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Influence of mulching on fruit quality of aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) cv.

NA-7

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Article-43

Eco. Env. & Cons. 21 (3) : 2015; pp. (263-268)

Copyright@ EM International
ISSN 0971–765X

Influence of mulching on fruit quality of aonla

(Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) cv. NA-7
Mudasir Iqbal, Parshant Bakshi, Rakesh Kumar, V.K. Wali and Bharat Bhushan

Division of Fruit Science, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of

Jammu, Faculty of Agricultural, Main Campus, Chatha, Jammu 180 009, J&K, India

(Received 30 September, 2014; accepted 5 January, 2015)

ABSTRACT
A study was carried out to investigate the effect of different organic and inorganic mulching materials on
aonla cv. NA-7. Various quality parameters of aonla were monitored with different types of mulching
materials viz., black polythene, white polythene, paddy straw, saw dust, sarkanda, dry grass and control
(unmulched). Black polythene mulch significantly increased fruit weight (41.32 g), fruit length (3.73 cm),
fruit diameter (4.42 cm), fruit volume (39.80 cm3), fresh weight of pulp (39.57 g), dry weight of pulp (6.03 g)
and pulp: stone ratio (20.94). It was also found to be superior in terms of chemical characteristics of fruits
such as T.S.S. (10.730B), total sugar (5.71 %), reducing sugar (3.41 %), non-reducing sugar (2.30 %), vitamin-
C (495.03 mg/100g fruit), chlorophyll content (36.90 %) and TSS: acid ratio (6.54). Titratable acidity (1.92 %)
and specific gravity (1.27) was found maximum in control (unmulched) and minimum in black polythene
mulch. From this study, it can be concluded that black polythene was much superior in terms of fruit
quality as compared to unmulched.

Key words: Aonla, Mulching, Fruit size, Total Soluble Solids, Vitamin-C

Introduction synergistic effects in both the ayurvedic and unani

Aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) also known as In-
dian gooseberry belongs to the family
Euphorbiaceae. It is quite hardy, prolific bearer and
highly remunerative even without much care. It is a
subtropical crop and prefers dry sub-tropical cli-
mate. It is one of the most important minor fruit
crops of Indian origin, which is predicted to be the
‘fruit of the 21st century’ even though it existed from
time immemorial (Singh et al.,2009). The fruit is
highly nutritive for human consumption. It is the
richest sources of vitamin C among fruits next to
Barbados cherry and also useful for general im-
provement of health and medicinal purpose. It has
played an important therapeutic role from time im-
memorial and is frequently recommended for its
systems of medicine (Jain et al.,1983). Being a very
rich source of vitamin C and other nutrients like
polyphenols, pectin, iron calcium and phosphorus
(Nath et al.,1992; Singh et al.,1993), the fruit is a po-
tent antioxidant, hypolipidemic, antibacterial, antivi-
ral and antacid. Moreover, the fresh aonla fruit is
highly acidic and astringent; it is not as popular as
table fruit. But, it has got great potential in processed
forms. A number of products such as murabba,
pickle, candy, juice, squash, jam, jelly, powder, etc.,
are prepared from aonla fruits (Tripathi et al.,1988).
Mulching is a practice, which helps in proper
growth and development of the plants by modifying
soil temperature, by providing better nutrient avail-
ability and by better moisture conservation (Kher et
al.,2010). The main functions that mulches provide

