BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN MANGO FRUITS, ‘TOMMY ATKINS’ TREATED WITH CALCIUM CHLORIDE PREHARVEST AND STORED UNDER REFRIGERATION

‘Tommy Atkins’ is one of the most important mango fruit cultivars, not only for export but also for internal consumption, because of its excellent quality. However, ripe fruits of this cultivar, in spite of its economic importance and increasing demand, suffer from a serious physiological disorder known as ‘spongy tissue’ or ‘soft-nose’. Young and Miner (1961) suggested that the disorder results from calcium deficiency, whereas Gunjate et al. (1979) linked it with lower calcium contents in fruits. Experimental findings suggest that this kind of physiological disorder is related to calcium deficiency. The aim of the research reported here was to determine biochemical changes in ‘Tommy Atkins’mango fruits stored under refrigeration following preharvest treatment with calcium chloride.