Effect of post harvest treatments on the enhancement of ripening of mango (Mangifera indica) fruit cv. Dashehari.
Ashwani Kumar, Dhawan S. S.
Author Affiliation: Department of Horticulture, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125?004, India.
Haryana Journal of Horticultural Science 24 : 109-115
Abstract : Fruits of mango cv. Dashehari were harvested at the green mature stage and given the following treatments: calcium carbide application at 2 or 4 g/kg fruit; dipping in Ethrel [ethephon] solution at 500 or 750 ppm; hot water treatment (50±5°C); or tap water (30±20°) for 10 min. Fruits were then packed in cardboard boxes and stored at room temperature. Fruits were removed from storage at 4-day intervals for quality assessment. Physiological weight loss, decay loss, total soluble solids content and total carotenoids concentration increased with increasing storage duration, while fruit firmness and total acidity decreased. Respiration rate of fruits showed a climacteric pattern during storage. Fruits treated with calcium carbide and hot water had higher concentrations of carotenoids than the other treatments by the fourth day of storage, indicating more rapid ripening. Ethrel (500 ppm)-treated fruits exhibited a slow rate of ripening as indicated by low carotenoid concentrations compared with the other treatments. Such fruits maintained good texture and colour even up to the eighth day of storage.