Postharvest Incidence of Stem End Rot in 'Hayward' Kiwifruit Is Related to Preharvest Colonization of Floral Parts and Latent Infection.

Stem end rot (SER) caused by is the primary postharvest disease in the Chilean kiwifruit industry. Relationships between the postharvest occurrence of SER in 'Hayward' kiwifruit and the temporal dynamics of earlier colonization of the floral parts (petals, sepals, receptacles, styles) was studied in five orchards over two consecutive seasons in Chile. Weather conditions in the first season favored .