Postharvest Diseases of Minor Fruits and Their Management

Abstract

Deterioration of fruits may take place after harvest in any stage, viz. storage, transit and during handling processes to move the produce from the farmers' field to the wholesaler and to retailer and finally to the consumer. These processes are responsible for enormous qualitative and quantitative losses of fruits in the market. Different types of fungal forms are found to be associated with and responsible for postharvest diseases of fruits during storage. Protection and proper handling measures of fresh fruits are not maintained in developing countries, so the losses during transit and storage are more than 50% of the harvested crop. Soft rot (Pestalotiopsis mangiferae, Phomopsis sapotae), basal rot (Ceratocystis paradoxa) and heart rot (Phytophthora parasitica, Alternaria alternata) are the common postharvest fungal diseases of sapota fruits, whereas in aonla, rust (Ravenelia emblicae Sydow, Phakopsora phyllanthi), anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Glomerella cingulata), soft rot (Phomopsis phyllanthi Punith), sooty mould (Capnodium sp.), blue mould (Penicillium citrinum, P. expansum) and black soft rot (Syncephalastrum racemosum) are major postharvest diseases. Custard apple fruits suffer postharvest diseases like fruit rot/anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides), Diplodia rot (Botryodiplodia theobromae) and black canker (Phomopsis annonacearum) and purple blotch/fruit rot (Phytophthora capsici) during storage and transportation.