The present investigation was conducted in the department of Fruit Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during the year 2013 to study the “Effect of chemical treatments on storage life and fruit quality of plum (Prunus salicina lindl.) cv. Satluj Purple ”. Physiologically mature, uniform and healthy fruits of plum cv. Satluj Purple were harvested and treated for 5-minutes in aqueous solutions of gibberallic acid (20, 40 and 60 ppm), ascorbic acid (1, 2 and 3%) and salicylic acid (1,2 and 3 mmolL-1). Treated fruits were packed in corrugated fibre board (CFB) boxes with paper lining before storage at 0-1C and 90-95% RH. Fruit samples were analysed after 10, 20, 30 and 40 days of cold storage for various physic-chemical characteristics. Result revealed that physiological loss in weight (PLW), juice pH and spoilage of fruits increased with storage period, whereas fruit firmness, pulp:stone ratio and titratable acidity (TA) showed a declining trend with advancement of storage period. Other parameters like palatability rating, total soluble solids, TSS:acid ratio, total sugars, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and pectin methyl esterase activity (PME) showed an increase up to 20 days of storage, but after 30 days of storage a decline was observed in these parameters except T2,T3 and T9 treatments. In these three treatments, all those parameters increased up to 30 days of storage before showing a declining trend. Post-harvest treatments of salicylic acid and gibberallic acid proved to be effective in displaying ripening and extending the post-harvest life of plum fruits under cold storage conditions. Post-harvest treatment of salicylic acid @ 3mmolL-1 was recorded most effective in reducing physiological loss in weight (PLW), spoilage and maintaining fruits firmness, palatability, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), total sugars, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and pectin methyl esterase activity (PME) during the entire storage period as compared to other treatments.
Keywords: Plum, Satluj Purple, salicylic acid, ascorbic acid, gibberallic acid, pectin methyl esterase, fruit quality, storage life.