2026-04-28T19:24:43Zhttps://uvadoc.uva.es/oai/request

oai:uvadoc.uva.es:10324/839322026-04-07T19:19:36Zcom_10324_7492com_10324_952com_10324_894col_10324_7493

Biological control of postharvest diseases in pome fruits using endophytic microorganisms: Innovative sustainable strategies for greater food security Martín Jiménez, Daniel Martín García, Jorge SantaMaría Becerril, Óscar Poveda Arias, Jorge Producción Científica Postharvest diseases cause significant losses in pome fruit production (5–50%), and growing pathogen resistance to synthetic fungicides demands sustainable alternatives. Endophytic microorganisms offer promising biological control, employing diverse antagonistic mechanisms. A systematic literature review of 25 peer-reviewed articles (1996–2025) identified key bacterial genera (Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Pantoea) and fungal endophytes (Aureobasidium, Metschnikowia) as effective biocontrol agents. These microorganisms achieve 50–85% disease reduction through nutrient competition, antimicrobial metabolite secretion (lipopeptides), and host immune system activation—performance comparable to commercial biocontrol products. However, critical research gaps persist in formulation optimization, scalability validation, industry-standard protocol integration, and expanded host species coverage (pears, kiwifruit). Developing robust delivery systems remains an essential priority. Endophytic microorganisms represent a sustainable approach to reduce chemical inputs while enhancing food security and supply chain resilience. 2026-04-07T09:24:39Z 2026-04-07T09:24:39Z 2026 info:eu-repo/semantics/article Postharvest Biology and Technology, 2026, vol. 238, p. 114340 0925-5214 https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/83932 10.1016/j.postharvbio.2026.114340 114340 Postharvest Biology and Technology 238 eng https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925521426001894 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ © 2026 The Author(s) Atribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional Elsevier SI