MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING OF CAULIFLOWER FOR ENHANCING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COOL BOT COLD STORAGE TO PRESERVE THE POSTHARVEST QUALITY IN NEPAL

In recent years, cool bot storage was introduced to smallholder farmers in Nepal as a low-cost alternative to cold storage. The present study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of different poly films in perforated modified atmosphere packaging on the postharvest life of cauliflower in cool bot-equipped cold rooms and ambient room conditions in the years 2019 and 2020 in the month of December. The cauliflower curds (hybrid variety White Top) were harvested from commercial vegetable growers at a fully mature stage. The compact and mature curds were harvested in the morning and brought to the National Horticulture Research Centre in Khumaltar. The curds were kept overnight for pre-cooling. Four different poly films (25 μ, 50 μ, 75 μ, and 100 low-density polyethylene with 16 perforations were used during storage in two different storage conditions. The study was conducted in a completely randomized block design. Curds were kept at ambient room conditions (15.5°C, 58% RH) for 10 days and at cool, bot devised, cold storage (11.25°C, 96% RH) for 15 days and analyzed for various postharvest quality parameters every 5 days of storage. The results modified atmosphere packaging i.e.50μ LDPE was found effective in cauliflower stored in ambient room conditions with quality perspective but the packaging didn’t provide additive effects in shelf life and quality of cauliflower in cool bot storage conditions

Characterization of Gladiolus Genotypes Under Khumaltar Condition of Nepal

Seven promising genotypes of Gladiolus were experimented during the two consecutive years of 2014/15 and 2015/16 in the field of Horticulture Research Division, Khumaltar, Lalitpur (1332 masl) to evaluate the performances of their vegetative, floral and corm characteristics. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications. The treatments consisted of seven genotypes (ARSDG-01, ARSDG-02, ARSDG-03, ARSDG-04, ARSDG-05, ARSDG-06 and ARSDG-07). Fifty-four corms of each genotype were planted in the crop geometry of 25 x 25 cm. A total of sixteen characters were observed. The pooled results of two years data indicated significantly different except plant height, spike length, rachis length, number of cormels per mother corm and individual corm weight due to the effects of seven evaluated genotypes. Genotype ARSDG-04 was proven as the earliest one for days to the first spike emergence (73.00 days), the full spike emergence (76.50 days) and the first unfurling of florets (83 days). In contrast, ARSDG-01 and ARSDG-06 were late genotypes for the same three characters. The number of florets/spikes was considerably high in two genotypes viz., ARSDG-06 (21.00) and ARSDG-03 (20.50). The number of daughter corms/mother corm was significantly high in ARSDG-05 (3.10) and ARSDG-04 (2.92) whereas it was minimally low in ARSDG-02 (1.66) and ARSDG-07 (1.69). Summing up all sixteen characters of evaluated genotypes, ARSDG-04 as the first, ARSDG-05 as the second and ARSDG-03 as the third have respectively emerged as superior ones as opposed by those of the rest of evaluated genotypes of Gladiolus

Modified Atmosphere Packaging of Capsicum for Extending Shelf Life Under Coolbot Condition

Capsicum is one of the high value vegetable crops in Nepal. Its demand in kitchen is increasing due to urbanization and increased awareness on its health benefit. Its commercial cultivation has been started in protected as well as open field conditions. It fetches higher price in market but has very short storage life under ordinary storage condition. An experiment was carried out to evaluate the modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on extension of shelf-life of capsicum fruit. Fruit were harvested at full mature stage with smooth and shiny appearance from farmer's field grown under protected condition at Chitwan, Nepal. The fruits were brought to postharvest laboratory of National Horticulture Research Centre, pre-cooled for 3-4 hours, cleaned with muslin cloth and packed in 25 micron Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) packaging with different number of pinhole sized perforations viz. without pinholes, eight pinholes, sixteen pinholes, twenty four pinholes and control (without MAP). The study was conducted in completely randomized block design with five treatments and four replications. Fruits were kept at coolbot storage (9.8+2 ºC, 86+5% RH) till 30 days and analyzed for various postharvest physical, chemical and physiological parameters at every 10, 20 and 30 days of storage. The result showed that LDPE packaging influenced on reduction of physiological loss in weight (PLW), spoilage loss, ascorbic acid content, TA, freshness, firmness and shelf life. The modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) without pinholes showed the minimum PWL (1.71%) and the optimum fruit freshness (4.76) but the spoilage loss was the maximum (14%). Among the packaging, MAP with 8 pinholes maintained majority of postharvest quality retention with reduced physiological loss in weight (4.15 %), freshness (4.5) and spoilage loss (2%)