Alkan`s Lab for physiology and pathology of subtropical fruits was established in 2013. The research in our laboratories deals with the development and integration of preharvest and postharvest treatments for preserving and improving fruit quality. The laboratory specializes in the study of fruit-fungal interaction, induced defense responses, and the search for substitutes for chemical fungicides, such as: phenylalanine treatment to induce resistance and improve fruit quality, double-stranded RNA treatment to control fungal pathogens. Based on the knowledge and patents from our lab two companies were established (PostBoost, and HarvestR).