7 ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF FUNGI INVOLVED IN THE POST-HARVEST SPOILAGE OF GUAVA (Psidium guajava) IN AWKA METROPOLIS

The postharvest spoilage of Guava fruit (Psidium guajava Linn.) from four selected markets in Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria was investigated. Isolation of associated fungi from guava fruits was carried out on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA). A total of seven (7) fungi were isolated namely Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Fusarium oxysporum, Mucor sp., Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus and A. parasiticus. F. oxysporum was the most prevalent of the seven fungi isolated and appeared in all the four locations. Guava fruit spoilage was most severe under humid environment and was enhanced by wounds on fruit surfaces. Pathogenicity test carried out revealed that of the seven isolates four proved pathogenic when artificially inoculated into healthy guava fruits. These were F. oxysporum, A. niger, A. fumigatus and A. parasiticus. These organisms are, therefore, the causal agents of guava fruit rot under the conditions of this study. The rest isolates did not reproduce fruit rot following artificial inoculation