Methods for controlling postharvest fungal diseases of fresh
fruit vary and depend on the requirements of target markets.
Heat treatment, as a physical disease control method, offers an attractive alternative to the use of fungicides, but it requires a
strict sanitary maintenance after treatment to avoid reinfection
(2). This method is more suitable for tropical fruit such as mango
which has a high thermal tolerance. However, vapor heat
treatment recommended for insect disinfestations could not
control the two aforementioned posharvest fungal diseases of
mango fruit (3) because the fungal pathogens are present on
the fruit surface or just under the fruit skin, hence requiring
exposure of fruit to higher temperature and shorter times (4, 5).
The application of fungicide(s) is an effective method to control
these diseases but is not preferred by consumers in some markets
(1). Hot fungicide dip treatment, which combines chemical and
heat treatments, has been reported to more effective in controlling
mango postharvest diseases than fungicide dipping without
heat (6).