Effect of pre-harvest organic spray and bunch cover on biochemical attributes of banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) cv. grand naine

Introduction

Banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) is one of the most important fruit crops cultivated and consumed in tropical and subtropical regions. India is among the leading producers of banana and the crop is valued for its high productivity, year-round availability, nutritional importance and contribution to farmers' livelihoods. Among the commercial cultivars, 'Grand Naine' is widely cultivated due to its high yield potential, desirable bunch characteristics and good fruit quality. Banana are a rich source of natural sugars, dietary fibre, potassium, vitamins and other essential nutrients. A 100 g edible portion provides approximately 89 kcal of energy, 21.8 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fibre, 385 mg potassium and 11.7 mg ascorbic acid, along with other essential nutrients (Rahman et al., 2020) [9] . The biochemical composition of banana changes during fruit development and maturation, influencing fruit quality and subsequent ripening behaviour. Banana exports are limited by several constraints, with both external and internal quality factors playing a key role in market acceptance. These quality attributes are largely influenced by pre-harvest practices. External characteristics such as colour, shape, size and freedom from defects are important for visual appeal, whereas internal qualities like taste, texture, sweetness, aroma, acidity, flavour, nutritional value and shelf life are crucial in determining export potential (Hewett, 2006; Shewfelt, 2009) [2,14] . Pre-harvest practices greatly influence fruit development and biochemical composition. Organic formulations such as Cow urine, Vermi wash, Panchagavya and Jeevamrutham may improve physiological processes and fruit development through their nutrient and biologically active components. Similarly, bunch covering protects developing fruits from adverse environmental conditions and modifies the microclimate around the bunch, thereby influencing fruit growth and quality. Although organic sprays and bunch covering are individually known to influence banana growth and fruit development, their combined application may provide complementary benefits by improving plant physiological processes and creating a favourable microenvironment around the developing bunch. This may positively influence fruit development, biochemical composition and subsequent ripening behaviour. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of pre-harvest organic sprays and bunch covering on the biochemical attributes of banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) cv. Grand Naine.

Materials and Methods

The experiment was conducted during 2024Water spray T1 3.

Cow urine 10% + BPE T8 10.

Cow urine 10% + WPE T9 11.

Vermi wash 10% + BPE T10 12.

Vermi wash 10% + WPE T11 13.

Panchagavya 3% + BPE T12 14.

Panchagavya 3% + WPE T13 15.

Jeevamrutham 3% + BPE T14 16.

Jeevamrutham 3% + WPE T15 Note: BPE -Blue polyethylene, WPE-White polyethylene

Total soluble solids (°Brix)

The pulp was extracted separately by passing it through a muslin cloth. The Total Soluble Solids (TSS) content was determined using an ERMA hand refractometer (0-32 °Brix) at room temperature and the values were expressed as °Brix.

Ascorbic acid (mg/100 ml) Ascorbic acid content of banana pulp was determined according to the method described by Ranganna (1986) [10] using 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol dye. The pulp extract was prepared in 3% metaphosphoric acid and titrated with the standard dye solution until a light pink end point was obtained. The ascorbic acid content was expressed as mg per 100 g pulp and calculated using the following formula: Titratable acidity (%) Titratable acidity of banana pulp was determined according to the method described by Ranganna (1986) [10] . The prepared sample was titrated against 0.1 N NaOH using phenolphthalein as an indicator until a persistent faint pink end point was obtained. The acidity was expressed as percentage (%) and calculated using the following formula:

Titrate × Normality of alkali × volume made up × Equivalent weight of acid × 100 Vol. of sample taken for estimation × Weight or volume of sample taken × 1000

Reducing sugar

A 25 ml aliquot of filtered juice was transferred into a volumetric flask and diluted with 100 ml of distilled water. The solution was neutralized with an alkali solution, followed by the addition of 2 ml of lead acetate solution.

After thorough mixing and allowing the contents to stand for some time, 2 ml of potassium oxalate solution was added to obtain a clarified solution. Five millilitres each of Fehling's solution A and Fehling's solution B were taken in a conical flask. The burette was filled with the clarified sample solution. The Fehling's solution was heated over an open flame, and 2-5 ml of the sugar solution was added, followed by 1-2 drops of methylene blue indicator. The solution was heated intermittently while adding the sugar solution until a brick-red end point was obtained. Reducing sugar was expressed as percentage (%) and calculated using the following formula:

Reducing sugar (%) = Mg of invert sugar × Dilution × 100 Titrate value × wt or volume of the sample × 1000

Non-reducing sugar was determined by subtracting the reducing sugar content from the total sugar content. The non-reducing sugar content was expressed as percentage (%).

Non -reducing sugar (%) = Total sugar (%) -Reducing sugar (%)

Total sugar (%) Total sugar content was estimated according to the method described by Lane and Eynon (1923) [6] . Fruit juice (50 mL) was transferred to a 100 mL volumetric flask, mixed with 5 mL of concentrated HCl and kept at room temperature for 24 hours. The solution was then neutralized with NaOH using phenolphthalein as an indicator and the volume was made up to 100 ml. The prepared solution was titrated against a standard mixture of Fehling's solutions A and B (1:1) using methylene blue as an indicator. The appearance of a brick-red colour was considered the endpoint.

