Effect of Cinnamon Oil on Incidence of Anthracnose Disease and Postharvest Quality of Bananas during Storage

Colletotrichum musae is the causal organism of anthracnose in bananas during storage. A study using four concentrations of cinnamon oil (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 & 0.4%) along with untreated control was designed to investigate the antifungal effects of this plant product against anthracnose of bananas. The effects of cinnamon oil on quality of bananas during storage at (13±1°C, 80-90 relative humidity) for 28 days were also determined. A significant (P < 0.05) inhibition of mycelial growth and conidial germination of C. musae was observed in all treatments of cinnamon oil as compared to the control after 7 days of incubation at room temperature. However the Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) plates amended with 0.4% cinnamon oil showed the most promising results among all the treatments in suppressing the mycelial growth and conidial germination inhibition (83.2%), while there was no effective conidial germination inhibition found in the control. The cinnamon oil treatments also delayed the disease incidence and maintained quality during storage however, some phytotoxic effects were observed on fruits treated with higher concentration. It can thus be concluded that the concentration up to 0.3% can be used for extending the storage life of bananas for up to 28 days without affecting the physico-chemical properties. © 2010 Friends Science Publishers