A B S T R A C T 

T h e pos t -ha rves t loss o f banana in Sr i L a n k a is a b o u t 2 0 % o f i ts t o t a l p r o d u c t i o n . T h i s is 

m a i n l y d u e t o p o o r pos t -ha rves t h a n d l i n g a n d pos t -ha rves t d iseases. A n t h r a c n o s e a n d 

c r o w n ro t a re the m o s t c o m m o n pos t -ha rves t d iseases o f banana . I n S r i L a n k a n f r u i t 

i n d u s t r y , an th racnose (Colletotrichum musae) a n d c r o w n ro t d isease are caused b y 

Fusarium proliferatum, Lasiodiplodia theobromae a n d Colletotrichum musae. T h e n o v e l 

t r end is u s i n g the e c o - f r i e n d l y t r ea tmen t me thods t o c o n t r o l post harves t diseases ins tead 

o f u s i n g s y s t e m i c f u n g i c i d e s w h i c h are h a r m f u l t o h u m a n h e a l t h . M o s t o f researches 

repo r ted tha t v o l a t i l e c o m p o u n d s f r o m va r i ous p lan ts can evapo ra te eas i l y a n d i n h i b i t 

f u n g a l pa thogens w i t h o u t l e a v i n g res idues o n f r u i t su r face . Ocimum basilicum o i l ( 0 . 1 6 % 

v / v ) c o n t r o l l e d banana a n d papaya f r u i t pa thogens a n d 1 % ( w / v ) i n l i q u i d b ioassay a lso 

c o n t r o l l e d t he g r o w t h o f Fusarium proliferatum, Lasiodiplodia theobromae a n d 

Colletotrichum musae. H o w e v e r , c a l c i u m c h l o r i d e o r c a l c i u m o x i d e in vitro d i d n o t 

c o n t r o l the g r o w t h o f banana f r u i t pa thogens d u r i n g the l i q u i d b i o assay. 

A c o m b i n a t i o n o f bas i l o i l t r ea tmen t a n d / o r a n d M o d i f i e d A t m o s p h e r e P a c k a g i n g ( M A P ) 

w i t h c o l d s torage w e r e tes ted o n E m b u l banana f ru i t s f o r m i n i m i z i n g pos t -ha rves t 

diseases a n d l e n g t h e n i n g s torage l i f e . D u r i n g in vivo b ioassays E m b u l banana f r u i t s w e r e 

w a s h e d w i t h 1 % a l u m ( w / v ) s o l u t i o n and sp rayed w i t h Ocimum basilicum o i l ( 0 . 1 6 % 

and 0 . 2 0 % v / v ) o n th ree m a t u r i t y leve ls ( 8 0 , 85 a n d 9 0 d a y m a t u r e ) o f banana. A c c o r d i n g 

t o t he f i n d i n g s o f 3 e x p e r i m e n t s o f d i f f e r e n t m a t u r i t y leve ls o f E m b u l banana , p h y s i c o -

c h e m i c a l (Pee l c o l o u r , percentage w e i g h t loss, t o t a l s o l u b l e s o l i d s , t i t r a tab le a c i d i t y ) , 

o r g a n o l e p t i c ( f l a v o u r , tas te , o d o u r and o v e r a l l a c c e p t a b i l i t y ) and p a t h o l o g i c a l ( C r o w n 

i i i 



ro t disease and A n t h r a c n o s e ) p rope r t i es w e r e best in 85 d a y m a t u r e l e v e l o f E m b u l 

banana. T h e e f fec t o f v a c u u m t rea tmen t w a s eva lua ted on t rea ted banana f ru i t s . T h e 

essent ia l o i l t r ea tmen t in c o m b i n a t i o n w i t h M A P a n d vacuum p a c k i n g i n c o l d s to rage 

( I 2 - I 4 ° C ) c o n t r o l l e d t he c r o w n ro t a n d an th racnose pa thogens , f a c i l i t a t i n g t h e s to rage o f 

E m b u l banana up t o 3 2 days w i t h o u t a n y e f fec t o n p h y s i c o - c h e m i c a l p rope r t i es o n l y w i t h 

s l i gh t d i f f e r e n c e s o f o r g a n o l e p t i c p rope r t i es ( o d o u r and taste) c o m p a r e d t o t he c o n t r o l . 

W h e n the f u n g i c i d a l e f f ec t o f c a l c i u m c o m p o u n d s w e r e tes ted o n banana i n M A P u n d e r 

c o l d s to rage , C a ( O H ) 2 c o n t r o l l e d banana f r u i t pa thogens , h o w e v e r , w i t h less v i s u a l 

q u a l i t y due t o res idue c a l c i u m depos i t ed o n f r u i t su r face . 

