Abstract
BackgroundOrange (Citrus sinensis L.) production in Tanzania is constrained by several pre-harvest factors that include pests. Hexanal, sprayed as Enhanced Freshness Formulation (EFF) is a relatively new technology that has been reported to reduce pre-harvest loss in fruits. However, the effects of hexanal on pre-harvest yield loss of orange are not known. We studied the effects of hexanal as EFF on yield losses of three sweet orange cultivars namely, Early Valencia, Jaffa, and Late Valencia. Factorial experiments tested the effects of EFF concentration, variety, and time of EFF application on number of dropped fruit, percentage of non-marketable fruit and incidence of pest damage.ResultsResults showed significant negative correlation (p < 0.001) between EFF and the percentage of dropped fruit, non-marketable yield, and incidence of pest damage. An increase in hexanal concentration by 1%, is expected to reduce number of dropped fruit by 50, percentage of non-marketable by 35.6, and incidences of pest damage by 36.5% keeping other factors constant. Results also show significant association (p < 0.001) between time of hexanal application and non-marketable yield. Percentage of dropped fruit is expected to increase by 1 for each day away from harvest, keeping other factors constant.ConclusionPre-harvest application of hexanal as EFF can significantly reduce number of dropped fruits, percentage of non-marketable fruit and incidence of pest damage.
Highlights
Orange (Citrus sinensis L.) production in Tanzania is constrained by several pre-harvest factors that include pests
Effects of Enhanced Freshness Formulation (EFF) concentration on fruit drop Our results show that independent variables EFF concentration, variety and time significantly predicted the fruit drop from trees of the three varieties (F(4, 91) = 9.24, p < .0001)
An increase in EFF concentration by 1%, is expected to reduce number of dropped fruit by 326, keeping other factors constant
Summary
Orange (Citrus sinensis L.) production in Tanzania is constrained by several pre-harvest factors that include pests. Hexanal, sprayed as Enhanced Freshness Formulation (EFF) is a relatively new technology that has been reported to reduce pre-harvest loss in fruits. The effects of hexanal on pre-harvest yield loss of orange are not known. We studied the effects of hexanal as EFF on yield losses of three sweet orange cultivars namely, Early Valencia, Jaffa, and Late Valencia. Orange production is constrained by several factors including pre-harvest fruit drops, incidence of serious diseases such as powdery mildew and anthracnose, and insect pests such as hopper and mealy bugs [4, 5]. Orange trees bear many fruits but most of them drop at early stages of development or before attaining the commercial ripening stage [9, 10]. 3, 5, 6-trichloro-2-pyridyloxyacetic acid (3, 5, 6-TPA) was investigated to control fruit drop properties, fruit weight, diameter, length, and leaf/fruit
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
