Post harvest losses in apple and banana during transport and storage

Total losses in the apples transported from Quetta, Swat and Murree to Faisalabad market during the months of August, September and November were found to be 23, 20 25 percent respectively. In apples kept under the conditions of cold storage for 22 weeks losses were found to be 28 percent. The fungi isolated from rotten apples were Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus, Alternaria tenuis, A. tenuissima, Cladosporiums herbarum, Helminthosporium tetramera, Mucor racemosus, Penicillium expansum, Pencillium italicum and Rhizopus nigricans. The pathogenecity test revealed that Alternaria tenuis, Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus nigricans were pathogenic to both injury inoculated and non injured inoculated apple fruits. Total losses in banana transported from Nawabshah, Mirpur Khas and Hyderabad to Faisalabad market in the months of December, February and March amounted to 37, 39 and 43 percent respectively. The fungi isolated from rotten banana were Aspergillus fumigatus, Alternaria tenuis , Botryodiplodia theobromae, Colletotrichum musae, and Verticillium theobromae. All these fungi expect A. fumigatus were found to be pathogenic both to injury and non injury inoculated banana fruits.