Post Harvest Disease Management in Mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Kesar

The Kesar is a precious variety of Mangifera indica from western India, which has good potential domestic as well as for the export market. The studies on the effect of preharvest sprays and post harvest dip of Bavistin (1000 ppm) and Dithane M-45 (2000 ppm) and harvesting with 1 cm stalk and conventional harvesting were undertaken. After these treatments, the fruits were packed in corrugated fiber board (CFB) boxes. These boxes were loaded with sapota boxes in regular Sapota transporting trucks, which were transported over a distance of 1150 km. After transport, the storage and ripening studies were carried out. The results revealed that the pre or post harvest treatments of both the fungicides i.e. Bavistin (1000 ppm) and Dithane M-45 (2000 ppm) were found equally good in controlling stem end rot and anthracnose. However, Bavistin treatment has slightly extended the shelf life. Harvesting of mango fruits with 1 cm stalk was found better than the conventional method of harvesting with better shelf life, quality of fruits, reduced Physiological loss in weight (PLW) and decay losses. The various parameters related to quality and disease reduction index were studied during transport and storage and discussed in the paper.