Determination of banana fruit susceptibility to post-harvest diseases: wound anthracnose, quiescent anthracnose and crown rot

Introduction. This protocol aims at (a) evaluating the resistance to post-harvest diseases within different genotypes of bananas, and (b) comparing different origins of bananas (geographic origin, physiological stage, etc.) for their susceptibility to post-harvest diseases. The principle, key advantages, starting plant material, time required and expected results are presented. Materials and methods. Materials required and details of the twelve steps of the protocol (fruit sampling and inoculum preparation, wound anthracnose resistance study, quiescent anthracnose resistance study and crown-rot resistance study) are described. Results. Typical symptoms of the different diseases are obtained after artificial inoculation