Effect of post‐harvest fungicide drenches on stored winter white cabbage

SUMMARY In five commercial-scale storage trials of winter white cabbage during 1974–78, post-harvest drenches of benomyl, thiabendazole or iprodione gave good control of rotting by Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Pers., which was the main cause of spoilage in untreated cabbage stored at 0–1°C and about 95 per cent relative humidity. All three fungicides controlled rots caused by Mycosphaerella brassicicola (Duby) Lindau and iprodione also controlled Alternaria spp. Some drench treatments resulted in more bacterial rots due to Pseudomonas marginalia (Brown) Stevens, and the early development of ‘pepper-spot’ (a non-microbial leaf necrosis disorder) was accelerated by drenching. However, the recovery after 30 or 36 weeks’ storage of trimmed cabbage suitable for coleslaw manufacture was increased by up to 11 per cent by the fungicide treatments, which could also extend the storage season and reduce trimming costs.