Pest Management in Miombo Fruit Trees - Indigenous Fruit Trees in the Tropics: Domestication, Utilization and Commercialization - page 380

unpublished results). Baboons, monkeys, zebras, bushbucks, elands, elephants,
bush pigs, giraffes, duikers, lemur, rats, squirrels and domestic animals such as
cattle and goats are known to feed on fruits of Sclerocarya birrea (Hall et al .,
2002). A wide range of mammals have been reported to feed on Uapaca
kirkiana fruits, including baboons, blue monkeys, velvet monkeys, galagos,
bush pigs, warthogs, squirrels, elephants, elands and zebras (Ngulube et al .,
1995; Seyani, 1996). Of these, primates could be expected to cause the most
damage because of their numbers and their ability to climb fruit trees; they
often cause excessive fruit drop from the shaking that occurs as they climb and
jump from one branch to another.
20.4 Postharvest Pests
Fruits may undergo significant deterioration during storage, transport to local and
distant markets and in the market until their disposal. Miombo fruits normally do
not undergo postharvest treatment. In most parts of sub-Saharan Africa, storage,
packaging, transport and handling technologies for fruits are practically non-
existent and hence considerable amounts of produce are lost or contaminated.
Fruits may lose weight and shrivel, change colour and ultimately deteriorate. It
was a general concern among farmers that most miombo fruits have a short shelf
life (Malambo et al ., 1998). For example, Uapaca kirkiana was reported to store
for less than 2 weeks. The short shelf life of many species makes it difficult for
households to enjoy the fruits year-round. Microflora and insects may lead to
postharvest deterioration of fruit and shortening of the shelf life. Little is known
about the microflora causing postharvest deterioration in miombo fruit trees in
southern Africa. According to studies in India, Aspergillus niger , A. sydowii ,
Rhizopus oryzae , Penicillium chrysogenum , Alternaria tenuissima , Cladosporium
chartarum , Phoma hissarensis , Botryodiplodia theobromae and Curvularia sp.
cause postharvest spoilage in Ziziphus mauritiana (Kainsa et al ., 1978; Gupta,
1983). In addition, proliferation of some of the microflora could lead to
contamination of fruit products with mycotoxins.
Damage by Carpophilus sp., fruit fly larvae and false codling moth also
continues during storage and transport (G. Sileshi, unpublished results). These
insects attack ripe fruits, rapidly degrading the pulp and causing fruit rot. Fruit
can be infested before harvest and may be sold before the larvae emerge.
Some field diseases may also continue developing during the postharvest
period. Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides reduces the
fruit shelf life of mango, avocado and peach during storage and transport
(Ploetz et al ., 1994). It is the most important postharvest disease of avocado in
South Africa, causing losses of up to 37% of fresh fruit. Decay due to
anthracnose develops as the length of fruit storage increases, and occurs during
the time fruit is being transported and marketed. Alternaria , which causes
blossom disease in the field, also leads to postharvest rot in ripening fruit.
Microflora and insects also leave behind contaminants such as mycotoxins,
pathogens and allergens, which compromise the quality of fruit products.
Mycotoxins are fungal metabolites which are potent toxins to humans and