Effect of pre-harvest application of NAA and potassium nitrate on storage quality of winter guava (Psidium guajava)

Abstract

Guava (Psidium guajava) is one of the major fruit of India and considered fifth most important fruit occupying an area of 2.2 lakh ha, with an annual production of 17.8 lakh MT (Anon 2005). It is considered to be one of the exquisite, nutritionally valuable and remunerative crops. The fruit is an excellent source of vitamin-C and contain an appreciable amount of minerals such as phosphorus, calcium and iron. The fruit is highly perishable in nature, under ambient conditions become overripe and mealy within a week. Therefore, it needs immediate marketing and utilization after harvesting. During storage, fruits are subjected to physicochemical and biochemical changes that affect their final texture and quality. There is an increasing demand of fruits for fresh as well as processing purpose in domestic and international markets. The share of the guava fruits, export from India is not enough, which can be boosted up with the increasing storability of the fruits.