Abstract:The peach is one of the most important global tree crops within the economically important Rosaceae family. The crop is threatened by numerous pests and diseases, especially fungal pathogens, in the field, in transit, and in the store. More than 50% of the global post-harvest loss has been ascribed to brown rot disease, especially in peach late-ripening varieties. In recent years, the disease has been so manifest in the orchards that some stone fruits were abandoned before harvest. In Spain, particularly, the disease has been associated with well over 60% of fruit loss after harvest. The most common management options available for the control of this disease involve agronomical, chemical, biological, and physical approaches. However, the effects of biochemical fungicides (biological and conventional fungicides), on the environment, human health, and strain fungicide resistance, tend to revise these control strategies. This review aims to comprehensively compile the information currently available on the species of the fungus Monilinia, which causes brown rot in peach, and the available options to control the disease. The breeding for brown rot-resistant varieties remains an ideal management option for brown rot disease control, considering the uniqueness of its sustainability in the chain of crop production.

A sustainable approach to control the incidence of brown rot in pre-and post-harvest management is to select genotypes with high contents of antioxidant compounds and tolerance to Monilinia laxa (Aderh. and Ruhland) Honey. In this study, 68 progenies of the 'Babygold 9' × 'Crown Princess' population from the EEAD-CSIC breeding program were screened under controlled conditions for a period of 3 years (2013-2015). Susceptibility to brown rot was evaluated after inoculating 20 healthy fruits per genotype with M. laxa. Brown rot incidence, lesion diameter, and colonization extent, as well as the severities of these issues, were calculated after 5 days of incubation. Physicochemical traits, such as fruit firmness and soluble solids content, were also recorded before and after storage. Titratable acidity, pH, and antioxidant composition were measured at harvest. Significant differences were found for pathogenic traits, as well as for contents of vitamin C, total phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, within genotypes in this population. Negative correlations were also found between the content of phytochemical compounds (such as anthocyanins and total phenolics), as well as disease incidence and severity. Differences in susceptibility to brown rot confirm the genetic variability available in these progeny. This allowed the selection of six genotypes highly resistant to brown rot of M. laxa, with high organoleptic properties and high phenol content, to be introduced in our peach breeding program.

This investigation examines the effects of pH and titratable acidity on the growth and developments of a strain of Monilinia laxa (Aderhold & Ruhland) at seven different pH levels in Potato Dextrose Agar media and on peach fruit from formation to commercial maturity. The fungi growth was obtained by daily measurement of mycelia on the pH amended Potato Dextrose Agar. The sporulation performance was determined after 30 days of culture incubation. Fruits were inoculated with M. laxa, from fruit set to maturity, on weekly basis for brown rot susceptibility. The pathogen development, in vitro, was affected, by the pH (2.4-11.52) amended nutrient media. M. laxa exhibited variation in its growth and sporulation capacities on the seven pH amended PDA, preferring relatively moderate acidic conditions for optimum performance. In the in vitro analysis, there was mycelia growth at pH 2.40 to 8.84, while pH 11.52 did not support any mycelia growth. There was a continuous and stable increase in weight of fruit as it developed whereas the fruit size increased, then decreased and finally increased as the fruit develops. The acidity dynamics exhibited a non-sinusoidal waveform through the growth and development of the fruit. In all these characteristic variations, M. laxa did not develop infection or shown any brown rot incidence in the fruit until the period of commercial maturity.

The objective of this study was to formulate Cymbopogon citratus leaves powder into tablets using both acacia and gelatin as binders at concentrations of 2, 4, 6 and 8% w/w, respectively. The tablets were evaluated using the necessary official and unofficial tests. The results showed that all the batches of tablets passed the uniformity of weight test. The hardness of the tablets was significantly affected by the type of binder and concentration used during formulation (P < 0.05). Gelatin had higher crushing strength values than acacia. Friability values for all the tablet formulations were below 1%. The disintegration time of tablets formulated with acacia ranged from 29.10 ± 0.13 to 208.00 ± 0.13 min for tablets formulated with 2 % and 8 % acacia respectively and 2.31 ± 0.27 min to 8.20 ± 0.24 min for tablets formulated with 2 and 8% gelatin. Phytochemical analysis of the powder from the plant leaves was carried out. The results obtained from micromeritic studies showed that the granules had good flowability. Phytochemical analysis showed that alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponins, reducing sugars, steroids, tannins, glycosides, proteins, flavonoids, resins, oils and terpenoids were present at different concentrations, while acid compounds were absent. Therefore, C. citratus leaves tablets could be formulated by wet granulation using acacia or gelatin as binder.

Plant extracts have long been used in commercial agriculture as anti-microbial tools in food safety applications. These offer growers and agrobiologists many unique benefits which include their eco-friendliness. This work reviews the situation of Biofungicides reconnaissance in reference to fungal disease of cowpea. Twenty different pathogens were associated with various fungal diseases of cowpea and, only the species of Colletotrichum was found to have the virulence and propensity of afflicting a 100% infection on a single susceptible cowpea crop. Plant families under the affliction of Colletotrichum were analyzed. The different forms of botanicals so far availed for use as potential biofungicidal were identified. Eighteen plant families were found to represent the entire plants and plant materials agrobiologically screened within a range of thirteen years and found to habour large spectra of species containing substances of biofungicidal potentials. Current position in the use of Botanicals to combat agricultural pests and disease is 7% of the total cowpea disease management options.

Natural plant mucilage has gained importance over synthetic ones because of low toxicity, low cost and good availability. The objective of the study was to search for a cheap and effective natural raw material that can serve as an alternative suspending agent in the formulation of acetaminophen suspension.

The objectives of the work were to evaluate the binder properties of gum from Irvingia wombolu seed cotyledons and to compare with sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC) in tramadol encapsulated granules. Tramadol granules was formulated by wet granulation using gum derived from the seed cotyledons of I. wombolu as binder at concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 and 15.0% w/w. The binder properties of the gum were compared with that of SCMC. The flow properties of the granules were studied by direct and indirect methods. The tramadol capsules were evaluated using necessary official tests. The phytochemical and physicochemical properties of the gum were also studied. The results showed that tramadol granules exhibited good flow for the production of quality capsules. Tramadol capsules formulated with Irvingia wombolu gum and SCMC, respectively complied with BP specification for capsules weight uniformity with percentage deviations below 10%. Capsule disintegration time ranged from 4.80 ± 0.43 min to 5.90 ± 0.45 min for tramadol capsules formulated with I. wombolu gum and were not significantly affected by concentration of gum in the formulation (p < 0.05). However, tramadol capsules formulated with I. wombolu gum exhibited faster disintegration time than SCMC (p < 0.05) whose disintegration time occurred at 14.20 ± 0.87 min. The results of phytochemical analysis of I. wombolu gum showed that the gum contains alkaloids, flavonoids, saponin, tannins and glycosides. Therefore, natural gum from I. wombolu has good potential to be used in formulating normal release tramadol capsules.

Colletotrichum destructivum is the causal pathogen of cowpea anthracnose; botanical extracts and benlate fungicide were evaluated as Biopesticides/chemical control strategies in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L). Botanicals of four plants: Azadiractha indica, Cymbopogon citratus, Ocimum gratissimum, and Xylopia aethiopica, proved effective in reducing spore germination and colony growth in vitro and the growth of the pathogen in vivo. The extracts of X. aethiopica and A. indica more effectively reduced both the growth of the pathogen in vitro and the spread of the disease in vivo. Extracts and benlate applied both before and after pathogen inoculation of cowpea significantly reduced the size of pathogen induced lesion.