Page 186 - FRUTAS DEL TRÓPICO

186 Frutas del trópico

anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, but the latter lesions usually penetrate
the mesocarp no deeper than 10-20 mm and are covered with salmon-pink spore masses

of the pathogen. Cytosphaera mangiferae causes slow-spreading, tan lesions at the stem end

similar to the symptoms produced by Aspergillus niger. C. mangiferae produces characteristic

conidiomata around the stem end. Pestalotiopsis mangiferae causes tan lesions that develop

slowly and are eventually covered with acervuli.

The causal fungi are endophytes in mango stem tissue (Ploetz et al., 1994). They infect

the inflorescence early in its development and reach the fruit pedicel several weeks after

flowering begins. They then remain quiescent until fruit ripen. A dip in hot (52°C) benomyl for

5 minutes is effective, but not allowed in many areas. Hot water (55°C) alone or vapor heat
treatment are less effective control measures. When fruit are placed in cool storage for long

periods they must be treated with a fungicide. Preharvest applications of copper oxychloride

and postharvest application of prochloraz may also reduce stem-end rot, but the level of con-

trol will be lower than that obtained with hot benomyl. Fruit should not be placed in soil for

sap removal.

Papaya (Carica papaya)

Anthracnose. This disease, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (teleomproh: Glo-

merella cingulata), is an important post-harvest disease of papaya in most production areas,

particularly when fruit are transported to distant markets (Ploetz et al., 1994; Ploetz, 2003).

Small, water-soaked spots appear on the fruit surface as ripening commences. As infection ad-

vances, circular sunken lesions with translucent light-brown margins form. Light orange to pink
conidial masses cover the central portion of the lesions and frequently occur in a concentric

ring pattern. The internal tissue is firm with a greyish-white discolouration, which later turns

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