Botrytis cinerea Pers.:Fr. is the main de cay problem worldwide in late-harvested table grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) that have
been exposed in the field to high humidity, dews, and rainfall (4). Blue mold rot of grapes caused by Penicillium spp. is a problem on stored table grapes in British Columbia and occurs in all grape-produc ing countries, developing slowly in refrig erated storage (20). Table grapes can be stored several months if refrigerated and periodically fumigated with sulfur dioxide (SO2) to control gray and blue mold (12). Repeated applications are required because SO2 only kills fungi on the grape berry sur face (11). Alternatives to SO2 are required because of concern with sulfite residues (7), damage to berries by bleaching and browning of the rachis (13), and poor de cay control (2).
Thompson Seedless grapes inoculated with B. cinerea conidia, and various apple cultivars inoculated with P expansum conidia, did not decay when fumigated with acetic acid (AA) at 2.0 and 4.0 mg per liter, respectively (17). Moyls et al. (15) found that fumigation with AA at 8.0 mg per liter followed by use of modified at mosphere packaging for 74 days at 0°C reduced the percentage of decayed grapes from 94% in the control to 2%. At these rates the grapes did not show any signs of phytotoxicity. These preliminary studies