EFFECT OF ETHEPHON AND ETHYLENE GAS ON RIPENING AND QUALITY OF WINTER TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicum L.)
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Date
2012
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PAU Ludhiana
Abstract
The investigation was carried out to obtain information about effect of ethephon and ethylene
gas on ripening and quality of winter tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) using two hybrids
(Hybrid-1001 and Avinash-3). The first experiment comprised of treatment of mature green
tomatoes with different concentrations of aqueous solution of ethephon (500, 1000 and 1500
ppm) for 5 minutes. The fruits were packed in plastic crates and kept in storage room at 20±1oC
and 90-95% RH. The second experiment comprised of exposing the mature green tomatoes to
ethylene gas (100 ppm) inside the ripening chamber for 24 hours (20±1oC and 90-95% RH) and
thereafter kept in the ripening chamber maintained at 20±1oC and 90-95% RH. The one lot of
fruits was not treated and kept as control. The physico-chemical parameters of fruits from
mature green to senescent stage of maturation were analyzed. The ethylene gas (100 ppm)
treatment registered the highest ripening percentage. The ripening and rotting percentage
increased with increase in the concentration of ethephon (500-1500 ppm) and with the duration
of days for which the fruits were kept for ripening. The titratable acidity of tomato fruits
experienced a linear decline but ascorbic acid and lycopene content registered an increase with
the advancement of ripening period irrespective of any treatment. The tomato fruits harvested
at green mature stage get successfully ripened in 9 days with application of ethephon (500,
1000, 1500 ppm) but the rotting was more than 14 per cent till 9th day in both the hybrids which
makes fruits unmarketable. Therefore, the application of ethephon for ripening is not a good
option. Treatment with ethylene gas (100 ppm) resulted in adequate ripening of fruits after 9
days with uniform red colour, desirable firmness, minimum rotting and acceptable quality and
therefore this treatment is better over ethephon. In control fruits similar results of ripening,
firmness, rotting and quality were observed as in case of ethylene gas (100 ppm) treatment but
the fruits get longer time (11 days) to uniformly ripen.
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