The 'Uba' mango generally ripens from November to January, and ripening in the same plant is uneven, requiring selective harvest, which may extend up to a month. We evaluated the effects of different concentrations of ethephon in promoting early uniform ripening and quality attributes of 'Ubá' mango. In the 17th week after anthesis, 25 mango trees, five per treatment, were sprayed with ethephon at concentrations of 0, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg L-1 plus 0.5% of mineral oil. Five fruits were collected from each plant daily until complete ripening, except for the concentration 0 mg L-1, at which, from 6 days after ethephon application (DAEA), fruits were harvested weekly until 41 DAEA. After harvest, the fruits were stored at 20.0 ± 0.8 and 90 °C ± 5% RH and evaluated after complete ripening. The preharvest application of ethephon advanced harvest of 'Ubá' mango by about 36 days, promoted uniform ripening of fruits on the plant and eliminated the need of ethylene application in the postharvest. After the ethephon application, the more delayed the harvesting, the more quickly the ripening takes place and the better the final quality of the fruit. The concentration of 750 mg L-1 ethephon, and harvesting three days post-application, resulted in better fruit quality.
Mangifera indica L.; ethrel; postharvest
