Effect of pre-harvest application of calcium on physico-chemical changes during ripening and storage of papaya

摘要

Papaya is one of the important fruit crops grown in India. Its marketing potential is limited due to its high perishability. Under tropical ambient conditions, fruits ripen rapidly after harvesting. Appropriate technology to extend the shelf-life and reduce post-harvest losses of papaya is therefore required. The possibility for low temperature storage is limited by high capital cost and susceptibility of papaya to chilling injury at low temperatures. Calcium is known to be an essential plant nutrient involved in a number of physiological processes concerning membrane structure and function and enzyme activity (Jones and Lunt, 3). Calcium has shown promise in quality retention of fruits and vegetables through maintaining firmness, reducing respiratory rate and ethylene evolution (Poovaiah, 10) and decreasing storage rots (Conway and Sams, 2). The present study was undertaken to find out the effect of pre-harvest Ca sprays on various physico-chemical changes and shelf-life of papaya cv. Co 2 during ripening and storage.