Effect of different levels and sources of calcium on post harvest physiology of hybrid tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum)

Abstract

Due to high respiration and ethylene production, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is highly perishable horticulture produce that deteriorates faster during the post-harvest storage period. Calcium nutrition is important to overcome these losses as it helps in retarding ripening process during storage and improve the post-harvest quality tomatoes. Hence a field experiment was conducted with different calcium sources and levels viz., Calcium sulphate, Calcium Nitrate, Calcium silicate, Poultry manure and Pressmud applied at 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 kg Ca ha-1. A storage study was conducted in a factorial completely randomized block design (FCRD) to ensure the effective role of calcium in post-harvest quality of hybrid tomato. Tomatoes were analyzed for pH of fruit juice, firmness, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, moisture content and physiological loss at five days intervals upto 15 days. The results revealed thatCalcium sources and levels had highly significant impacts on the quality of tomato fruits. The tomatoes harvested from the plot applied with poultry manure at 80 kg Ca ha-1 retained the highest fruit firmness(3.76 N m-1), moisture content (88.2%) and the lowest weight loss (8.82%) in fruit, highertitratable acidity (0.41%), lesser pH (3.61)andtotal soluble solids (4.23 ˚Brix). Hence the application of poultry manure at 80 kg Ca ha-1was beneficial in improving the quality and extending the storage life of hybrid tomatoes.