Physiological changes occurring in picked climacteric fruit infected with different pathogenic fungi.
Schiffmann-Nadel M., Michaely H., Zauberman G., Chet I.
Author Affiliation: Inst. Technol. Storage Agric. Products, Agric. Res. Org., Volcani Cent., Bet Dagan, Israel.
Phytopathologische Zeitschrift 113 : 277-284
Abstract : Avocado, banana, mango and apple fruits were inoculated with 7 fungi. Of these, Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium expansum and Diplodia natalensis [Botryodiplodia theobromae] were fast growing. Alternaria tenuis [A. alternata] and Pestalotia sp. grew slowly and the rate of growth of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides [Glomerella cingulata] and Trichothecium roseum depended on the fruit sp. Physiological changes during ripening of infected fruit were basically similar to those in uninfected fruit, but were greatly accelerated. A correlation was obtained between rate of fungal development (incubation period and rot development) and the extent of acceleration of respiration and ethylene evolution. Fungal infection had a similar effect to that caused by exogenic ethylene treatment of sound fruit.