*Corresponding author’s email: bakshi_parshant@rediffmail.com

264
including: weed suppression, soil water conserva-
tion, helps to reduce water consumed (Keramat et
al.,2011), moderation of soil temperature fluctua-
tions (daily and seasonal), increased infiltration of
water droplets from precipitation or irrigation, soil
protection from traffic compaction, improved soil
structure for organic mulches and the slow release
of nutrients. Mulches not only conserve soil mois-
ture but also impart manifold beneficial effects, like
suppression of extreme fluctuation of soil tempera-
ture and reduction of water loss through evapora-
tion, resulting is more stored soil moisture
(Shirugure et al.,2003), maintenance of soil fertility
(Slathia and Paul, 2012). Continuous uses of organic
mulches are helpful in improving the physico-
chemical properties microbial flora and soil aeration
(Rao and Pathak, 1998). Moreover, mulching with
plastic polyethylene is found effective in conserving
the soil moisture and increasing the growth, yield
and quality in different citrus cultivars (Lal et
al.,2003, Shirugure et al.,2005). Hence, attempt was
made to assess the effect of different mulching ma-
terials on fruit quality of aonla under rainfed condi-
tions of Jammu.
Materials and Methods
The study area is located in the northern part of In-
dia and is situated at an elevation of 332 m above
mean sea level and lies between 320 39" North lati-
tude and 74053" East longitude. The present investi-
gations were carried at Rainfed Research Sub-Sta-
tion for Sub-tropical fruits Raya, Jammu and Divi-
sion of Fruit Science, Sher-e-Kashmir University of
Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu
during 2013. The climate of experimental site is sub-
tropical with hot and dry summer, hot and humid,
rainy season and cold winter months. The maxi-
mum temperature rises up to 450C during summer
and minimum temperature falls to 3.160C during
winter. The mean annual rainfall is about 1000-1200
mm. Soil of the experimental field was sandy clay in
texture, having pH: 6.50, organic carbon: 0.50 %,
available N: 174.50 kg/ha, available P: 15.80 kg/ha
and available K: 140.00 kg/ha. Experiment was laid
out in a Randomized Block Design with seven treat-
ments viz.: T 1 (black polythene), T 2 (white
polythene), T 3 (paddy straw), T4 (saw dust), T 5
(sarkanda), T6 (dry grass), T7 no mulch (control). All
the treatments were replicated four times. Applica-
tion of treatments was done during the spring sea-
Eco. Env. & Cons. 21 (3) : 2015
son viz., 19th February, 2013. During the course of
study, all the trees were given uniform cultural op-
erations as per the package of practices for fruit
crops of SKUAST-Jammu.
The length and diameter of fruits were taken with
the help of Vernier Callipers. The fruit weight, fresh
weight of pulp weight, dry weight of pulp and stone
weight were taken separately on electronic balance.
The volume of aonla fruits were determined by wa-
ter displacement method. Specific gravity of fruits
was determined by weighing the fruits in air and
then determining its volume in water. Pulp : stone
ratio was computed by using the mean value of
pulp and stone weight. The total soluble solids (TSS)
of the fruit juice was recorded with the help of Erma
hand refractometer (0-320B) according to standard
procedure as given in AOAC (1994) in terms of de-
gree Brix (0B) at room temperature. The titratable
acidity of aonla cv. NA-7 was determined as per the
method of Ranganna (2003) by titrating sample
against 0.1 N NaOH using phenolphthalein as an
indicator. TSS: acid ratio was obtained by dividing
the TSS value of a sample from its respective acid
content (%).Sugars were determined by the method
of Lane and Eynon as described by (Ranganna,
2003). The ascorbic acid was estimated by the
method of AOAC (1994). Chlorophyll content in
leaves of aonla cv. was determined by the use of
chlorophyll meter SPAD-502 manufactured by
Konica Minalta Sensing, Inc. Japan. The data was
expressed as per cent. The data were subjected to
statistical analysis as per the method of Gomez and
Gomez (1996).
Results
Influence of different mulching materials on
physical characteristics of aonla
It is obvious from the data (Table 1) that treatment
black polythene mulch significantly enhanced the
fruit weight (41.46 g/fruit) as compared to all the
treatments including unmulched control but was
observed to be at par with paddy straw mulch and
saw dust mulch. Minimum fruit weight was ob-
served under control (36.47 g/fruit). The black
polythene mulch produced significantly longest
fruits (3.73 cm) followed by paddy straw mulch
(3.61 cm). The minimum fruit length was recorded
in unmulched control (3.26 cm). The black polythene
mulch also significantly increased the fruit diameter
IQBAL ET AL 265

(4.42 cm) among all the remaining treatments except
paddy straw mulch which was observed at par with
black polythene mulch. The minimum fruit diam-
eter was observed under control (4.15 cm). Maxi-
mum fruit volume was recorded under black
polythene mulch (39 80 cm 3) though at par with
paddy straw mulch (37.68 cm3). Minimum fruit vol-
ume was recorded under unmulched control (28.52
cm3). The maximum specific gravity of fruits was
observed in control (1.27) followed by sarkanda
mulch (1.25) while the lowest specific gravity (1.04)
was found under black polythene mulch.
In the present investigation (Table 2) maximum
fresh weight of pulp (39.57 g/fruit) and dry weight
of pulp (6.03 g/fruit) was recorded in black
polythene mulch followed by paddy straw mulch
and minimum fresh weight (34.62 g/fruit) and dry
weight (5.89 g/fruit) of pulp was found in control.
Maximum stone weight was recorded in black
polythene mulch (1.89 g/fruit) and minimum in
control. However, significant difference in pulp/
stone ratio was recorded among different mulching
treatments. Maximum pulp/stone ratio was ob-
served in black polythene mulch (20.94) followed by
paddy straw mulch (20.42) and minimum in control
(18.71).
Influence of different mulching materials on bio-
chemical characteristics of aonla
It is evident from the data (Table 3) that the total
soluble solids were recorded highest in black
polythene (10.73 0Brix) followed by paddy straw
mulch (10.20 0Brix) while, the treatment unmulched
control produced the fruits of minimum TSS (9.70
0
Brix). The maximum titratable acidity (1.92%) was
recorded in fruits under unmulched plants while the
least titratable acidity (1.64%) was recorded under
black polythene mulching. However, maximum
TSS: acidity ratio (6.54) was recorded in fruits under
black polythene mulch followed by paddy straw
(6.04) mulch while, plants under unmulched control
recorded the minimum TSS:acid ratio (5.05). Highest
chlorophyll content in leaves of aonla (36.90 %) was
found in black polythene mulch followed by 34.80 %
in paddy straw mulch. The lowest chlorophyll con-
tent of 26.70 % was observed control.
It is evident from the Table 4 that black polythene
mulch resulted in higher total sugar (5.71 %), reduc-

