Abstract
Penicillium digitatum and Geotrichum candidum are among the major organisms causing decay in Florida citrus fruit due to postharvest infection. There exist multiple procedures and many types of fungicides that aid in controlling and eliminating these pathogens. There are existing agrochemicals that successfully aid in controlling these diseases, but there is growing interest in non-chemical methods. Short wave ultraviolet light (UV-C @ 254 nm) has been used in many applications as a method of sterilization. In these trials, culture plates with potato dextrose agar were inoculated with P. digitatum and G. candidum then exposed to UV-C light for various time intervals. Inhibition of P. digitatum. was noted at 40 milliwatt seconds per square centimeter. In the experiment the intensity of the ultraviolet light used at 254 nm was 0.66 milliwatt seconds per square centimeter.
