Isolation and Identification of Fungi Associated With Tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum M.) ROT

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is the most popular vegetable worldwide. They have high spoilage rate because of their high moisture content. Many pathogenic fungi are the subject of intense study because they cause disease symptoms that have negative effect on the yield and quality of tomato fruits; they produce mycotoxins that are detrimental to human health. Isolation and identification of fungal organisms causing rot of tomato purchased from Anyigba main market was carried out. Sabouraud Dextrose Agar was used and four fungal species were isolated; Aspergillus spp, Penicillium spp, Rhizopus spp and Fusarium spp. The most frequent being Aspergillus spp (38.89%) and the lowest was Fusarium spp (5.56%). The pathogenicity test carried out implicated these organisms in the spoilage of healthy tomato fruits. Proper handling and adequate storage facilities must therefore be employed to prolong the shelf life of tomato fruits.