Hongos Asociados a Cálices de Jamaica (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) Deshidratados y Almacenados en Guerrero, México Fungi Associated to Calyxes of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) Dried and Stored in Guerrero, México

In order to determine the phytosanitary quality of dried roselle calyxes (Hibiscus sabdariffa) marketed in the Costa Chica region of Guerrero, Mexico, 49 samples of dried and stored calyxes were collected in two packing plants. On average, the calyxes had a moisture content of 14.74 %, and 56.1% of calyxes had the presence of spots on the surface and/or blight on the tips. Based on morphological and molecular characteristics, the fungi was isolated and identified into 16 genera of fungi. The common isolates were Aspergillus, Alternaria, Nodulisporium, Chaetomium and Thielavia. The quality level of the calyxes was significantly affected by the disease incidence (α=0.05); likewise, the frequency of the incidence of the different isolates also varied between storage units (α=0.1). The storage temperature showed significant correlations with the following variables: relative humidity (r=-0.967), light intensity (r=0.449), moisture level of calyxes (r=0.352) and incidence of diseased calyxes (r=0.281); the correlation between the number of isolated genera and their frequency was negative (r=-0349).