ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF FUNGAL PATHOGENS OF EGGPLANT(Solanum Melongena L.)FROM FIELD AND FOOD TERMINAL”BAGSAKAN"IN GENERAL SANTOS CITY

Postharvest losses range from 10 to 30% and many are due to fungal pathogens. Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is one of high valued crops that is attacked by fungal pathogens. The study was aimed to isolate and identify the fungal pathogen attacking eggplant in field and city terminal condition and to determine whether those fungal pathogens can cause diseases or not using Koch's Postulate. This was conducted in the Pest Clinic Laboratory of the College of Agriculture, Fatima, General Santos City from March 2019 to May 2019. Eggplant came from field was gathered from different places located from General Santos particularly in Mabuhay, San Jose, Brgy. Ligaya and MSU campus. Eggplant available from bagsakan came from Marbel and Malungon.The variety collected was “Banate King”。 Of the 16 samples, Samples 1 to 4 were collected from the field while samples 5 to 6 were collected from “bagsakan”。Each fungal isolate was obtained from a 5-mm partial lesion cut of the eggplant and inoculated on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA). Samples were incubated under ambient condition for a week.Pure culture of each isolate was obtained by sub-culturing distinct colonies on individual PDA until the desired purity was obtained. Fresh and healthy eggplant was inoculated with isolates and observed for days. Inoculated eggplant showing the same symptoms as the original source of the isolates was used to re isolate the pathogen. Incubation was done again for a week.After a week, isolated fungal pathogens were observed under a microscope. The morphological characteristics including colony growth and color,and microscopic characteristics such as spore shape, reproductive type, hyphal color and form were recorded and pictures were taken.These characteristics were compared to a dichotomous key to identify the pathogens.The fungal pathogens isolated from eggplant in the field were Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus while fungal pathogens isolated from eggplant from “bagsakan” is Aspergillus niger.