Abstract:
Effects of sodium bicarbonate, calcium propionate, sodium metabisulfite, potassium
carbonate and ammonium carbonate against mycelial growth of Colletotrichum
gloeosporioides were evaluated in a in-vitro study. Sodium metabisulfite is found to be
the most effective salt that exhibited fungicidal activity at the lowest concentration of
0.06% compared to the other salts. Post-harvest application of sodium metabisulfite to
control infection of anthracnose on bananas caused by C. gloeosporioides was evaluated
in a in-vivo study. The effectiveness of the treatments were assessed by evaluating their
impact on physical-chemical parameters of fruits such as firmness, hue angle, chroma,
total titratable acidity (TT A), total soluble solid (TSS), pH, vitamin C content, diameter
of lesion and incidence. The bananas subjected to curative treatment using 2% sodium
metabisulfite showed less fungus infection and greater flesh firmness as compared to
other treatments. No significant difference was observed in the hue angles of bananas
subjected to curative treatment and bananas injured before being dipped into salt with
control. In addition, there were no significant differences in the chroma, TT A and
vitamin C content among all treatments and control. However, the bananas subjected to
protective treatment and untreated bananas showed higher value in TSS and pH
compared to bananas subjected to curative treatment. This result suggests that curative
treatment using sodium metabisulfite could provide a significant level of protection on
bananas.
