Effect of Pre-harvest Calcium Sprays on Shelf Life of Papaya (cv. Taiwan Red Lady)

The effect of pre-harvest sprays of calcium (Ca) compounds onpost-harvest respiration rate, firmness, water loss and other shelf life attributes of papaya fruits is reported in this study. Storage studies revealed that over a period of 10 days at (34.5 ± 3^OC) all Ca sources (CaCl₂, Ca(NO₃)₂ CaSO₄) irrespective of concentrations exhibited a great influence on fruit firmness, physiological loss in weight (PLW), respiration and spoilage rate as compared to control (distilled water spray). Higher concentration of Ca compounds in the sprays i.e. CaCl₂ 2%, Ca(NO₃)₂ 2% and CaSO₄ 2% helped inenhancing theshelf lifeby 10.4, 9.7 and 9.63 days, respectively as against 4.70 days in control. Thus it can be inferred from the study that calciumextends shelf life of fruits by maintaining firmness, minimizing the rate of respiration, disintegration of tissues and disease incidence.