CHITOSAN: SOURCES, EXTRACTION, ANTIMICROBIAL MECHANISMS AND APPLICATIONS IN ORNAMENTAL CROP PROTECTION AND POST-HARVEST MANAGEMENT A REVIEW

Abstract

Chitosan, a biodegradable biopolymer derived from crustacean shells, has garnered significant interest as a sustainable solution for plant disease management and postharvest preservation. In ornamental crops, diseases and microbial contamination greatly diminish plant quality and vase longevity. This review gives an overview of chitosan's sources, extraction methods, antimicrobial mechanisms, and uses in ornamental horticulture. Chitosan has a wide range of antimicrobial effects on fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Chitosan also acts as an elicitor, triggering plant defence responses, making plants more resistant to pathogens. Using it as a foliar spray, seed treatment, soil amendment, or vase solution has been shown to improve plant growth, reduce disease, and extend the vase life of cut flowers. But the antimicrobial effectiveness of chitosan depends on things like molecular weight, the level of deacetylation, etc. Chitosan is an eco-friendly way to improve the health of plants and the quality of ornamental crops after they are harvested.