Pathogenic mechanisms and control strategies of Botrytis cinerea causing post-harvest decay in fruits and vegetables

Botrytis cinerea is a significant necrotrophic plant pathogen causing devastating diseases on more than 500 plant species, especially on fresh fruits and vegetables, resulting in the economic losses ranging from $10 billion to $100 billion worldwide. This fungal pathogen invades nearly all parts of plants including stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds at both pre-harvest and post-harvest stages. Due to its wide host range and the huge economic losses that it causes, extensive investigations have been carried out to effectively control this plant pathogen. It is beneficial for exploring the pathogenic mechanisms of B. cinerea to provide fundamental basis for control strategies. In recent years, tremendous progress has been made in understanding these pathogenic genes and regulatory pathways, as well as the control strategies of B. cinerea. Here, the current knowledge will be summarized in this review