Trials with citrus fruit show that although the incidence of disease is still high when ozono was used, the severity is lesser

The aim of this paper was to evaluate ozone effectiveness to control citrus green mold (Penicillium digitatum). Tests were conducted in storage room, in vitro and in vivo using artificially wounded and inoculated fruit. Petri disheswith potato dextrose agar (PDA) inoculated and not inoculated with mycelium disk were exposed to ozone (0.05ppm) at 5 and 12 ?C and at a height of 0.10 and 1.5 m, for 8, 24 and 48 h. Wounded and artificially inoculated lemons were kept in the same storage room. Moreover, in other tests, artificially inoculated lemons were stored in three open boxes and six export boxes, separately. Fruit was evaluated on the 7th, 14th and 21st days after treatments.These same treatments were conducted in another room without ozone as control. The average diameter and number of P. digitatum colonies grown in vitro were inversely proportional to the ozone exposure time, showing that this gas reduced the environmental contamination after 24 h of exposure. The disease incidence in inoculated lemons was similar in both storage rooms, whereas in wounded fruit the infection was inversely proportional to the ozone exposure time. Results showed that disease severity was lesser when ozone was used, although the incidence was high. The fungistatic effect was higher when fruit was in direct contact with the gas.SourcesOZONE EFFECT TO CONTROL LEMON POSTHARVEST DISEASES IN STORAGE CHAMBERSep?lveda TM, Faria F, Torres Leal G & Ramallo JInstituto Nacional de Tecnolog?a Agropecuaria (INTA), San Miguel, Argentina; e-mail: torres.leal@inta.gob.arInternational Citrus Congress 2016Picture, clinicadrcampos.com