Table 1. Effect of mulching on fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit volume and specific gravity of aonla cv.
NA-7
Treatment Fruit Fruit length Fruit diameter Fruit volume Specific
weight(g) (cm) (cm) (cm3) gravity
T1 : Black polythene 41.46 3.73 4.42 39.80 1.04
T2 : White polythene 38.57 3.46 4.24 33.48 1.15
T3 : Paddy Straw 40.27 3.61 4.35 37.68 1.06
T4 : Saw dust 39.30 3.49 4.27 35.67 1.10
T5 : Sarkanda 37.52 3.34 4.19 29.93 1.26
T6 : Dry grass 38.15 3.37 4.21 31.92 1.19
T7 : Control 36.47 3.26 4.15 28.52 1.27
CD (P=0.05) 2.21 0.15 0.13 2.63 0.01

Table 2. Effect of mulching on fresh weight of pulp, dry weight of pulp, stone weight and pulp: stone ratio of aonla
cv. NA-7
Treatment Fresh weight Dry weight Stone Pulp : stone
of pulp (g) of pulp(g) weight(g) ratio
T1 : Black polythene 39.57 6.03 1.89 20.94
T2 : White polythene 36.69 5.68 1.88 19.51
T3 : Paddy Straw 38.39 5.89 1.88 20.42
T4 : Saw dust 37.43 5.76 1.87 20.01
T5 : Sarkanda 35.65 5.54 1.87 19.06
T6 : Dry grass 36.28 5.62 1.87 19.40
T7 : Control 34.62 5.49 1.85 18.71
CD (P=0.05) 2.75 0.09 NS 0.12
266 Eco. Env. & Cons. 21 (3) : 2015

ing sugars (3.42 %) and non reducing sugars (2.19
%) followed by (5.64 % total sugar, 3.38 % reducing
sugars and 2.15 % non reducing sugars) in paddy
straw mulch. The least total sugar (5.33 %), reducing
sugars (3.17 %) and non reducing sugars (2.05 %)
were recorded in fruits of unmulched control. A
perusal of data (Table 4) clearly indicates that black
polythene mulch treatment significantly increased
the vitamin C content (596.03 mg/100g pulp) in
comparison to rest of the treatments, followed by
paddy straw mulch (592.59 mg/100g pulp) and
minimum ascorbic content was recorded under
unmulched control (578.23 mg/100g pulp).
Discussion
Influence of different mulching materials on
physical characteristics of aonla
Increase in fruit weight under black polythene
mulch was directly related to the reduced weed den-
sity and high weed control efficiency under these
treatments that resulted in increased availability of
soil water and nutrients to the fruit plants that sub-
sequently enhanced fruit weight. The present obser-
vations are in line with the findings of Kaundal et al.
(1995); Kumar et al. (2008); Kaur and Kaundal (2009)
and Sharma and Kathiravan (2009). The black
polythene mulch increased size of fruit as compared
to all other treatments. The influence of mulching on
fruit size may be attributed to the better moisture
availability and nutrients conserved in the soil at the
time of fruit development. The moisture stress con-
ditions developed at the time of fruit development
leads to poor growth as has been observed under
unmulched fruits. These results are in conformity
with the findings of Hassan et al.,(2000); Ali and
Gaur (2007) and Bal and Singh (2011). Different
mulching materials exerted a significant effect on
fruit volume of aonla cv. NA-7. The increase in fruit
volume is highly correlated with fruit size and can
be attributed to increase in fruit size as a result of
increase in cell size due to enhanced cell division
and cell elongation. These results are in agreement
with the findings of Pande et al.,(2005) and Gaikwad
et al.,(2002). Changes in specific gravity of fruits dur-
ing growth are due to increases in intercellular and
capillary air spaces.
The influence of mulching on fresh and dry
weight of pulp may be attributed to the adequate

