Studies on the fungi involved in the deterioration of stored melon seeds (Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad in Ilorin Metropolis and control .

Abstract

Studies were carried out to determine the organisms associated with the deterioration of melon seeds in storage in Ilorin, Nigeria. Five fungal species namely Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Rhizophus stolonifer, Burgoa nigra and Fusarium sp. were isolated from deteriorating melon seeds. Studies on the antifungal activities of ginger and guava extracts on the isolates revealed that both radial growth and dry weight growth were hindered in all the isolates. Inhibition effects were dependent on the concentration of extracts. The results suggest that the test extracts could be handy in plant disease control and in planning the extraction of the shelf life of melon seeds in storage.