1. Introduction Tomatoes have been shown to be important sources of vitamin A and C (Gould, 1983). However, nutritional composition of tomatoes varies with species, stages of ripeness, year of growth, climatic conditions, light, temperature, soil fertilization, irrigation and other conditions of cultivation, handling and storage. They are highly perishable and large quantity of tomatoes is wasted due to poor handling/storage facilities. The great majority of plant diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, which cause losses by attacking the tomato fruit directly, rendering them unfit for consumption or sufficiently detracting from the appearance to reduce consumer preference, result in reduced yield and monetary losses. The pathogens attacking tomato can be classified into three major groups: fungi and fungal-like microbes (hereafter referred to as fungi), bacteria and viruses (Pernezny and Purdy, 2003). Fruits and vegetables usually show high rates of transpiration and respiration during periods of high temperatures and therefore need shade from the sun's heat (Harvey and Harris, 1986; D'sousa and Ingle, 1989; Eckert and Eaks, 1989; Robbins and Moore, 1992). For this reason, it is recommended that tomatoes are harvested in the morning to ensure the coolest possible temperature during delay period between harvest and initial cooling. In addition to perishability, tomatoes are highly susceptible to mechanical damage with poor handling and transportation (Bani et al. 2006). Most often also, losses of fresh vegetables occur along the long chain of supply from the producer to the consumer.
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