Effect of Spacing and Plant Growth Regulators on Organoleptic Quality of Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch) cv. Winter Dawn
Charu Shekhawat *
Department of Horticulture, Agriculture University, Kota-325001, India.
M.C. Jain
Department of Horticulture, Agriculture University, Kota-325001, India.
Rahul Prakash Chapke
Genetics and Plant Breeding, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, India.
Waris Habeeb
KVK, Kishanganj, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar-813210, India.
Ashwani Yadav
Department of Agronomy, Sanskriti University, Mathura - Delhi Highway, Chhata, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Gouthami Y
Department of Post-Harvest Technology, University of Horticultural Sciences Bagalkot,India.
Suchitra Dadheech
Horticulture College of Agriculture, Suwana Bhilwara, MPUAT, Udaipur, India.
Aniket
Department of Entomology, Chaudhary Sarvan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur-176062, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Sensory quality encompasses the various characteristics of a product that add value for both buyers and consumers. Consumers prefer fruits that are visually appealing, firm and have good flavour and nutritional value. On the other hand, producers and handlers prioritize the appearance and texture of the fruit as well as its ability to maintain quality of the fruits. The experiment was conducted at the College of Agriculture, Ummedganj Kota, Rajasthan over two growing seasons (2021-22 and 2022-23) to assess the effects of spacing and plant growth regulators on the organoleptic quality of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cv. Winter Dawn. The hedonic sensory evaluation rating for organoleptic tests indicated that maximum score for colour (7.41), flavour (7.58), taste (7.77) and general appearance (7.84) was recorded under S2 (30 cm ×30 cm). In terms of plant growth regulators (PGRs), maximum effect on organoleptic quality for colour (8.85), flavour (8.72), taste (8.65) and general appearance (8.49) was recorded under treatment treated with SA at 100 ppm. Moreover, in interaction effect treatment combination of S2+SA100 ppm (30 cm ×30 cm + Salicylic acid at 100 ppm) obtained a higher and more favourable score of colour (8.87), flavour (8.74), taste (8.86) and general appearance (8.65), respectively. It can be concluded that a plant spacing of 30 cm × 30 cm combined with a 100 ppm Salicylic acid treatment produces optimal results in terms of sensory quality parameters.
Keywords: Organoleptic quality, plant spacing, plant growth regulators, winter dawn