Anthracnose disease caused by C. gloeosporioides is a major
problem in harvested mango fruits. In this study, the disease suppression
was the greatest when hot water treatment and UV-C
treatment were combined. Similarly, Pan et al. (2004) reported
that a combination of UV-C and heat treatment enhanced the
benefits of applying each treatment separately to control postharvest
diseases in strawberries. This effect of the combined
treatment on the reduction of anthracnose disease might be
attributed to different effects. A direct suppressive effect of the hot
water treatment and UV-C irradiation on the pathogen that is
present on the fruit surface is possible. Pan et al. (2004) reported
that the application of UV-C or heat treatment reduced fungal infections and delayed in vitro germination of Botrytis cinerea
conidia. In addition to the direct effect of the treatments on the
pathogen, an indirect effect may take place by inducing defense
mechanisms within the plants. For this reason, we analyzed the
expression and activity of a set of enzymes that are associated with
plant defense