Year: 2026 | Month: July | Volume: 13 | Issue: 7 | Pages: 35-43
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20260705
Morphological and Symptomatic Characterization of Fungi Associated with Post Harvest Decay of Major Vegetables in Nashik District, Maharashtra, India
Yogesh Uttam Gidge1, Dr. Abhijeet Bajirao Pawar2
1MVP's K.R.T. Arts, B.H. Commerce and A.M. Science (KTHM) College, Nashik, India
Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune
2MVP’s K.S.K.W. Arts, Science & Commerce College, CIDCO, Nashik, India
Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune
Corresponding Author: Yogesh Uttam Gidge
ABSTRACT
Post-harvest rotting of vegetables caused by fungi is a serious problem for vegetable production and food security, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. This study primarily elucidates the morphological and symptomatic characteristics of the fungi responsible for causing decay and rotting in ten vegetables—cabbage, tomato, pumpkin, green peas, potato, cauliflower, eggplant, bitter gourd, okra, and French beans—that are commonly cultivated and sold in the Nashik district of Maharashtra. Samples of diseased vegetables were collected from local markets, and mycological analysis and study were conducted on them. Fungi were isolated on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), and the recovered fungi were identified solely based on macroscopic colony characteristics and microscopic reproductive morphology. Due to the lack of molecular confirmation, all isolates have been recorded at the species level. Ten distinct symptoms of rot were recorded, and the associated fungi were identified as follows: Phytophthora sp. (cabbage), Phoma sp. (tomato), Pythium sp. (pumpkin), Peronospora sp. (pea), Phoma sp. (potato), Alternaria sp. (cauliflower), Botryotinia sp. (brinjal), Podosphaera sp. (bitter gourd), Rhizopus sp. (okra), and Ascochyta sp. (French bean). A detailed morphological description and photomicrographs of a representative isolate are provided. As identification was based solely on morphological criteria and pathogenicity tests were not conducted, the role of these fungi in disease causation has not yet been established; they have merely been identified and recorded as fungi associated with the observed symptoms. These findings provide a preliminary list of the types of fungi associated with post-harvest spoilage and losses in the region, and highlight the need for molecular confirmation and the testing of Koch's postulates in future investigations.
Keywords: Post harvest decay, vegetables, associated fungi, morphological characterization, genus level identification, Nashik district.
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