Postharvest damage from diseases usually results from infections that happen either in the field or as a result of damage during harvesting and storage followed by the invasion of pathogenic microbes. A large list of bacterial and fungal pathogens causes postharvest losses in transit, storage, and to the consumer. Bacterial Soft-Rot (primarily Erwinia and Pseudomonas), Black Spot (Alternaria alternata.), Grey Mold (Botrytis cinerea), and Cladosporium Rot are common disorders.
Alternaria head rot ‒ (Alternaria Brassicae): Black, sunken spots appear on individual florets.
Blackleg (Leptosphaeria maculans) Symptoms: Damping-off of seedlings; round or irregularly shaped gray necrotic lesions on leaves with dark margins; lesions may be covered in pink masses in favorable weather conditions
Bacterial head rot – (Erwinia spp.) A common postharvest disease, especially if cauliflowers are stored for an extended period. Infection often occurs in the field, but symptoms develop after harvest. Increased by condensation in storage.
Black rot (Xanthomonas campestris). Symptoms: Irregularly shaped dull yellow areas along leaf margins which expand to leaf midrib and create a characterstic "V-shaped" lesion; lesions may coalesce along the leaf margin to give plant a scorched appearance.
Cauliflower post-harvest diseases
