Short Communication EFFECT OF WITHERING ON QUALiTY OF CHILLI

Chilli is an in~ispcnsJhle sp,ce cum vegetable in Different harvest rnahuity stages include e,,·cry homestead. The quality of chilli powder is Ml- Stage when the mature fruits just start changing based on visual and extractable colour, pungency its colour to intermediate stage.(Tuming stage) level and to a lesser degree the nutritivc value M2- Stage when the fruits become fully ripe, but firm (Bos1and, 1Y93). Colour in chilli is due to the and succulent (Full ripe stage) presence of carotenoids and the pungency is due to M3- Stage when ripe fruits become shrivelled in the substitutcd benzylamine dcrivative capsaicin. appearance (Withering) Variety, agro climatic conditions, harvesting stLlgCS, post Dried fruits were pOWdered and evaluated for harvest-handhng etc. determine the gULllity parameters of qualiry parameters like colour value and pungency chilli fruits. Fixing the correct maturity stLlge would be (Mathew e ( ul., 197 \) helpful in increasing the qua!Jty of chillies at lower cost. When the fruits were ana lysed for quality A study was undcrtJken to find out the influence of attributes, over three maturity stages, significant harvest maturity on qUality of chilli. differences were observed for all characters (Table!). Nine chilli genotypes belonging to different \Vhcn the harvesting was done at hulling stage, species were grown during January- March and CA 653 produced highest colour value (732) followed harvested at three different maturity stages to form 27 by Vjwala (691.33). KTPL-19 exhibited highest treatments of a factorial eRD with three replications. colour value at full ripe and withering stage (l687.67(,hilli genotypes include and 3131.17). CA 645 produced the lowest colour V1- Capsicum annuum (Gundu)- CA 653 value during the above two maturity stages (333.5 all