STUDIES ON PECTINASE PRODUCTION IN TOMATO FUNGI ON DIFFERENT CULTURE MEDIA

Abstract

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is one of the common vegetables grown all over the country extensively almost the year round. The crop is reported to be affected by about twenty diseases of microbial origin. Among them, the fungal pathogens have been found to affect and damage severely the tomato fruits both in ƒOeld at different developmental stages as well as in the market during storage. This may result in the qualitative and quantitative loss of tomato fruits. The fungi are known to produce different hydrolytic enzymes during pathogenesis. These enzymes degrade the food contents. In the present investigation, pectinase production in relation to different culture media was studied in the fungi isolated from tomato fruits. The media were found to affect the pectinase production in the fungi isolated from tomato fruits.