The Use of Antioxidants to Delay the Onset of Anthracnose and Stem End Decay in Avocado Fruits After Harvest. Dov Prusky, Department of Fruit and Vegetable Storage, ARO, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel. . Plant Dis. 72:381-384. Accepted for publication 14 August 1987. Copyright 1988 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-72-0381.

Infiltration of avocado fruits (cultivar Fuerte) with 0.1 mM solutions of an antioxidant (butylated hydroxy toluene [BHT], alpha-tocopherol, tert-butylhydroquinone [TBHQ], epicatechin, or 0.01% gum guaiac) delayed the appearance of anthracnose symptoms for 1–2 days. A mixture of 0.1 mM BHT and either 0.5% ascorbic or 0.1% citric acid enhanced the activity of BHT alone and delayed the appearance of anthracnose symptoms for a further day without affecting fungal growth in vitro. Butylated hydroxy anisole and propyl gallate (0.1 mM) had no effect on disease expression. Treatments of fruits with 0.1 mM epicatechin or a mixture of 0.1 mM BHT and 0.5% ascorbic acid delayed the disappearance of endogenous epicatechin and the antifungal diene, and delayed disease expression; infiltration with 1 mM TBHQ, however, enhanced the disappearance and disease expression. In semicommercial trials, stem end rot in cultivars Ettinger and Fuerte was also delayed for 1–4 days as a result of dip treatment in a mixture of 0.1 mM BHT and either 0.5% ascorbic or 0.1% citric acid.

Keyword(s): antifungal compounds, quiescent infections, postharvest diseases, postharvest treatments.