Abstract:
Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum musae (Berk. & Curt. V.) Arx is one of the most
important postharvest diseases of marketed banana fruits at the global level and often the
disease is mentioned in relation to customary harvest and postharvest management practices
(CHPHMPs) by growers and traders. However, in Ethiopia the status of the disease,
characteristics of the pathogen, the reaction of detached banana genotypes against the
pathogen and the effects of CHPHMPs on the disease are not well studied. Therefore, the
current study was done with the objectives of determining the incidence and severity of
anthracnose starting from farm up to retailer shops, surveying the CHPHMPs affecting the
disease, characterizing Colletotrichum musae isolates and to determine the reactions of some
banana genotypes against the disease. Survey and sampling of the study was conducted in
farmers’ field around Arba-Minch and major fruit markets in Addis Ababa and laboratorial
works were conducted at Plant Pathology Laboratory of JUCAVM. Data on CHPHMPs of the
farmers and traders were collected through single visit interviews using questionnaire format.
Disease incidence was determined on the bases of totality of healthy and diseased fruits and
severity was visually estimated and calculated by giving the scale from 0 to 4. Survey study
revealed 9.8% and 4.1% incidence and severity of anthracnose, respectively at farmers’ field.
After transportation of the fruits to Addis anthracnose incidence was 12.2% with 3% of
severity on assessed banana fingers. Disease incidence and severity were recorded as 30.4
and 2.6% at ripening rooms, 70.8 and 31.6% at retailer, 51.3 and 20.7% at ET-fruit shops,
respectively. The CHPHMPs both by farmers and merchants were almost comparable
however, some variations were observed. Among surveyed CHPHMPs variety, harvesting
methods, fruit sources, the distance travelled, fruit covers during transportation, cleaning/
grading, container type and from physical condition of the fruits (PCF) bruise severity on
fruits surface and ripening level in general were factors significantly (p < 0.05) affected the
disease at different phases of the study. The six isolates C. musae were also showed
significant variation in some of their cultural and morphological characteristics on PDA and
blackish white colony color, black substrate color, flat mycelium growth, regular colony
shape with smooth colony margin were typical and dominant cultural characteristics of most
of the isolates. In addition to these, some banana varieties were significantly (p < 0.05)
different in their susceptibility to wound and quiescent anthracnose based on their rotted
surface area among which William I, was found to be susceptible with rotted surface area of
3522.2 and 2521.9 mm2
whereas butaza was the least susceptible for wound and quiescent
anthracnose, respectively. Generally the study found anthracnose as an important postharvest
disease of banana fruit causing qualitative and quantitative loss in many of the surveyed
shops in Addis Ababa and the disease was found to be affected by CHPHMPs. Therefore, it is
better to conduct further studies regarding the disease in relation to management practices
and the loss need to be quantified. In addition to this it is important to study reactions of more
number of commercial bananas to quiescent and wound anthracnose.
