Impact of microwave treatment in conjunction with modified atmosphere packaging on postharvest fungal diseases in fresh Gastrodia elata

Diseases caused by tuber fungi severely disrupt the storage life and quality of post-harvest Gastrodia elata ( G. elata ). Herein, it was found that the decay of G. elata tubers is primarily attributed to Fusarium solani and Penicillium crustosum . To inhibit postharvest rotting in G. elata tubers, microwave-treatment (MT) was employed as a disinfection method. However, they could not be completely inhibited by a single MT in vivo test, which were at various power levels (300, 500, 700 W) and durations (20, 30, 40 s). Hence, MT (700w, 30s) combined with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) was employed, which were polyethylene films of varying thickness (20, 30, 40 μm), and its efficiency was validated. Results indicate that the combined treatment improved the quality of infected G. elata tubers. In addition, it decreased 79.81% in decay volume of G. elata tubers compared with the control group. Further results indicate that the reactive oxygen species and energy metabolism pathways of G. elata tubers were activated by the combined treatment, activating the enzyme activity and relative expression of superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase and maintaining the levels of ATP, ADP and energy charge. Taken together, these results indicate that MT combined with MAP is a new and effective method for the post-harvest preservation of tubers and root crops.