Su r face r o t (Rhizopus Stolonifer), an th racnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) a n d 

s t e m - e n d - r o t a n d i n te rna l m o l d d u e t o Lasiodiplodia theobromae a n d Phomopsis caricae-

papayae a f f e c t q u a l i t y o f p a p a y a f r u i t s . D u r i n g t he in vivo s t u d y o f p a p a y a , t w o va r ie t i es 

o f papaya f r u i t s ( R a t h n a and R e d L a d y ) w e r e harves ted at 2 5 % y e l l o w stage a n d t h e 

e f f i c a c y o f 1 % a l u m ( w / v ) a n d an e m u l s i o n o f bas i l o i l ( 0 . 1 6 % a n d 0 . 2 0 % v / v ) w e r e 

tested o n p a p a y a fruits. W h e n each f r u i t w a s i n d i v i d u a l l y enc losed i n s t y r o f o a m net 

s leeves a n d s to red i n p las t i c c ra tes a n d s tored at I 2 - I 4 ° C a n d 8 5 - 9 0 % r e l a t i v e h u m i d i t y , 

ex tended s to rage l i f e w a s e x t e n d e d up t o 14 days w i t h m i n i m a l d isease. A l u m ( 1 % w / v ) 

w a s h e d a n d 0 . 1 6 % ( v / v ) bas i l o i l sp rayed p a p a y a f r u i t s e f f e c t i v e l y c o n t r o l l e d sur face ro t , 

s t em-end r o t a n d Phomopsis ro t w i t h no e f f ec t to the p h y s i c o - c h e m i c a l p rope r t i es a n d 

w i t h less e f fec t t o t he o r g a n o l e p t i c p rope r t i es ( taste a n d o v e r a l l a c c e p t a b i l i t y ) . T h e V i s u a l 

Q u a l i t y R a t i n g ( V Q R ) w a s h i g h ( 1 1 - 1 3 ) , s h r i v e l i n g w a s l o w w i t h no " g r e e n i s l a n d " o n 

f r u i t s a n d w i t h l o w disease seve r i t y , w h i c h w a s s ta t i ca l l y s i m i l a r t o da ta o b t a i n e d w i t h 

b a v i s t i n ( a c o m m e r c i a l f u n g i c i d e ) t rea tmen t (d isease seve r i t y i n d e x = 2 , s l i g h t l y d iseased , 

i v 



Green Is lands f o rma t i on = 2 , f e w n u m b e r o f i n c i d e n c e a n d s h r i v e l i n g i n d e x = 1, no 

s h r i v e l i n g ) . Gas c h r o m a t o g r a p h y data o f the ex t rac t o f essent ia l o i l t rea ted Red L a d y 

papaya pee l o b t a i n e d d u r i n g res idue ana l ys i s , i nd i ca ted t he absence o f m a j o r c o m p o n e n t s 

o f bas i l o i l a f t e r s to rage p e r i o d o f 14 d a y s d u e t o the v o l a t i l e na tu re o f o i l . 

A c c o r d i n g t o t he da ta o f t he present s t u d y , t r ea t i ng banana f r u i t s at 85 d a y m a t u r i t y l e v e l 

w i t h a l u m ( 1 % w / v ) a n d bas i l o i l ( 0 . 1 6 % v / v ) i n c o m b i n a t i o n w i t h MAP o r v a c u u m 

p a c k a g i n g c o u l d be used as an e c o - f r i e n d l y i n teg ra ted m e t h o d t o e x t e n d t he s torage l i f e o f 

f r u i t s u p t o 3 2 d a y s unde r c o l d s torage. A l u m a n d subsequen t essen t ia l o i l t r e a t m e n t 

s u p p o r t e d b y s t y r o f o a m ne t s leeve c u s h i o n i n g c o u l d be c o m m e r c i a l l y r e c o m m e n d e d as a 

sa fe a n d e f f e c t i v e m e t h o d t o c o n t r o l pos t harves t d iseases o f p a p a y a , r e t a i n v i s u a l q u a l i t y 

a n d l eng then t he s torage l i f e u p t o 14 days under c o l d s to rage . These in teg ra ted t r e a t m e n t 

s t ra teg ies o f banana a n d papaya c o u l d be adop ted f o r sea s h i p m e n t a n d t e m p e r a t u r e -

regu la ted s u p e r m a r k e t s torage.