The effects of relative humidity and temperature on disease development in stored date fruits
I.B. Omamor, A. Hamza
ISHS Acta Horticulturae 736:457-460. 2007.
2007
บทคัดย่อ
The effects of relative humidity and temperature on disease development in stored date fruits
Date fruit rot is widely distributed in Nigeria and causes great losses for farmers and marketers. The role of moisture and temperature in disease development was investigated at 7 relative humidity levels using saturated salt solutions and water at 6 temperature levels with the ultimate aim of controlling rot. Temperature and moisture were found to be important in disease development. Up to 15°C, no rot was observed after 21 days of incubation in all relative humidity levels tested. Similarly, in up to 63% RH, no rot was observed at the temperatures tested. Though the fruits were shriveled and brittle the spores proved viable when transferred to growth media and incubated at 30°C. This indicated that low relative humidity and temperature are not conducive for disease development. At 25-30°C all fungi tested caused rot in 91-100% RH in 2-5 days. All except Cladosporium spp. caused rot in 84.5% RH in 2-26 days. only Aspergillus vesicolor and Malbrachiae sp. caused rot at 75% RH in 11-15 days. Thus date fruits with low moisture content may be preserved at room temperature while those with high moisture content will require lower temperatures.