FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR POST HARVEST DISEASES AND BIOCHEMISTRY OF DEGRADATION OF HOST TISSUE

Factors responsible for post harvest biochemistry of degradation of host tissues

diseases

and

Post harvest loss is a serious problem for producer and distributor and also the consumer. It escoletes non essential overhead cost, reduced market supply, affect the family food cost, imposes serious national problem in countries where staple root crops and fruits are heavily damage. Pot harvest loss has been defined as that of the whole some ediable product that is normally consumed by human and the site of its immediate growth or production by deliberate human action with the intension of using of it for humans. Factors responsible for post harvest diseases : The causes of post harvest diseases can be broadly classified as 1) mechanical injury 2) insect and mite injury 3) phonological deterioration 4) diseases due to non infectious pathogen 5) pathological cause (diseases due to pathogenic infection). A combination of the causes is likely to result in greater losses and also more commonly encounter with than any individual factor Environmental factors Temperature Temperature play an important role in the growth of pathogen as well as its pathogenisis or host defense. Maximum damage of host tissue can often be correlated with the optimum temperature for the growth of micro organism causing such damage but not necessarily so. The microbial attack to different crops become very slow at temperature below 50C some time Geotrichum and Eriwnia spp. become inhibit at 00E but cause damage when produce is brought back to higher temperature after storage at 00C Botrytis, Penicillium, Sclerotinia, Gladosporium etc grow slowly at near freezing temperature.

Variation in percentage loss at different places are thought to be mainly due to temperature differences in case of banana. Relative humidity : Role of relative humidity (RH) is in the post harvest environment is often as important as temperature. Effect of temperature and RH are often inseperatable and interrelate because the capacity of air to hold the moisture varies with the temperature. Aeration in the storage container has its bearing on RH and hence disease development. Maintenance of RH at 98-100 per cent, instead of 85-95 per cent, retain better the crispness and freshness of tropical fruits and vegetables. The optimum RH range of preservation of ginger, onion, garlic in 65-70 per cent, for pumpkin 70-75 per cent. Refrigeration system have been developed to maintain high humidity. Polythene packing is also enhance RH in packages. Interaction of temperature and relative humidity Optimum temperature and relative humidity in a particular combination is suitable for a particular pathogen. Temperature above 50C and RH above 90 per cent together favour the post harvest diseases by permitting the growth of micro organisms on the host surface and maintain wound and other avenues of infection in a favourable conditions. Development of rotting tissue is also much faster. Controlled or modified atmosphere Controlled or modified atmosphere inhibits the rate of respiration of the produce and activity of decay organisms. Change is O2 or CO2 or reduction of pressures. While some produce ripen after harvesting (eg. Apple, tomato, mango, banana) other (grape, citrus, guava, litchi) do not. There is varital differences in response to controlled atmosphere. However, when the products are transformed to ambient condition, the dynamic of rot remains unchanged. Chilling injury which sometime enhances rotting can also be checked through modified atmosphere. Operational factors Handling and packing : The post harvest handling practices in relation to post harvest diseases have been reviewed. Packing has some impact on loss as well as on marketing system. Proper packing and handling can reduced injuries and moisture loss, prevent recontamination and maintain the desirable storage atmosphere perforated plastic film to release evers humidity are ideal for storage traits and vegetables.

