Fungal rots of potato from Orissa markets and their control

Phytopathological analysis of 292 samples of rotten potato tubers collected from four markets of Orissa yielded seven species of fungi, viz., Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niqer, Fusarium oxysporum, F. solani, F. equiseti, Rhizopus arrhizus and Penicillium sp., causing a loss ranging from 3.79 to 43.18%. In vivo studies with 11 chemicals revealed that the postharvest fungal rot of potalo tubers may be controlled by dipping the tubers with 5% thiourea or 0.04% formalin for 30 min. before storage.