Possible Effects of Location and Handling on Some Fungi Associated with Rotting Citrullus lanatus Thunb. (Watermelon)

An experiment was conducted to examine probable impact of location and handling on the fungi commonly associated with rotting watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). The rotting watermelon samples were obtained from two vendors each from five different markets (Bodija, Sango, Mokola, Eleyele, Agbowo and Ojoo) in Ibadan, Oyo state. They were placed in different sterile sample bags which were labeled appropriately before bringing them to the Pathology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Ibadan. Isolation of fungi from the rotting samples was carried out using pour plate method on acidified Potato Dextrose Agar (APDA). Pathogenicity test was also conducted for the isolated fungi. All experiments were done in duplicates and all plates were incubated at 25°C ± 2°C for 7 days. Pure cultures were obtained and identified and each isolated fungus was recorded as 1 which means present and 0 which means absent. The data obtained were analyzed using SAS version 9.3 at p ≤ 0.05. A total of three fungi were isolated viz., Aspergillus flavus, Saccharomyces cerevisae and Aspergillus niger. Occurrence of A. niger and A. flavus in samples obtained from Bodija, Mokola, Sango and Ojoo markets were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher than those from the other two markets. Occurrence of S. cerevisae in samples obtained from Bodija and Mokola markets were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher than those from the other three markets. Location had significant impact on the occurrence of isolated fungi in the rotting watermelons. However, handling by vendors had no significant impact on occurrence of the isolated fungi. Vendors and consumers are advised to be mindful of place of purchase and to also maintain good general hygiene before consumption.