Physico-chemical characters of different cultivars of pear affected by bio-regulators during storage

To enhance the shelf life of the fruit for extending its availability in the market, a study was carried out on the effect of bio-regulators viz., salicylic acid and Ca-EDTA on different cultivars of pear like Sand pear, Jagner, Kashmiri, Kakria and Olympia. The selected fruits of different cultivars of pear were dipped for 30 minutes in salicylic acid @ 200 ppm, Ca-EDTA @ 0.4% ppm and control (distilled water dip). The treated fruits were stored in CFB boxes at ambient temperature (18–20°C) for 30 days. During storage, the effect of bio-regulators on various physicochemical characteristics such as TSS, acidity, ascorbic acid, sugars and antioxidants of pear fruits were studied at 10 days interval. It was found that the fruits treated with bio-regulators had significantly better firmness retention and low PLW (8.37, 10.24, 12.34, 2.29, 5.73%) during storage for 30 days as compared to control (11.10, 14.08, 15.95, 5.46, 11.32%). The TSS, acidity, ascorbic acid, sugars and antioxidant contents in these treatments remained checked, whereas in untreated fruits the conversion rate was faster. During storage, salicylic acid and Ca-EDTA slowed down respiration rate resulting better shelf life. The treated fruits irrespective of cultivars had a shelf life of 30 days as compared to 20 days in control. The study concluded that the shelf life of the pear fruits could be increased with better physico-chemical characteristics using bio-regulators like salicylic acid and Ca-EDTA.