Aims: To study the post harvest shooting namely; control, humic acid 2%, 2, 4-D 30 mg/l, gibberellic acid (GA3) 100 mg/l, CPPU 4 mg/l and sulphate of potash (SOP) 2% and covering materials viz., non- woven material bag and blue colour polyethylene sleeve (6% perforated) bag on bunch of banana cv. Willium
Study Design: Experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (Factorial) with three repetitions.
Place and Duration of Study: Experiment was carried out at the Horticultural Research Farm,Department of Horticulture, B. A. College of Agriculture, AAU, Anand during the year 2017-18 and 2018-19
Methodology: The experimental plot was prepared by deep ploughing, harrowing and levelling. The pits of 30 x 30 x 30 cm were dug out at a spacing of 1.8 x 1.8 m2 and well decomposed fine textured Farm Yard Manure (FYM) at the rate of 10 kg per pit was applied at planting. Well hardened, healthy, uniform tissue cultured tissue culture plants of willium banana having 5-6 leaves were used for planting. Post shooting sprays were given twice i.e. 1st spray after complete opening of inflorescence and 2nd spray after 30 days of first spray with covering the bunch immediately after second spray.The fruits which were used for recording the weight loss during ripening, were used to calculating pulp: peel ratio. Pulp to peel ratio was calculated by dividing respective pulp weight by respective peel weight. The TSS value of the fruit was recorded by using hand refractometer having range of 0-32 ⁰Brix. Acidity (%) was calculated by the method described by Rangana (1977) was adopted for estimation of titrable acidity.
Results: The results revealed that the banana bunches sprayingof CPPU 4 mg/lwith bunch covering with non woven materials were recorded significantly lower physiological loss in weight (12.80, 13.60 and 13.20%) and (13.26, 14.14 and 13.70%), respectively. Whereas, post shooting spray of SOP 2% with non-woven material bag coveringwere recorded significantly maximum TSS (21.42, 21.05 and 21.17 ºBrix; 21.39, 20.93 and 21.16 ºBrix), reducing sugar (12.55, 12.34 and 12.45%; 12.21, 12.16 and 12.18%) and total sugar (21.42, 20.82 and 21.12%; 20.84, 20.50 and 20.67%) as compared to rest of the treatments of post shooting sprays and bunch covering materials on banana quality.
Conclusion: From the two years of field study, it can be concluded that the post shooting spraying of CPPU 4 mg/l and SOP 2% with non woven bunch covering bags were improve fruit quality of banana.