EFFECTS OF HARVESTING METHOD AND STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON SHELF LIFE OF MANDARIN FRUIT CULTIVAR 'SOE' FROM EAST NUSA TENGGARA, INDONESIA

‘SoE’ is the best mandarin variety in Indonesia. This mandarin that come from the province of East Nusa Tenggara Indonesia has characteristic orange rind color, easy to peel, sweet and sour balanced taste, but short storage life. The study aimed to find best harvesting and storage method for mandarin fruit ‘SoE’. The treatments were 1) fruits were harvested by clipping which include a part of fruit stalk and stored at room temperature; 2) fruits were picked by hand without stalk of fruit and stored at room temperature; 3) fruits were harvested by clipping include a part of fruit stalk and stored in a cool box at temperature of 20°C; and 4) fruits were picked by hand without stalk of fruit and stored in cool box at a temperature of 20°C. Harvested fruits were transported to the laboratory of the Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology of East Java. The study was done in Randomized Complete Block Design with five replications each with 4 fruits. Ater 12 d storage in a cool box, fruits harvested with or without stalk and stored at 20°C had lower weight loss and shrinkage than those stored at room temperature. Weight loss of fruit stored in cool box and at room temperature ranged from 4-5 and 18-21%, respectively. Fruit with intact stalk were less prone to fungal infection during storage than those without fruit stalk.