Gayatri Majhi^1*, Laxmi Dhamala¹ and Nirajan Bhandari^2
1Gauradaha Agriculture Campus/IAAS, Gauradaha, Jhapa, Nepal
²College of Natural Resource Management/AFU, Pakhribas, Dhankuta, Nepal
*Corresponding author's email: gayatreemajhee@gmail.com
*ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1380-7834

Abstract

Poor storage, microbial decay, uneven ripening and the presence of chemical residue are the major postharvest problems of banana. This experiment was conducted to analyze the performance of various plant extracts and KMnO4 on the shelf and the quality of bananas at the Horticultural Laboratory of Gauradaha Agriculture Campus, Gauradaha, Jhapa. The experiment was carried out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with seven treatments and three replications. Each treatment consists of 12 banana fingers. Banana fruits were treated with neem extract (1:1), aloe vera gel (100%), onion extract (1:1), ginger extract (1:1), sweet flag extract (1:1) and KMnO4 (5gm) which were compared with non-treated fruits (control). 900 ml of each plant’s extracts were used for the experiment. The data on different post-harvest parameters were recorded at 3 days intervals for 12 days at ordinary laboratory conditions. The result showed that the lowest weight loss (8.82%), pulp to peel ratio (4.71), color (5.66 score) and highest firmness (4 score) was reported on aloe vera gel. The neem leaf showed minimum moisture content (62.13%) and the highest TSS (25.410 Brix) was observed in control at 6 days after treatment. The minimum TA (0.17%), DI (29.62 %) and disease severity (3 score) were reported on sweet flag extract. The longest shelf life (12 days) was observed in banana fruits treated with sweet flag extract and aloe vera gel. In conclusion, sweet flag extract and aloe vera gel could be suggested for better shelf life and quality of banana.