Antifungal Activity of Plant Extracts and their Applicability in Extending the Shelf Life of Mango Fruits

The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of aqueous extract of eight plant species against C. gloeosporioides the causal agent of mango anthracnose under natural disease epidemics. A highly significant (P < 0.001) difference was observed among treatments in their effect on anthracnose development. None of the extracts were able to completely prevent development of anthracnose. However, most of the extracts significantly reduced disease development over the control. A high level of reduction of anthracnose development was observed when fruits were dipped in aqueous extract of Ruta chalepensis. The extract reduced disease development to below 36% during the experimental period while severity on untreated fruits reached more than 93.4%, and more than 60 % of the fruits were marketable. The treatments also maintained quality of mango; firmness, pH, total soluble solid and titratable acidity of treated mango fruit significantly (P < 0.001) differed from those of the control. Present study indicate that postharvest dipping of mango fruits into various plant extracts can suppress the development of anthracnose and improve marketability of mango fruits without pronounced effect on the qualities of the fruit. Moreover, extensive studies are justified towards application of plant extracts as part of integrated disease management to establish effective management tool. Key words: C. gloeosporioides; Mango anthracnose; Marketability; Plant extract; Ruta chalepensi