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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)

Efficacy of potato peel (Solanum tuberosum L.) phenolics against major postharvest pathogens of mango (Mangifera indica L.)

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13042
Submitted
3 December 2025
Published
06-07-2026 — Updated on 25-09-2026
Versions

Abstract

The increasing application of natural plant-based formulations has intensified the search for environmentally friendly, biodegradable and non-toxic alternatives for postharvest disease management. Phenolic compounds extracted from potato peel, a major agro-waste in the potato snack industry, possesses significant antioxidant and antimicrobial properties due to their richness in bioactive secondary metabolites. In the present study, we evaluated the in vitro efficacy of potato peel derived phenolics as antimicrobial agents against major postharvest pathogens of mango , namely, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Botryodiplodia theobromae and Rhizopus stolonifer, which are responsible for substantial postharvest losses. The experiment was carried out using different concentrations of potato peel phenolics (50, 100, 200 and 300 mg/mL) along with carbendazim (200 ppm) as a positive control. The culture sensitivity test of the phenolics was performed using the food poison method assay. Among the tested concentrations, potato peel phenolics significantly inhibited pathogen growth at the highest concentration (300 mg/mL), showing minimum fungal colony diameters of 2.780 ± 0.26, 2.720 ± 0.294 and 1.850 ± 0.034 cm and maximum inhibition percentages of 95.98 ± 0.37, 95.85 ± 0.4 and 97.29 ± 0.05 for C. gloeosporioides, B. theobromae and R. stolonifer respectively. The inhibitory effect of phenolic extracts at 300 mg/mL was statistically comparable to that of the fungicide carbendazim (200 ppm), indicating their strong antifungal potential. The extracts also significantly suppressed pathogen activity by inhibiting conidial germination compared to the control. Overall, our results demonstrated that potato peels may serve as a cost-effective and a sustainable alternative to toxic synthetic fungicides for managing postharvest pathogens of mango using phenolics extracted from potato industry waste

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