Screening of bioregulators on ripening behaviour of apples during storage

Treatment of fruits with E. royleana latex at 500 ppm and Protozyme at 1000 ppm resulted in lowest physiological loss in weight, while fruits treated with E. royleana latexm at 250 ppm, Ptotozyme at 500 ppm and Agrostemin at 100 ppm had higher total soluble solids content at the end of a stipulated storage period of 7 months. Fruits treated with Agrostemin at 100 ppm, Para s at 1000 ppm. E. royleana latex and Protozyme each at 500 ppm recorded hig her firmness. Agrostemin, E. royleana latex, Protozyme and Biozyme each at 300 ppm exhibited steadier increases and decreases in respiration and ethyl ene evolution rates. However, much faster changes were exhibited by fruits treated with Paras at 3000 ppm. Thus, Agrostemin, E. royleana latex, Biozym e: and Protozyme each at 500 ppm were found highly effective in slowing and steadying the metabolic rate of the fruit as appraised by respiration and ethylene evolution rates throughout the 7 months storage at 0+/-1 degrees C .