Effect of Methyl Jasmonate Fumigation on Mitigating Cold Stress in ‘Nam Dok Mai Sri Thong’ Mangoes

Background and Objectives: Mangoes ripen rapidly at ambient temperature; thus cold storage is an effective way for prolonging shelf life. However they are highly susceptible to chilling injury (CI) when stored at temperatures below 13ºC. This study aimed to investigate the effect of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on reducing CI and maintaining postharvest quality in ‘Nam Dok Mai Sri Thong’ mangoes.
Methodology: Fully mature mangoes were fumigated with MeJA at concentrations of 0 0.1 and 1 mM for 16 hours at 23°C then stored at 4ºC for 15 days. Following cold storage the fruits were ripened at 25ºC for 3 days. CI scores color firmness ion leakage total soluble solids (TSS) titratable acidity (TA) and respiration rate were measured every 3 days during storage and after ripening.
Main Results: The results indicated no significant differences among treatments throughout the storage period. No chilling injury symptoms were observed during cold storage at 4ºC or after 3 days of ripening at 25ºC.
Conclusions: Fully mature ‘Nam Dok Mai Sri Thong’ mangoes can be stored at 4ºC for up to two weeks without compromising quality. Additionally the fruits can ripen normally after cold storage.

Keywords: Methyl jasmonate chilling injury mangoes postharvest quality ripening