The vapours of allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC) were evaluated in in vitro and in vivo trials against Botrytis
cinerea, a severe pathogen of strawberries. In in vitro trials AITC activity was assayed on conidial germination and mycelial growth of the fungus. The mycelium appeared less sensitive to AITC than conidia
(EC50 values of 1.35 mg L−1 and 0.62 mg L−1, respectively). In addition, AITC had a fungistatic effect against
the pathogen, since the values of EC50, for both parameters, increased by around 30% after AITC removal.
In in vivo trials, ‘Tecla’ and ‘Monterey’ strawberries (spring-bearing and day-neutral cultivars, respectively) obtained from organic production and naturally infected by B. Cinerea, were exposed for 4 h in an
atmosphere enriched by pure AITC or derived from defatted seed meals of Brassica carinata (0.1 mg L−1,
in a 0.1 m3 treatment cabinet). After 2 days at 0 ◦C and another 3–4 days at 20 ◦C, the fruit were evaluated for grey mould infections. The AITC treatment reduced the decay caused by the pathogen by over
47.4% up to 91.5%, significantly different from the untreated fruit. No significant differences were found
between synthetic and glucosinolate-derived AITC. Residue analysis performed on fruit at the end of
storage (7 d after treatment) showed values lower than 1 mg kg−1. Total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity estimated in treated and untreated strawberries showed no significant difference between
control and AITC treated fruit. Our results show it is possible to reduce the incidence of postharvest grey
mould on strawberries with a treatment of AITC (0.1 mg L−1) for 4 h, opening a potential application of
biofumigation in the postharvest control of B. cinerea in strawberry.