Authors: R.R. Sharma and K. Prasad
Division of Food Science and Postharvest Technology
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110 012
(Email:rrs_fht@rediffmail.com)
Mango (Mangifera indica L.), commonly called as the ‘King of fruits’ in India, is being cultivated on an area of over 2.5 million ha in India and contributes a production of about 18 million tonnes annually. Indian mango production accounts for over 56% of the global mango production. Although mango export is more than Rs. 210 crores annually from India, but post-harvest losses of fruits are still very high. Not only India but several south Asian countries and other mango producing countries of the world want to reduce the postharvest losses significantly and to increase the export of fresh mangoes to other countries. There are several inherent problems which affect quality and export of mango. Of the several factors limiting the export of mango, one which has limited it to great extent and which affects the appearance of mango fruits, is the lenticels browning (LB) or lenticels discolouration (LD. LB has now become as one of the main reasons of quality loss in mango cultivars grown in India and abroad. LB not only decreases the shelf-life of the mango fruits but also affects the appearance of fruits, which has become a point of hindrance in export of mango from several countries. Several efforts have been made in the past to reduce factors which affect the mango fruit quality including appearance and ultimately the export.
Lenticels are macroscopic porous openings, consisting of cells with large intercellular spaces in the periderm of the secondarily thickened organs, especially fruits of mango. These openings play significant role in transpiration and exchange of gases. Lenticels act as a necessary evil as they are required for several physiological functions in the plant, but their discoloration leads to the loss in quality, and thus it is considered as one of the main problems in post-harvest management of mango. Lenticel browning has been reported to be serious postharvest problem in mango.
Size: 400KB
About Author / Additional Info:
Working on production and postharvest management of fruits and vegetables for the last 32 years. I have published more that 130 research articles in journals of international repute. Authored 12 books, 250 popular articles and received several awards and honours of ICAR and Govt. of India