-processed horticultural foods from annual row crops to tree and vine commodities
Professor of Cooperative Extension and Emeritus Director, Postharvest Technology Center
Former Director of the USAID Horticulture Innovation Lab
Postharvest biology and technology of horticultural crops, including regulation of fruit ripening, calcium deficiency disorders, and postharvest control of insects in harvested products