Impact of inoculation methods and fruit maturity on the development of Aspergillus fruit rot of citrus

Abstract

Among the different methods of inoculation, Cork-wounding method (52.00%) found best for the Aspergillus rot development after 7th days of inoculation and it was at par with Pin-prick method (47.25 %). The fruits without injury failed to develop the rot. It was revealed that injury to fruit surface is essential for infection and development of Aspergillus rot in citrus. All the three stages of fruit maturity exhibited symptoms of the Aspergillus rot. However, highest Aspergillus rot severity was recorded in mature fruits (40.00 %) at 7th days after inoculation. Further it was noted that mature fruits are more prone to infection than the semi-mature and immature fruits.