Control of Peduncular Rot in Post-harvest Mango Fruits with Hydrotherapy and Refrigeration

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydrotherapy associated with refrigeration on the control of peduncular rot in mango fruits (Mangifera indica) of the Tommy Atkins variety. For this, an experiment was set up in the phytopathology laboratory of the Agrarian Sciences Center of the Federal University of Alagoas - UFAL - Delza Gitaí Campus - Rio Largo - AL, from June to December 2018. Mango fruits, previously inoculated with L. theobromae (106 con.mL-1), were immersed in warm water at temperatures of 40, 45, 50 and 55°C for 1, 5 and 10 minutes and then placed under refrigeration for 5 days, then evaluated for disease severity. The results show that hydrotherapy associated with refrigeration is able to control peduncular rot in mango fruits. The temperatures of 50, 55 and 60ºC in the time of 9 minutes of fruit immersion showed 100% control of the disease, in the time of 1 minute only the temperature of 60ºC presented control superior to 90% of the disease, the temperatures of 45 , 50 and 55 presented control of 74.6, 76.2 and 89%, respectively. In the time of 5 minutes, the temperatures of 55 and 60ºC were the best with control superior to 90% of the disease. In all immersion times, the equation that best fit the data was the 3rd degree polynomial. The temperature of 40ºC, in all evaluated times, was the only one that presented control of the disease inferior to 20%.