EFFECT OF ARGININE ACID AND CALCIUM NITRATE ON STORABILITY OF TOMATO FRUITS (LYCOPERSICON ESCULENTUM MILL.) C.V KANZE.

Abstract

The study carried out in the greenhouses of the nursery Directorate ofAgriculture Diyala during 2012-2011 season. Tomato fruits c.v. Kanze wereused in the experiment, to study the effect of arginine acid and calcium nitrateon storability of tomato fruits, Seedlings were planted on 01.02.2011 in thegreenhouse, the plants were sprayed with arginine acid at concentration of 0.2g/liter and calcium nitrate at concentration of 20 g/liter for two times on13.4.2011 and after two weeks on 27.4.2011 and left plants for comparison,gained fruits maturing bright red Light red stage and took the fruits of control(without spray) and conducted by transactions soaking in distilled watercontainer on the concentrations of the same that was used process spray for aperiod of 5 minutes. Fruits were put in polyethylene packs and stored in therefrigerator at a temperature of 4 ± 1 C° for a period of one month, carried outthe experience of a three replicates were used in Complete Randomized Design(CRD) and compared to the averages using L.S.D test at the level of probabilityof 0.05. Characteristics of the fruit were the studies beginning and every tendays to the end of the storage period. The results showed that plants sprayedwith arginine acid resulted in maintaining the chemical characteristics duringthe period of storage, represented by total soluble solids and the percentage oftotal acidity and vitamin C as it was 6.24% 0.53% 15.66, mg/100 g juice and anincrease 25.5%, 17.7 %, 13.5%, respectively, and reduce the respiration rate to6.95 mg/kg/hr. A drop of 31.4%. The resulting spray the fruits of tomato with asolution of calcium nitrate to maintain a high level of total soluble solidsreaching 6.4% and an increase 28.7% ,while led soak fruits to maintain aproportion of total acidity and vitamin C end storage 0.54% , 17.30 mg/100gjuice and increase 20%, 25.5%, respectively, and reduce the rate of respirationto 4.99 mg/kg/hr. 50.7%. There was a decrease in total T.S.S , acidity , v. c. andrate of respiration during storage period .