Effect of Post-Harvest Treatments of Chemical and Plant Growth Regulators on Physical Parameters of Sapota Fruit cv. Kalipatti

Investigation was conducted to study the effect of post harvest treatment of chemical and plant growth regulators on physical characteristics of sapota fruit cv. Kalipatti. Fruits were treated with CaCl₂ (5000 and 10000 mg/l) followed by plant growth regulators, Gibbrellic acid (GA3) (150 and 300 mg/l), kinetin (100 and 200 mg/l), ethrel (1000 and 2000 mg/l) and control (untreated fruit) and stored at room temperature. There was a significant increase in storage period of fruits with calcium chloride (5000 and 10000 mg/l) and Gibbrellic acid (GA₃) (150 and 300 mg/l) treatments. However, minimum Physiological loss in weight (PLW) and, total spoilage were noticed under CaCl 5000 mg/l and 10000 mg/l treated fruits. The study suggests that calcium chloride (5000 mg/l) as post harvest dip improves the fruit firmness, shelf life and ripening period of the sapota upto 12 days of storage.