Post-Harvest Control of Tomato Fruit Rot Caused by Fusarium Solan Using Extracts of Neem (Azadiracta Indica)

ABSTRACT

Fungal rot Is one of the Important disease of tomato fruit In storage. Fusarium solani Is important pathogen isolated from stored tomato fruits. The alcohol and water extracts of different plant parts (root, bark and leaf) of the neem plant (Azadiractita md/ca) were found to be effective In controlling the spread of the rot - causing organism in culture and checking rot development in the tomato fruits. The alcohol extract of different parts especially the bark of neem gave the highest growth inhibition of the fungus both in-vitro and in-vivo. In in-vivo experiment, spraying of the extract before inoculating with spore/hyphal suspension of the pathogen gave a better control of the rot disease than when the spore/hyphal suspension was spray-inoculated on the tomato before spraying the extract. The extracts from neem bark were more effective, foflowed by leaf and then the root Thus, the extract from the neem especially from the bark could be used by farmers to control the rot of tomato fruit caused by Fusanum so/an/in storage.