Impact of Pedicel Length and Sap on the Postharvest Quality and Shelf Life of Mango (Mangifera Indica L.) Fruit

Abstract

Mango fruit being nutritious, delicious is very popular all over the world, however, it is a climacteric in nature and has short shelf life. The sap deteriorates the quality, damages the market value and reduces the storage life of the fruit. Pedicel length of the fruit may play an important role in postharvest shelf life of mango fruit. Therefore, this study was conducted to find out the optimum pedicel length at harvest and control the injury due to sap in mango fruits. For this purpose, two commercial varieties Langra and Samar Bahisht Chaunsa of mango fruit were harvested at hard green stage of maturity with 0.5, 2.5, 4.5 and 6.5 cm of pedicel lengths and stored at 30^○C till ripening. It was noted that the fruit harvested with 4.5 cm pedicel length was better among the investigated treatment for quality and shelf life. The weight loss and waste percent during ripening process of mango fruit was higher for 0.5 cm pedicel and lower for 4.5 cm pedicel, irrespective of the variety.