Blue mold of Citrus(Penicillium italicum) Symptoms

1. Muhammad Ammar
University college of agriculture
University of sargodha

2. Blue mold of Citrus
 Penicillium italicum
 Blue mold is most
 prevalent in cold storage fruit where it is able to
 develop slowly at cold temperatures.
 Spores of P. italicum are airborne and
 large numbers are produced by the fungus on the
 surface of infected fruit. These spores will
 contaminate the packinghouse, equipment, water
 used in drenchers and soak tanks, storage rooms,
 transit containers, and even the retail market area.

3.  P. italicum can spread from infected to healthy fruit
 in packed containers causing a nest of decay.
 A condition known as soilage occurs when masses of
 spores produced on infected fruit contaminate
 surfaces of healthy fruit in the carton.

4.  The infection and sporulation
 cycle can be repeated many times
 in a packinghouse and in storage
 rooms during extended storage. Spores will also
accumulate in water
 This prolific spore production
 ability of P. italicum enables it to
 eventually develop strains with
 resistance to chemical fungicide
 treatments.

5. SYMPTOMS
 The small decayed area appears as a soft watery spot that is
more firm than comparable stages of sour rot.
 When lesions enlarge to 1 to 2 inches in diameter, white
mycelium is formed in the center, and blue spores are soon
produced. The sporulating area is surrounded by a narrow
band of white mycelium, which is encompassed by a
definite band of water- soaked rind. Occasionally, P.
italicum will sporulate in the flesh of the fruit. The infected
fruit
 can be covered entirely by a mass of blue spores,
 which are easily dispersed by any physical
 movement or by air currents.