EFFECT OF 2,4-D IN COLD-STORAGE OF TAHITI LEMON (Citrus latifolia Tanaka)

Abstract

The aim of this work was to evaluate the behaviour of Thaiti lemons treated with a commercial solution of 2, 4-D in cold-storage. It was used 40 fruits for repetition (10 of them marked for weight control), stored at 8°e and 80-90% of humidity. The treatments were: 1) control; 2) 8.000 ppm of 2,4-D; 3) 10.000 ppm of 2,4-D and 4) 12.000 ppm of 2,4- D. The experimental design was completely randomized in blocks with five repetitions for treatment. The results obtained showed that 2,4-D had no effect in the totally soluble solids (TSS), total acidity (TA), pH and TSS/TA ratio; related to the loss of weight in practice, there was no difference among the different treatments; the 2,4-D induced the lowest degradation of a and b chlorophyll; the best storage time was at the maximum, five weeks.