National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
Fruits are highly perishable commodities because of frequent outbreaks of fungal infections, which may affect the shelf life of the fruits in the market resulting in major losses to the farmers The comprehensive survey of market storage and post harvest fungal diseases of some important fruits in Eldoret Market, Kenya was undertaken during January 2012 to May 2012. Fungi were isolated and identified and their risk factors determined in fresh fruits (oranges Citrus sinerius, lemons Citrus limon, tangerine Citrus rectaculata, bananas Musa spp., pawpaws Carica papaya, avocados Persia americana, mangoes Mangifera indica, eggfruits Solanum melanongena, tomatoes Lycopersicum esculentum, pepers Capsicum spp.). Slides of diseased tissues were made and observed under light microscope for fungal species. Recurrent sampling from the available market fruits depicted variable intensity of fungal flora. Seven fungal species isolated and identified from the fruits and these were: Penicillium spp., Geotrichum spp., Furasium spp., Colletotriumchum spp., Altenaria spp., Rhizopus spp. and Gloesporium spp. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher occurrence of Gloesporium spp., Alternaria spp. and Penicillium spp. The prevalence of fungal infections reduced with age sex and levels of education of the respondents. Fruits obtained from the local markets, stored under poor conditions had higher prevalence of fungal infections. This study recommended that traders should provide better storage devices for their fruits to avoid fungal infection.
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