Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass) and citral a+b spray treatments alone or in combination with sodium bicarbonate in controlling crown rot in emhul banana (Musa acuminata AAB)

The mounting pressure against synthetic fungicidal dips and sprays, restrict their use in controlling crown rot, a major post-harvest disease in banana. Generally regarded as safe (GRAS) compounds have a great potential to be used as alternatives to fungicides. Identification of chemical constituents of Cymbopogon citratus oil revealed the presence of citral as the main component. Cymbopogon citratus and citral with sodium bicarbonate (SBC) was fungicidal against the 3 banana fungal pathogens at 0.10-0.20 % v/v and 0.07-0.08 % v/v respectively. Embul banana  sprayed  with C. citratus alone or  in combination with SBC after induced ripening, indicated  a  crown  rot severity of  25 - 50% whereas,  citral treatment resulted in  a slightly lower disease severity. The physicochemical parameters tested were not affected by the treatments. Oil/citral, SBC treated bananas and control were ranked good to excellent with respect to odour, flavour, taste and overall acceptability. The low disease severity of crown rot due to spray treatment of citral  and SBC highlights  the  importance  in  adapting  this  simple, alternate  treatment strategy  for  quality  maintenance.