Antifungal effects of pawpaw seed extracts and papain on post harvest Carica papaya L. fruit rot

Increasingly, public debate on ban of use of synthetic chemicals for pest control has been unabated, due basically to the hazards posed by such chemicals to the ecosystem and environment. Biological control using natural products presents as alternative and a viable means of control of pests. Effects of extracts from Carica papaya. L (seed and papain) on mycelial reduction of the most occurring fungal pathogen causing pawpaw fruit rot were investigated. Different fungi isolated were Rhizopus spp, Aspergillus spp and Mucor spp. The aqueous seed extract and papain exhibited remarkable mycelia inhibition with mean zones of inhibitions between (0.23 - 1.73 mm). Using ANOVA at 5% (P < 0.05) there seem to be no significant difference in activity between the extracts (aqueous seed extract and papain).The importance of these findings is hinged on non- chemical means of shelf life elongation of harvested pawpaw fruit in Africa.