Application of lemongrass oil in vapour phase for the effective control of anthracnose of "Sekaki' papaya

AimsTo evaluate the potential use of lemongrass essential oil vapour as an alternative for synthetic fungicides in controlling anthracnose of papaya. Methods and ResultsLemongrass oil used in the study was characterized using gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) before it was tested against anthracnose of papaya invitro and invivo. The GC-FID analysis showed that geranial (456%) and neral (343%) were the major components in lemongrass oil. In vitro study revealed that lemongrass oil vapour at all concentrations tested (33, 66, 132, 264 and 528ll(-1)) suppressed the mycelial growth and conidial germination of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. For the invivo study, Sekaki' papaya were exposed to lemongrass oil fumigation (0, 7, 14, 28ll(-1)) for 18h and at room temperature for 9days. Lemongrass oil vapour at the concentration of 28ll(-1) was most effective against anthracnose of artificially inoculated papaya fruit while quality parameters of papaya were not significantly altered. ConclusionsThis suggests that lemongrass oil vapour can control anthracnose disease development on papaya without affecting its natural ripening process. Significance and Impact of the StudyThe potential practical application of this technology can reduce reliance on synthetic fungicides for the control of postharvest diseases in papaya.