Extending shelf life of loose tuberose florets (Polianthes tuberosa Linn. cv. Prajwal) by quick dipping in boric acid and sodium benzoate followed by low temperature storage

Abstract

The present experiment was conducted in the laboratory of AICRP on Floriculture, Directorate of Research Complex, Kalyani, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal to study the effect of boric acid and sodium benzoate for improving post-harvest life of loose flowers of tuberose cv. Prajwal. The flowers were dipped (5 seconds Quick dip) in different chemicals viz., Boric acid (2%, 3%, 4%, and 5%) and Sodium benzoate (10ppm, 25ppm, and 50ppm) followed by packing in 50 gauge zip-locked polyethylene packaging (0.34% ventilation) and stored at refrigerated conditions (6.5 ± 5°C and relative humidity - 40-55%). The control set was kept at ambient storage conditions. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized block design with three replications. The results showed that flowers treated with sodium benzoate 50ppm (T8) exhibited maximum shelf life (7 days), minimum loss of fresh weight, and the highest proportion of fresh flowers with greater acceptability over T1 (only refrigerated) i.e. 3.83 days and T9 (control) i.e. 1.4 days.