Effect of calcium and gibberellic acid on post-harvest behaviour of papaya cv. Co2

A study was conducted in order to examine the efficacy four levels each of CaCI₂, Ca(NO₃)₂ (1%, 2%, 3% and 4% each) and GA₃ (50, 100, 150, and 200 ppm) on the post-harvest behaviour of papaya fruits. Uniformed size fruits were harvested at the physiological maturity and treated in various treatments for 5 min. at room temperature. The post-harvest treatment of papaya fruits in GA₃ @ 100 ppm and CaCl₂ @ 2% recorded significantly the lowest level of loss in fruit weight, ripening percentage and rate of decay and have registered high firmness, high TSS, high ascorbic acid content, titrable acidity and also higher score for sensory evaluation. The study suggests that both GA₃ @ 100 ppm and CaCl₂ at 2% as post-harvest dip could preserve the physiological changes and improve the shelf-life upto to nine days and the quality in papaya.