Changes in biochemical composition of mango in response to pre-harvest gibberellic acid spray.
Siddiqui M. W., Pallab Dutta, Dhua R. S., Arup Dey
Author Affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar - 813 210, India.
Agriculturae Conspectus Scientificus (Poljoprivredna Znanstvena Smotra) 78 : 331-335
Abstract : Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is an important fruit of the world owing to its pleasant aroma and taste. In this investigation, the influence of gibberellic acid (GA3) at concentrations of 0, 50, 100 and 150 mg.l-1 water sprayed 20 days before commercial harvest on postharvest behavior and quality of mango cv. 'Himsagar' was studied under ambient storage conditions. GA3 (100 and 150 mg.l-1) delayed the onset of ripening and caused a reduction in respiration rate as compared to the untreated fruits and retained the total chlorophyll content of fruit peel. Pre-harvest spray of GA3 at 100 mg.l-1 significantly delayed the onset of the climacteric rise of CO2 production, which depicted delayed ripening over control. The treated fruits also remained firmer and maintained the freshness during storage. Treatment with 100 mg.l-1 GA3 could be a useful method to extend postharvest life and availability of mango with appreciable quality.