FUNGITOXIC EFFECTS AND PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND FUNGI DISEASE OF PAWPAW (Carica papaya) AND ITS TREATMENT USING THE ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF NEEM LEAVES (Azadirachta indica)AND SCENT LEAVES (Ocinum gratissimum)

Pawpaw (Carica papaya) is one of the most popular fruit grown and consumed extensively throughout the tropical and sub-tropical region of the world. With a total of 23.87 million pawpaw ranks third among the tropical fruits grown throughout the world. Owing to its unique fragrance, delicious taste and high nutritive value, pawpaw has a very high global demand. Pawpaw contains significant amount of vitamin A, vitamin C and soluble sugar. It is generally harvested at mature green stage and ripens during post-harvest handling operations like transportation, storage etc. This study was carried out to minimize the post-harvest losses and extend shelf-life of pawpaw fruit by maintaining the physiochemical properties. Freshly harvested pawpaw was treated with different concentration of both neem leaf and scent leaf ethanolic extracts. Untreated pawpaw was considered as control. Within five days, untreated pawpaw started showing sign of decay which suggested the presence of fungal pathogens, Aspergillus niger, Mucor ramosissimus and Rhizoctonia solani was confirmed as the casual organisms after isolation of the diseased pawpaw. The treated fruits showed significant differences in shelf-life in case of disease severity and comparison to control fruits. The effectiveness of the treatment was meaningful which could be recommended for maintenance of post-harvest quality of pawpaw stored in ambient conditions.