A detergent for mango fruit sap-induced injury

Abstract

This study determined the optimum concentration of, and duration of immersion in a local detergent (“awabla”) that protected fruit skin of Kent and Keitt mango varieties from mango fruit sap-induced injury (sap-burn) at harvest.The resultant skin/peel colour, pulp colour, and total soluble solids content was also evaluated for fruit quality. Randomized Complete Block Design and Completely Randomized Design with four replications in each case were used for field and laboratory experiments respectively. For each of the two varieties, ten mango trees were sampled at random in each of the four replications of a mango plantation.On each sample tree, twenty panicles all initiating fruit-set were identified and tagged. The number of days from fruit-set to physiological maturity were monitored and harvested for the experiments. Concentrations of 0.25,0.50, and 0.75% of “awabla” solution for 25,30,and35 minutes immersion period in all combinations were established as appropriate and recommended for management of Kent and Keitt mango fruit sap-induced injury. The detergent (“awabla”) had a proven efficacy in the range of 87-94 % for Kent and 90-93 % for Keitt. The resultant peel colour, pulp colour, and total soluble solids content of Kent and Keitt mango fruit samples were not significantly influenced by the treatments at p>0.05.