Isolation, Identification and Pathogenicity Study of the Microbes Causing Tomato Post -Harvest Spoilage in Maiduguri Metropolis, Maiduguri, Nigeria
Keywords:
Tomato spoilage; Microbes; Fungi; Bacteria; PathogenecityAbstract
Tomato contains high moisture, low pH and nutrients that makes it very susceptible to attack by microorganisms causing more than 20% post-harvest loss. This study was carried out to isolate and identify the fungi and bacteria associated with tomato spoilage in Maiduguri metropolis and test the pathogenicity of the isolated microbes in healthy tomato varieties. A total of twenty-eight (28) rotten tomato samples were collected from seven markets within Maiduguri metropolis. The rotten tomatoes were cultured in different culture media suitable for fungal and bacterial growth. Identification of isolated microbes was done based on cultural identification, macroscopic and microscopic examination for fungi and microscopic examination, gram staining and biochemical tests for bacteria. The pathogenicity of the isolated microbes was tested in three different tomato varieties (UTC, Roman and Seria). Nineteen (19) microbes comprising five (5) bacteria and fourteen (14) fungi were identified from the infected tomatoes. The fungal analysis showed that Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida tropicalis were the most frequent fungal microbes associated with the spoilt tomato samples with occurrences of 65.7%, 80.1% and 91.4% respectively. Aspergillus austus, Penicillium spp and Aspergillus oryzae had the lowest percentage occurrence of 5.71% each. Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida tropicalis were found to be the most pathogenic in all the three tomato varieties. Developing fungicides that will target specifically Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida tropicalis may greatly reduce post-harvest losses associated with tomatoes as they are found to be the major microbes associated with the tomato spoilage.
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