Effect of some bio-stimulants and packaging material on quality attributes of snap beans during storage and shelf life conditions

Abstract EN

Two plastic house experiments were carried out during winter seasons of 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 in a clay loam soil at the Agricultural Experiment Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University and Laboratory of Handling of Vegetable Crops Department, Horticulture Research Institute, Giza, to study the effect of some bio-stimulants, viz., seaweed extract (SWE) at 0.2% as foliar spray, humic acid (HA) at 0.2% and effective microorganisms (EM) at 0.2% as soil application alone or in combinations and packaging of pods in micro-perforated polypropylene bags (micro-PPPb, export package) or non-perforated polypropylene bags (non-PPPb) on quality attributes and storability of snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cv.

Hama during storage at 5ºC and shelf life at 10ºC.

Results indicated that snap bean plants treated with the mixture of SWE+HA+EM and then packed in non-PPPb was the most effective treatment for improving storability and maintaining pod quality attributes, which gave the lowest values of weight loss % and fiber %, maintained total carbohydrate % and protein %, and gave good appearance of pods after 16 days of storage at 5oC+2 days at 10oC (shelf life).