Early and uniform ripening of mango with ethrel treatment cv. SENDURA.
Das S. C., Balamohan T. N.
Author Affiliation: Department of Fruit Crops, Horticultural College and Research Institute (T.N.A.U.), Coimbatore (T.N.), India.
Asian Journal of Horticulture 8 : 336-341
Abstract : Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the important fruit crop, is being cultivated successfully throughout the country as well as many other regions of the world. Due to its delicious flavor, taste and health benefits, its consumption and hence the international trade is increasing. Mango, being a perennial crop, provides opportunities and many challenges, in the production and post harvest management. Mango fruits ripen unevenly on the tree while the natural ripening process after harvest is also very slow and unpredictable. To overcome such problem, fruits can be ripened by exposing them to ethrel, which initiate the early and uniform ripening process. Now a day to meet the market demand mango traders use calcium carbide for ripening. Calcium carbide contains impurities of arsenic and phosphorus hydride, which are toxic to human health. A study conducted during 2007 at Horticultural College and Research Institute, revealed that the post harvest dipping of mango cv. Sendura with ethrel (500 ppm) for 5 minutes at 52°C and storage at ambient conditions, induced uniform ripening in third days as against six days in control, with pleasant flavour, desirable texture and acceptable quality, which is not only in mature fruits but also in early harvested mango fruits. The quality attributes viz., TSS (18.50°Brix), tritable acidity (0.29%) and ascorbic acids (31.43 mg/100 g of pulp) were the highest in cv. Sendura dipped in 500 pm ethrel, while in control TSS, acidity and ascorbic acid, were 13°Brix, 0.32% and 30.09 mg/100 g of pulp, respectively.