CONTROL OF ANTHRACNOSE IN THE POST-HARVEST OF 'UBA' MANGO WITH THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS

This study has assessed the effectiveness of alternative products to agrochemicals for the control of anthracnose in the post-harvest of 'Uba' mango. Physiologically mature fruit were sprayed until complete wetting with spore suspension of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in 2.5 x 10(5) conidia/mL concentration. After air drying, the following were sprayed with distilled water (control), tween 20 (8 mL/L of solution), Prochloraz (1.10 mL Sportak 450 EC/L of solution), garlic oil (10 mL/L + 8 mL/L of tween 20), Acrocomia aculeata almond oil + instant milk powder (IMP) (25 mL/L + 10 g IMP/L), A. aculeata almond oil + tween (25 mL/L + 8 mL/L of tween 20), agro-mos (R) biofertilizer (100 mu L/L), neem oil (10 mL/L + 8 mL/L of tween 20), chitosan (10 mL/L + 8 mL/L of tween 20) and citric biomass (10 mL/L + 8 mL/L of tween 20). The solvent used was distilled water. Incubation period, latent period, fresh weight loss and production of CO2 were assessed along with daily severity and incidence of the disease. Shorter incubation periods of the disease were noted in fruit treated with neem oil, water + tween and citric biomass, with approximately five days. A. aculeata almond oil + IMP and agro-mos (R) were the ones that most delayed the onset of symptoms, resulting in an incubation period of nine days after pathogen inoculation. Regarding severity, A. aculeata almond oil + IMP and Prochloraz were the most efficient in hindering the growth of the pathogen at 8 days after inoculation, but soon fruit treated with A. aculeata almond oil + IMP equaled those treated with the other products. Fruit treated with A. aculeata almond oil + IMP and A. aculeata almond oil + tween expressed the structures of the pathogen only at 13 and 14 evaluation days, respectively. The largest mass losses were found for fruit treated with garlic oil and citric biomass, with 8.31% and 8.44% respectively at 14 days. As for the production of CO2, A. aculeata almond oil + IMP and A. aculeata almond oil + tween kept increasing respiratory rate, where only at 12 days there was a slight respiratory increase. Thus, we may conclude that in addition to Prochloraz, A. aculeata almond oil + IMP and A. aculeata almond oil + tween have good potential for the control of anthracnose in 'Uba' mango.