Effect of plant growth regulators and plastic films on the shelf life of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) fruits

Abstract

A study was undertaken to envisage the effect of plant growth regulators viz. Benzyl adenine (BA) and Gibberellic acid (GA3) (25 and 50 ppm respectively) packed in LDPE, HDPE and PP 50μ bags on post-harvest quality and shelf life of bitter gourd fruits and stored at ambient room temperature (27.4-32.3°C and 70-81% RH). There were seven treatments, replicated thrice and experiment was laid out in completely randomized design. The sensory score was maximum in BA 50 ppm treated fruits packed in PP bags. The fruits packed in PP bags and treated with BA 50 ppm recorded lesser weight loss in storage compared to control among three plastic films. Amid two growth regulators, BA 50 ppm documented lowest (2.53 %) spoilage in storage. By the end of storage, maximum DRI in fruits was recorded in BA 50 ppm (85.43) followed by minimum in control. Among the three plastic films, PP bags recorded high DRI values (85.43) followed by LDPE and HDPE respectively. Significant differences in chlorophyll contents were found in BA treated fruits compared to GA3 and control. Among three plastic films, PP polybags helped to retain better storage properties. Hence, it was concluded that bitter gourd fruits treated with 50 ppm Benzyl adenine and packed in 50μ PP bags can preserve the major post harvest attributes.