Botanical Leaf Packing as a Green Strategy to Manage Stem End Rot Caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae in Mango cv. Kesar

Abstract

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the most important tropical fruit crops of India; however, its production and market value are severely affected by post-harvest diseases, particularly stem end rot (SER). During storage and ripening, stem end rot caused by latent fungal infections such as Lasiodiplodia theobromae causes large post-harvest losses. Concerns about fungicide resistance, chemical residues, environmental contamination, and hazards to human health have been brought up by the overuse of synthetic fungicides for disease management. Thus, there is an immediate need for sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. The current study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of various plant leaf treatments for the management of stem end rot disease in the mango variety Kesar. Plant- derived antifungal compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, alkaloids, isothiocyanates, tannins, saponins, aliphatic aldehydes and terpenoids exhibit strong antimicrobial activity, effectively reducing disease severity, delaying fruit ripening, and enhancing shelf life without leaving hazardous residues. Healthy, uniform mango fruits were packed with fresh leaves of tulsi, karanja, curry leaf, neem, lantana, eucalyptus, and drumstick at 25 g kg⁻¹ fruit and stored at room temperature under a completely randomized design. Disease incidence and shelf life observations were noted. In comparison to the control (70.00%), the results showed that fruits packed with karanja leaves had the lowest disease incidence (20.00%), which was at par with neem leaves (23.33%). Fruits treated with neem leaves (12.67 days) and karanja leaves (14.67 days) had far longer shelf lives than control fruits (7.00 days). The study showed that plant leaf treatments—specifically, karanja and neem leaves—are safe, efficient, and eco-friendly substitutes for controlling stem end rot disease and extending the shelf life of mango fruits.