Abstract
China has the largest strawberry cultivation area worldwide and produces substantial quantities of the fruit. However, postharvest diseases of strawberries occur frequently, limiting their safe storage. In November 2025, a localized occurrence of postharvest fruit rot affecting strawberry (cv. Hongyan) was observed in Tai'an, China. A pathogenic fungus, designated CM-RB5, was isolated from diseased fruits and identified as Penicillium citrinum based on morphological characteristics and molecular analyses. This is the first report of P. citrinum causing postharvest fruit rot in strawberry. The genome of the pathogenic fungal strain CM-RB5 was sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq II and PacBio RS III platforms. Genome assembly analysis revealed the total sequence length of P. citrinum CM-RB5 to be 32,053,718 bp, with a GC content of 46.41%. Additionally, P. citrinum CM-RB5 was found to produce ochratoxin and citrinin. These findings provide insights that may facilitate the development of effective control strategies for postharvest fruit rot in strawberry, thereby ensuring the consumption of safe, high-quality fruit and strawberry-derived products.