Evaluation of phosphonate for control of postharvest mango pathogens.
Cooke A. W., Johnson G. I., Farungsang U., Farungsang N.
Author Affiliation: QDPI, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Qld 4068, Australia.
: 755-761
Abstract : During 2 seasons, field trials were conducted in a mango orchard in southern Queensland, Australia, to investigate the effect of preharvest trunk injection and soil drenches of phosphonate on postharvest disease levels in cultivar Kensington Pride. In the first trial, trees were injected when fruits were hen-egg-sized. After storage at 22°C for 20 days, injection of 400 g potassium phosphonate/litre (15 ml/m canopy diameter) significantly reduced postharvest stem end rot (caused by Dothiorella dominicana and Phomopsis mangifera) in fruits. There was a reduction in the isolation frequency of endophytic stem end rot pathogens from inflorescences ~6 weeks after injection, although this was not significant. In the second trial, injections and soil drenches were applied earlier in fruit development (flowering/fruit set stage). There was no reduction in fruit stem end rot levels.