Abstract
Anthracnose is the major postharvest disease of papaya wherever the fruit crop is grown. The present investigation was conducted with the objectives of evaluating plant extracts for their activity against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in vitro and for controlling anthracnose on artificially inoculated ‘solo’ papaya fruit. Plant specimens were collected from Ambo and Haramaya, Ethiopia, dried under shade and extracted using methanol. Out of 18 plant extracts tested, nine of them showed activity against C. gloeosporioides. Methanol extract of Echinops sp. of 10 μL from the concentration of 50 mg/ml resulted in the highest inhibition zone of 13.5 mm against mycelial growth of C. gloeosporioides. Spore germination of C. gloeosporioides was reduced by 98.7%, 97.7% and 97.3% over the control by extracts of Echinops sp., Thymus serrulatus and Ocimum lamifolium, respectively. Among four botanicals evaluated in vivo as 10% and 25% aqueous extracts, Echinops sp. at 25% concentration kept disease severity score at 1.3 out of 5 (i.e. less than 1% fruit surface affected) and maintained quality of papaya fruit during 14 days experimental period. Further study is necessary on sensory analysis and developing botanicals as natural fungicides.
Highlights
Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, is one of the most widespread and devastating diseases of papaya, especially during storage [1,2]
Anthracnose of papaya can be controlled by fungicide treatments but application of higher concentrations of chemicals in an attempt to overcome anthracnose increases the risk of high levels of toxic residues, which is serious since papaya fruit is consumed in relatively short time after harvest [5]
This paper reports on the in vitro effect of extracts of medicinal and other plant species from Ethiopia against C. gloeosporioides as well as their in vivo effect on anthracnose development on artificially inoculated papaya fruit
Summary
Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, is one of the most widespread and devastating diseases of papaya, especially during storage [1,2]. Plant extracts are emerging as safer alternatives to conventional fungicides for the control of plant diseases [6]. Natural product-based fungicides have the ability to decompose rapidly, thereby reducing their risk to the environment [7]. Numerous studies have demonstrated the fungicidal potentials of plant extracts against postharvest fungi. Studies on the inhibitory effects of a diversity of extracts to control fungi such as Botrytis cinerea, C. gloeosporioides, Glomerella cingulata, Penicillium expansum, Pestalotia psidii, Phomposis mangiferae, Rhizopus stolonifer and others have proved the fungicidal potentials of extracts [8,9]
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