STEM DECAY ON COLD STORED PEARS

Decay on the stems of cold stored pears exported from South Africa to discerning overseas markets, has to varying degrees, created problems over the past few years. In some cases, stem decay has resulted in rejections of pear consignments, with threats by importers to de-list suppliers until the problem has been resolved. The focus of this small-scale research initiative was to identify the pathogens responsible for stem decay on pears and to test the efficacy of various chemicals, with the objective to identify “soft” alternatives.