Effectiveness of Neutral Electrolyzed Water on Incidence of Fungal Rot on Tomato Fruits (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

ABSTRACT We assessed the effect of neutral electrolyzed water (NEW) on the incidence of rot on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruits inoculated with Fusarium oxysporum, Galactomyces geotrichum, and Alternaria sp. at sites with lesions. The inoculated fruits were treated with NEW at 10, 30, and 60 mg liter−1 active chlorine, with copper oxychloride fungicide, and with sterile distilled water (control) for 3, 5, and 10 min. In the experiment with F. oxysporum, 50 to 80% of the control fruits and 50 to 60% of the fruits treated with the fungicide exhibited symptoms of rot at the inoculated sites. The lowest incidence recorded was 30% for fruits treated with NEW at 60 mg liter−1 active chlorine with an immersion time of 5 min. In the experiment with G. geotrichum, incidence of rot on control fruits was 70 to 90%, and for treatment with fungicide rot incidence was 50 to 90%. NEW at 60 mg liter−1 active chlorine significantly reduced incidence of symptomatic fruit: only 30% of the inoculated fruits washed for...