POSTHARVEST TREATMENTS TO CONTROL EGGPLANT DETERIORATION DURING STORAGE

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) fruits deteriorate rapidly during prolonged storage, mainly due to accelerated senescence of the calyx. Dipping the calyx in a solution containing 200 ppm NAA and 900 ppm prochloraz (active ingredient) retarded calyx senescence and controlled decay. At the end of the growing season in Israel (March-May), dipping the whole fruit in the above solution gave better results than dipping the calyx only. After 14 d of storage at 12-degrees-C and 3 d at 20-degrees-C, the calyx appeared fresh and green and the fruit was firm. Decay incidence did not exceed 5%. The residual level of prochloraz in fruits that were wholly dipped was less than 0.34 mg l-1.