Table 3. Effect of mulching on total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity, TSS: acid ratio and chlorophyll content of
aonla cv. NA-7
Treatment TSS Titratable TSS : acid Chlorophyll
(OBrix) acidity (%) ratio (%)
T1 : Black polythene 10.73 1.64 6.54 36.90
T2 : White polythene 9.94 1.83 5.43 31.70
T3 : Paddy Straw 10.20 1.69 6.04 34.80
T4 : Saw dust 10.13 1.74 5.82 32.80
T5 : Sarkanda 9.73 1.85 5.26 28.90
T6 : Dry grass 9.90 1.77 5.59 31.60
T7 : Control 9.70 1.92 5.05 26.70
CD (P=0.05) 0.41 0.07 0.02 0.04

Table 4. Effect of mulching on total sugars, reducing sugars, non- reducing sugars and Vitamin-C of aonla cv. NA-7
Treatment Total sugars Reducing Non reducing Vitamin-C
(%) sugars (%) sugars (%) (mg/100g pulp)
T1 : Black polythene 5.71 3.41 2.19 596.03
T2 : White polythene 5.41 3.22 2.08 588.57
T3 : Paddy Straw 5.64 3.38 2.15 592.59
T4 : Saw dust 5.59 3.35 2.13 590.81
T5 : Sarkanda 5.39 3.21 2.07 589.87
T6 : Dry grass 5.46 3.26 2.09 591.69
T7 : Control 5.33 3.17 2.05 578.23
CD (P=0.05) 0.02 0.01 0.05 1.89
IQBAL ET AL
moisture and higher chlorophyll content in leaves
resulting in more photosynthesis and more dry mat-
ter accumulation in fruits. These results are in con-
sonance with the findings of Sheikh (2013). The in-
crease in pulp/stone ratio may be due to increase in
fruit size under black polyethylene mulching mate-
rial and can be attributed to cell enlargement in the
mesocarp. The present results are in conformity with
the findings of Kumar et al.,(2008) and Sheikh (2013).
Influence of different mulching materials on bio-
chemical characteristics of aonla
These variations in TSS may be probably due to re-
sults of low temperature under organic mulches,
whereas as under black polyethylene mulch higher
soil temperature may be the principal cause as sug-
gested by Tang et al.,(1984). Similar findings were
reported by Kaundal et al.,(1995); Hassan et
al.,(2000); Gosh and Bauri (2003); Shirugure et
al.,(2003); Agrawal et al., (2005); Ali and Gaur (2007)
and Sheikh (2013). The results of the present study
regarding acidity and TSS:acid ratio of the fruits are
in agreement with the findings of Pande et al.,(2005),
Kumar et al. (1999) and Sheikh (2013). The highest
chlorophyll content in leaves under black polythene
mulch may be attributed to minimum weed popula-
tion under mulching materials and availability of
more nutrients and moisture for better and their
translocation to the leaves of mulched plants. These
results are in agreement with the results obtained by
Ashrafuzzaman et al.,(2011).
Accumulation of maximum total, reducing and
non reducing sugars may be attributed to soil high
temperature and higher nutrient availability under
different mulching materials. Black polythene mulch
produced higher quality aonla fruits on account of
relatively high moisture content, as a result of which
there was high ion concentration in the cell which
increased the osmotic pressure at the cell solute and
consequently opening of the stomata and further
change in proportion of starch to sugars might have
increased considerably. The present results are in
agreement with Pande et al.,(2005); Das et al.,(2010);
Kumar et al.,(2012) and Sheikh (2013). A perusal of
data (Table 4) clearly indicates that grass mulch
treatment significantly increased the vitamin C con-
tent (596.03 mg/100g pulp) in comparison to rest of
the treatments, followed by paddy straw mulch
(592.59 mg/100g pulp) and minimum ascorbic con-
tent was recorded under unmulched control (578.23
mg/100g pulp). The increase in vitamin-C content
267
in fruits from mulched trees as compared to control
are in accordance with the findings of Maji and Das
(2008); Kour et al.,(2009); Singh et al.,(2010) and Bal
and Singh (2011).
Conclusion
From the study, it could be inferred that the perfor-
mance of various organic as well as inorganic
mulches was better than control. However, black
polythene mulch resulted in good fruit size, fruit
weight, pulp weight. Stone weight, pulp: stone ratio
and maximum TSS, vitamin C, total sugar, reducing
sugars, non-reducing sugars and higher chlorophyll
content. Therefore, it can be concluded that among
the different mulching treatments the application of
black polythene is most suitable for aonla under
rainfed conditions.
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