Postharvest hot water treatment for disease control in kesar mango fruits

The present investigation was undertaken to study the effect of postharvest hot water treatment for disease control in Kesar mango fruits grown under arid zone. For this purpose, the mango fruits were harvested at proper stage of maturity and given hot water treatments at 52°C for 10 minutes alone and in combination with fungicidal dips viz., Bavistin (0.1%) and Captan (0.2%). The mango fruits were then packed in corrugated fibre board box and then stored in two storage environments viz., at room temperature (28.12 to 36.18°C temperature and 46.18 to 71.25% RH) and in cool chamber (21.47 to 27.10°C temperature and 91 to 95% RH). It was observed that hot water treatment combined with Bavistin (0.1%) was found to be the best in controlling the incidence of anthracnose and stem-end rot. It was observed that shelf-life of mango fruits could be extended for more than 28 days when given hot water treatment coupled with fungicides and stored in cool chamber. On the contrary, the shelf life of fruit was found be 21 days when given same set of treatments and hardly 17 days when untreated and stored at room temperature. It was also observed that hot water treatment coupled with fungicide to mango fruits recorded lower physiological loss in weight and high organoleptic score when stored in cool chamber as compared to room temperature storage. The untreated (control) fruits were found to have infected withColletotrichum gloeosporioides and Diploidia natalensis.