Studies on the post-harvest rots of African breadfruit (Treculia africana) seeds in Nigeria

A survey of the storage rot diseases of Treculia africana was conducted in Imo State, Nigeria in 1985–86. The storage loss was about 15·2% during severe infection. Four types of microorganisms, namely Botryodiplodia theobromae, Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus niger and yeasts, were consistently isolated from the rotten seeds. A. niger, B. theobromae and R. stolonifer were associated with about 90% of the total loss. This is the first report of the occurrence of these microorganisms associated with T. africana seeds in Nigeria. The ability of each to cause storage rot of seeds was established and the effect of temperature, pH and different carbon sources on growth of the organisms investigated.