Post-Harvest Interventions for Reduction of Anthracnose-induced Losses in Banana (Musa paradisiaca L.)
M. Ramanjineyulu *
Department of Agronomy, Sri Krishnadevaraya College of Horticultural Sciences (Affiliated to Dr.YSRHU), Ananthapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, India.
B. R. Sathish
Department of Fruit Science, Sri Krishnadevaraya College of Horticultural Sciences (Affiliated to Dr.YSRHU), Ananthapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, India.
M. Yaswanth Reddy
Department of Fruit Science, Sri Krishnadevaraya College of Horticultural Sciences (Affiliated to Dr.YSRHU), Ananthapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, India.
G. C. Sravya
Department of Agronomy, Sri Krishnadevaraya College of Horticultural Sciences (Affiliated to Dr.YSRHU), Ananthapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, India.
M. Sainath Rao
Department of Spices, Plantation, Medicinal and Aromatic plants, Sri Krishnadevaraya College of Horticultural Sciences (Affiliated to Dr.YSRHU), Ananthapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Post-harvest anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum musae is a major constraint to the storability, marketability and profitability of banana. The present investigation assessed the effectiveness of selected post-harvest treatments in controlling anthracnose, extending shelf life and reducing post-harvest losses in banana. Mature green fruits were subjected to ten post-harvest treatments comprising physical, chemical, biological and integrated approaches, along with an untreated control, under a Completely Randomized Design. The treatments differed significantly for all parameters studied. An integrated treatment involving hot water treatment at 52 °C for 5 minutes followed by chitosan coating (1%) was the most effective, recording the lowest anthracnose incidence (18.9%) and disease severity index (11.4%) compared with the control (68.4% and 42.6, respectively). This treatment also significantly extended shelf life (14.5 days) relative to untreated fruits (7.0 days) and reduced post-harvest losses to 12.4% as against 34.5% in the control. Economically, the same treatment resulted in the highest net returns (₹11.80 kg⁻¹) and benefit-cost ratio (1.95). The findings clearly establish that integrated post-harvest interventions provide an effective and economically sustainable strategy for managing anthracnose and minimizing post-harvest losses in banana.
Keywords: Banana, post-harvest anthracnose, post-harvest treatments, shelf life, post-harvest losses, economic returns