Efficacy of chemical fungitoxicans in fruit rot of jackfruit in Jhansi vicinity

Abstract

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.,) belongs to the family Moraceae is a plant with high remunerative value due to important fruit. It is grown in various states of India. Its fruit is the largest tree born fruit and used in various purposes, susceptible to a number of diseases. Rhizopus soft rot disease caused by Rhizopus stolonifer. Rhizopus rot is a common fungal disease of jackfruit flowers, inflorescence and fruit. Symptoms appear at first, soft, watery, brown spots develop on the flowers and fruit. Subsequently, a powdery, fuzzy-looking mass of black spores and white fungal mycelia covers the jackfruit surface. The pathogen engulfs the young fruit, resulting in the characteristic black, rotten, shrunken, and sometimes mummified fruit remains. Fruit symptoms can appear on the tree or can develop on fruit that are in storage or transit, resulting in a significant decrease in fruit set. The pathogen grown on Potato dextrose Agar (PDA) produced colony of moderately fast growing usually in the beginning dull, a powdery, fuzzy-looking mass of black spores and white fungal mycelia with abundant sporulation Rhizoids well developed. Sporangiophores (on stolons) are brown, in groups of 1-3 and occasionally more. There were variation in Maximum Inhibition Concentration) MIC of three fungitoxicans viz bavistin, Indofil M-45 (Mancozeb) and ridomil. MIC on agar plate ranged from 0.5 to 2.5%. Among the three fungicides tested against R. stolonifer. Ridomil was found highly effective in inhibiting the mycelial growth followed by Ridomil at 0.5%, 1.0% and 2.5%. Key words: Rhizopus rot, Rhizopus artocarpi, Jackfruit fruit rot, MIC