Effect of Aqueous Extract of Moringa Leaves on Postharvest Shelf Life and Quality of Tomato Fruits Inoculated with Fungal Pathogens in Makurdi

The effect of aqueous extract of Moringa leaves on postharvest shelf life and quality of tomato fruits inoculated with fungal pathogens in Makurdi was determined. Fresh leaves of Moringa were collected, washed, surfaced sterilized, air dried at room temperature and grounded to powder. Tomato fruits of the Roma variety were collected at breaker stage; surface sterilized, rinsed in several changes of sterile distilled water and dipped in conidia suspensions of Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium waksmanii, Botryodiplodia theobromae, Fusarium oxysporum and Colletotrichum asianum respectively. After 24 hours, the fruits were dipped in Moringa leaf extract concentrations of 80 g/ml and 100 g/ml respectively and stored at room temperature in completely randomized design. Data collected were analyzed using Analysis of Variance and the Fishers least significant difference was used to separate means at 5% level of significance. The results revealed an increase in marketability, postharvest decay in control fruits and shelf life respectively from 1.00 to 8.40, 0.00 to 5.67 and 1.00 to 25.00 while weight decreased from 44.3 to 20.27 across all treatment concentrations. Treated tomato fruits showed significantly lower postharvest decay (0.00 – 1.02) compared to the control. Aqueous extracts of Moringa leaves possess antifungal potential and can increase the shelf life and maintain the quality of tomato fruits during storage.