Vol. 8, Issue 12, Part O (2024)

The research entitled “Effect of pre harvest elicitor sprays on post-harvest physical parameters of dragon fruit (Selenicereus monacanthus)” was carried out in farmer’s field, Nabipeta, West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh during the year 2023-24. The pre harvest sprays was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with seven treatments and three replications. Red fleshed dragon fruits were sprayed with different elicitors i.e., T₁: Salicylic acid 500 ppm, T_2: Salicylic acid 1000 ppm, T₃: Methyl jasmonate 500 ppm, T_4: Methyl jasmonate 1000 ppm T₅: Chitosan 500 ppm, T₆: Chitosan 1000 ppm, T₇ was taken as control. Spraying was given once, 15 days after flowering (DAF). Salicylic acid 1000 ppm (T₂) treated fruits recorded significantly lowest per cent weight loss (3.70%), lowest spoilage (16.67%) and highest fruit firmness (9.03 kg cm^-2) at 9^th day of storage. Hence, the research findings concluded that salicylic acid 1000 ppm (T₂) found to be best in improving the physical parameters of dragon fruit at ambient temperature.