Effect of Post-Harvest Treatment on Storage Quality in 'Umran' Ber Fruit

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of post-harvest sprays of CaCl₂ (@ 0.5%, 1.0%&2.0%), Ca(NO₃)₂ (@ 0.5%, 1.0%&2.0%), GA₃ (@ 20, 40 and 60 ppm) and Bavistin (0.1%) on storage quality of 'Umran' ber'. Fruits of uniform size were harvested at physiological maturity and treated with various chemicals. Treated fruits were placed in CFB boxes and placed in cold storage (3-5 °C and 85-95% RH). Stored fruits were evaluated at 10, 20 and 30 days from storage for palatability rating, TSS, acidity, Vitamin C and total sugars. After 30 days from storage, the highest palatability rating was recorded in GA₃ (60 ppm) treated fruits, followed by CaCl₂ (2.0%). Both TSS and Total sugars showed a similar trend of increase upto 20 days from storage, followed by a decrease. However, acidity and Vitamin C content of fruits decreased continuously with advancement of storage period. At the end of storage, maximum TSS, total acidity Vitamin C and total sugars were observed in GA₃ (60 ppm) treated fruits, followed by CaCl₂ (2.0%). Studies revealed that GA₃ (60 ppm) treated ber fruits maintained very good quality at 20 days of cold storage.