EFFECT OF BAGGING OF VALENCIA ORANGE FRUIT DURING ITS GROWING ON ITS POSTHARVEST STORAGE QUALITY

Changes in the main indexes of fruit quality of bagged and unbagged Citrus cv.Olinda during storage were monitored.Both the bagged and unbagged fruit showed a similar trend in weight loss and titratable acid and vitamin C contents during storage: weight loss increased and titratable acid and vitamin C contents decreased with storage duration.The extent of changes,however,was greater in unbagged fruit than in bagged fruit.The contents of soluble solids and total soluble sugars declined in both bagged and unbagged fruit,but they fluctuated in a narrow range for the unbagged fruit and in a wide range in the bagged fruit.At the later stage of storage,the content of soluble solids decreased while that of total soluble sugars increased.