PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Prof. Lise Korsten
LEAD INSTITUTION: University of Pretoria
BENEFICIARY: Table Grapes
The industry will be knowledgeable on the following important aspects with respect to export table grapes:
- The extent of losses throughout the local table grape chain of South Africa and the link with the causal agents associated with postharvest losses as well as the economic impact of the losses.
- The extent of losses and link it with the causal agents of postharvest losses at the start (SA) and throughout the table grape export chain.
- A comparison to the results of SA and UK and an overview of causal agents and extent of losses in the table grape export chain.
- All isolates obtained from sampling. New isolated pathogens will require new culture techniques and new or optimised identification protocols.
- The aggressiveness of cinerea and suspected pathogenic Penicillium spp. over a table grape cultivar range.
- A comparison of the chains (SA & UK) – an overview of causal agents and extent of postharvest losses in the table grape export chain.
- Have a detailed economic analysis of selected table grape value chains to quantify postharvest economic losses in the chains.
Combined Penicillium spp. and B. cinerea data generated from several Penicillium spp. and B. cinerea related projects to draw up an industry conclusion regarding these postharvest pathogens.
