Effect of Plant Oils and Plant Extracts for the Management of Crown Rot of Banana Caused by Lasiodiplodia Theobromae

Abstract

Banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) the major fruit crop across the world is affected by post-harvest losses of the fruit up to 35% due to various reasons. Among them banana crown rot caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae is considered as a major problem. Presently, fungicides are widely used to manage the post-harvest diseases of banana, however the use of these fungicides resulted in development of resistant strains of the pathogen and also leaves the toxic residues in the fruits which causes indirect effect on human health. So as an alternate method, plant oils and plant extracts which are eco-friendly are tested for the management of crown rot disease of banana under in vitro conditions. Among the plant oils tested, thyme oil at 0.05%, basil oil at 0.07%, lemon grass and citrodara oil at 0.09% completely inhibited the mycelial growth and Spore germination of L.theobromae. Among the various plant extracts tested in vitro, maximum mycelial inhibition of L. theobromae was observed at 50% Neem leaf extract (94% reduction over control) followed by 50% thulsi leaf extract (93.3% reduction over control). When these plant extracts and plant oils were tested as post-harvest fruit dipping, thyme oil at 0.05% showed significant reduction of crown rot incidence up to 84.73 % at 12 Days after treatment and also increased the self-life of the fruit.