Fruit Quality of Aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) Cultivars and New Accessions

Abstract

Fruits of seven cultivars of aonla viz. NA-6, NA-7, NA-10, Laxmi –52, Krishna, Kanchan and Chakaiya were evaluated for changes in physicochemicalattributes at different stages of fruit growth and maturation. The observations were recorded at 30-day intervals starting from120 days after fruit set (DAFS) and up to 255 DAFS.

Results of different parameters revealed that fruit size in terms of width, weight and TSS showed exponentially upward growth trends fromthe initial stages of maturity up to the final stage of harvest, i.e., October to February months. NA-6 Aonla had shown the highest gain(128.46%) in fruit weight amongst the tested cultivars; however, overall, the maximum fruit weight was recorded in Laxmi-52 (52.15 g).‘Krishna’ Aonla had the lowest fruit weight. Baring Aonla cv. Kanchan, other varieties showed an increasing trend of fruit Total Suspended Solids ranges from 6.52 to 12.54 0B during the maturity period. During the last month of maturity, the ‘Krishna’ Aonla had the highest TSS(12.54 0B) and acidity (2.12%) while the lowest was recorded in Kanchan (8.62 0B). February month could be best for harvesting aonla’s cv.Krishna. The growth of fruits of Aonla cv. Kanchan and NA-7 ceased after January months, and TSS also got reduced, therefore these varietiesshould be harvested by the end of January month. Ascorbic acid was highest in NA-6 across the maturity period but for a harvesting pointof view, the NA-10, Laxmi -52, and Krishna should not be harvested beyond December month. Conclusively, it is inferred from the resultsthat NA-10, Laxmi -52 and Krishna matures early, i.e., during December month, Kanchan and NA-7 during January month and NA-6 duringFebruary month. CISH-A-1 and CISH-A-2 could be found to be better than other cultivars in terms of ascorbic acid and polyphenols.