Fungal diseases constitute one of the main causes of losses during commercialization of tropical fruits. Papaya (Carica papaya) and orange (Citrus spp.) fruits were analyzed in relation to the disease incidence and frequency of the pathogenic species for six months, in the Distribution Centre of the city of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Forty fruits of each species were evaluated monthly at five commercialization points, for a total of 200 fruits/month/species. A great diversity of diseases occurred in papaya fruits, where incidences ranged from 39,71% to 0,07%, with the higher level for stem-end rot. In orange fruits the disease incidence was 11,85% and 0,87%, for Lasiodiplodia stem-end rot and antracnose, respectively. The pathogens that presented higher frequencies were Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (44,95%) in papaya and Lasiodiplodia theobromae (11,85%) in orange. The diversity of diseases verified in this study suggests a need for more effective control measures during the production and postharvest phases of papaya and orange, seeking to propitiate reduction of the losses.