Total sugar (%) = Fehling's factor × Vol. made up × 100 Titre value × wt. of the sample taken

Sugar: Acid ratio

The sugar ratio was calculated by dividing the total sugar content by the titratable acidity according to the method described by Ranganna (1986) [10] and expressed as a ratio.

Results and Discussion

The results of the present investigation revealed that preharvest organic sprays and bunch cover significantly influenced the biochemical attributes of banana cv. Grand Naine. The data pertaining to the biochemical attributes recorded during 2024-25 and 2025-26 are presented in Tables 1 to 4.

Total soluble solids (°Brix)

Pre-harvest organic sprays and bunch cover significantly influenced the Total Soluble Solids (TSS) content of mature unripe banana fruits (Table 1). [5] , Silpa et al.

(2024) [15] , Sahana (2020) [12] , Ashutosh et al. (2024) [1] and Maksudan et al. (2024) [7] .

A significant variation in ascorbic acid content of mature unripe banana fruits was observed among the treatments due to the application of pre-harvest organic sprays and bunch cover (Table 1 [5] , Silpa et al. (2024) [15] , Maksudan et al.

(2024) [7] and Ashutosh et al. (2024) [1] .

The titratable acidity of mature unripe banana fruits was significantly influenced by pre-harvest organic sprays and bunch cover treatments (Table 2). The highest titratable acidity was recorded under T₀ (control: no spray and no bunch cover) (0.37, 0.39 and 0.38%), which remained statistically at par with T₁: Water spray (0.38, 0.37 and 0.38%) and T₃ (0.35, 0.34 and 0.35%) during 2024-25, 2025-26 and pooled mean, respectively. The lowest titratable acidity was recorded under T₁₂: Panchagavya 3% + BPE (0.25, 0.24 and 0.25%), respectively. The reduction in titratable acidity may be attributed to the utilization of organic acids as respiratory substrates during fruit maturation. Similar findings were reported by Maksudan et al. (2024) [7] and Ashutosh et al. (2024) [1] in banana under blue polyethylene bunch cover.

The reducing sugar content of mature unripe banana fruits showed significant variation among the treatments due to the application of pre-harvest organic sprays and bunch cover ( [3] , Jangid et al. (2021) [4] , Silpa et al.

(2024) [15] , Sahana (2020) [12] , Ashutosh et al. (2024) [1] and Maksudan et al. (2024) [7] .

The non-reducing sugar content of mature unripe banana fruits was significantly affected by pre-harvest organic sprays and bunch cover treatments (Table 3). The highest non-reducing sugar content was recorded under T₁₂ (Panchagavya 3% + BPE) (1.49, 1.60 and 1.55%) during 2024-25, 2025-26 and pooled mean, respectively, which was statistically equivalent with treatments T₁₃ (1.57, 1.53 and 1.55%) and T₁₅ (1.20, 1.30 and 1.25%). The lowest nonreducing sugar content was observed under T₀ (control: no spray and no bunch cover) with values of 0.89, 0.87 and 0.88%, respectively. The increased non-reducing sugar content may be attributed to improved carbohydrate metabolism and enhanced accumulation of soluble sugars during fruit development. Similar findings were reported by Meena et al. (2016) [8] , Sahana (2020) [12] , Ashutosh et al.

(2024) [1] and Maksudan et al. (2024) [7] .

The total sugar content of mature unripe banana fruits varied significantly among the treatments under the influence of pre-harvest organic sprays and bunch cover treatments (Table 3). [15] , Samantaray (2015) [13] , Rubel et al. (2019) [11] , Sahana (2020) [12] , Ashutosh et al.

(2024) [1] and Maksudan et al. (2024) [7] in banana under bunch cover.

Sugar: Acid ratio

The sugar: acid ratio of mature unripe banana fruits showed significant differences among the treatments receiving different organic sprays and bunch cover treatments (Table 4). The highest sugar: acid ratio was recorded under T₁₂ (Panchagavya 3% + BPE) with values of 28.15, 29.13 and 28.64 during 2024-25, 2025-26 and pooled mean, respectively, which was statistically similar to the treatment T₁₄ (25.69, 24.81 and 25.25) and T₁₃ (25.63, 27.84 and 26.73). However, the minimum sugar: acid ratio was observed under T₀ (12.87 and 13.25) during 2025-26 and pooled mean, respectively. The higher sugar: acid ratio may be attributed to increased sugar accumulation coupled with reduced titratable acidity during fruit development. Similar results were reported by Maksudan et al. (2024) [7] in banana under bunch covering condition.

Conclusion

The study revealed that pre-harvest organic sprays and bunch covering significantly influenced the biochemical attributes of banana cv. Grand Naine. Among the treatments, T₁₂ (Panchagavya 3% + Blue polyethylene bunch cover) showed superior performance by improving fruit quality attributes and reducing acidity. The favourable effect of Panchagavya combined with blue bunch cover enhanced fruit quality by promoting better biochemical changes during fruit development. Therefore, T₁₂ (Panchagavya 3% + BPE) can be considered an effective organic management approach for improving the biochemical quality of banana fruits.

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