MYCOPATH, Vol 15, No 2 (2017)

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Fungi associated with postharvest quality deterioration of strawberry at green markets of Lahore

Umar Khalid, Shumaila Farooq, Maroof Siddique, Sana Siddique and Salik Nawaz Khan

Abstract


Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) enters in fruit markets of Lahore from December and stays till the start of summer. Major supply of strawberry comes from adjacent areas of Lahore city. Being highly perishable crop, strawberries are marketed very wisely by the stakeholders. Because of fluctuation in temperature and unpredictable rains, deterioration by postharvest fungi is accelerated in summer season. In the present study, series of surveys at fortnight interval were conducted in markets and retailer shops during the months of March to May. Quality deterioration in strawberry was assessed by association of postharvest pathogens expressed as % lesion area fruit surface and sensory parameters. Regular sampling from the available markets exhibited inconstant intensity of fungal flora associated with postharvest losses in strawberry. Potential causal agents from fruit surface and pulp were transferred to potato dextrose agar using different isolation techniques and incubated at 25±2 °C. Isolated pathogens were characterized into surface and pulp contaminants on the basis of their association. A total of 5 fungi M. fragalis, M. genevensis A. niger and A. fumigatus and one unknown were isolated from rotting strawberries. Among isolated fungi, four were grouped under surface adherents and one as pulp contaminant. Surface associated fungi had high occurrence frequency (80%) as compared to fungi isolated from pulp (20%). Identification was performed by macro- and microscopic observation of colonies characters growing on malt extract agar medium. Pure cultures of isolated fungi were identified with the help of key developed by Barent and Hunter and submitted to Fungal Culture Bank of Pakistan. It was first report of postharvest fungi associated with strawberry available in Lahore markets. 

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