In India handling of fruits and vegetables is mainly done in bulk. They are packed in gunny bags, bamboo basket, wooden prates, earthean put it. Ex. When stored in nets or in open polythene bags at 2-40C onion show less infection By Heat treatment Heat treatment may kill incipient or quiescent infection, leaves no chemical residues but may unfavourable after host physiological condition may leave the treated produce valunareble to microbial spoilage in the absence of fungicides. Successful heat treatment are known for papaya, peaches and laterally been replaced in favour of chemical treatment for citrus in California. Chemical treatment In some cases preharvest praying to control some field disease results in injury and subsequent damage in storage. Before recommending a spray particularly at the growing storage of fruit, screening of the chemical for their consequences using storage is needed. Resistance and tolerance of post harvest fungicides in post harvest pathogen are well known. Biochemistry of Degradation of host tissue Post harvest plathogen employ mechanical energy and chemical substances (enzymes and toxins) to cause disease in perishables. Mechanical energy and enzyme are required to penetrate to form approsorium and to colonize, while enzymes and toxins are required to degradade host tissues and consume the substances degraded from he host. Enzyme : Their role in postharvest rots Chesson (1980) his reviewed the role of pectolytic microorganism or cell free pectine enzymes in relations to tissues maceration during post harvest processing. The random hydrolysis of the -1,4 glycoside linkage in polygalacturonases may be enough to bring about tissue maceration and cell death cellulolytic enzyme are generally involved. Production of endo P6 by several post harvest pathogen belonging to Penicillium, Rhizopus, Geotrichum, Sclerotinia, Irwinia has been correlated with tissue maceration. The endopectin lyses/ transeliminases split the -1,4 galacutoronide linkages of pectin more or less randomly and causes of maleration in the blue mould of orange. The pectic acid layses produce oligagalacturonides. These enzyme are characteristics of soft rot and other petolytic bacteria through involved. Amylase activity and pathogenicity have 3

been correlated among several potato pathogens. All these substances decrease with ripening and maturity.

Toxins Production of host specific toxins pathotoxin have been evidenced in apple Erwinia amylovora. Toxins induce typical symptoms and damage plasmalemma. Involvement of toxins of Aspergillus niger and Colletotrichum gleosporioides during the pathogensis of onion and chilli respectively. In fresh fruit and vegetable the process of defence can be conveniently classified. Pre infectional defence In fresh fruit and vegetable coherence of the flesh depends, in large measure, on the petic substances in the middle lamella, which form an adhensive binding of the cells. The propectin is insoluble as a result of high molecular weight and an anchoring of the linear chains of the pectin and pectic acid of cellulose of the cell wall through the bridges of neutral polysacchrides and perhaps proteins. Post infectional defence While studying the infection of citrus with Colletotrichum gleosporioides accumulation of oxidized phenols around the infection zone or injured areas. There is evidence of cellular regulation of the activity of pectic enzymes. Due to the activity of phenol oxidases oxidised phenols are produced, which retard the activity of pectic enzymes. Deterioration in quality in respect of nutritional and other substances Change in carbohydrates Generally fruit are rich in simple sugar while most perishable are also rich in carbohydrates. During pathogenesis usually there is an increase in the loss of complex carbohydrates and initial increases in simple sugar followed by decrease too. Sugar such as sucrose and maltose decreases but undetectable levels. Change in amino acids, proteins and nucleic acid In general both free and protein bound fractions increase during pathogenisis on per cent dry weight basis. This may be due to metabolisation by invading fungal mycelial in the host. The consumption and the metabolisation by the fungi, the their turn, are surpassed by proteolysis by the host at late stages. There are evidence to show reduction or disappearance of some aminoacids

glutamine acid in particular and appearance of new amino acids like valine in infected tissues. Change in organic acids Different organic acids either decreases or increases during pathogenisis. Those that decreases such as citric acid, fumaric aid malic, melonic, oxalic, succinic acids etc are usually consumed by carbon sources. Production of succinic acid both in vitro and in vivo by fruit rotting fungi appears to be quite wide spread. Reduction in ascorbic acid content Fruits particularly tropical ones are important sources of vitamin CC ascorbic acid contain normally diminishes during storage. Reduction in alkaloid content Reduction in the content in capsicin responsible (N-4 hydroxyl-3 methoxyl benzyl-8 methyltrans-6-nonemide) for the pungency of flavour in chillies due to Colletotrichum piperatum. Change in pH Increases in pH in lemons while decreases the same in orange has been future when such fruit inoculated with fungi Alternaria, Penicillium and Geotrichum. Reduction of acidity been also obtained in mandarin orange infected with Alternaria citri. Anatomical changes Tissue maceration is the most characteristics symptoms of rots. Recent evidence suggest that, cell wall degrading enzymes even contain pectic enzyme alone may cause enough degradation to cause the tissue maceration. This is not cause by direct damage to plasma membrane which pectic enzymes are incapable of doing. But maceration it may be mechanically imporable for the plasma membrane to retain its physical integrity.