Ripening response of stored black Sigatoka-resistant banana fruits, to external application of ethylene

Planting of banana hybrid FHIA-01 may be a good option for banana growers in the Mexican Pacific because it is resistant to black Sigatoka and is high-yielding. Normally, all banana varieties are treated with ethylene to achieve uniform ripening. To date, information on the response of this clone to external ethylene application (a postharvest activity carried out on empirically bases) is scanty. Therefore, the postharvest behavior of fruits of the FHIA-01 clone was evaluated after exposing them to three external ethylene concentrations: 10, 100 and, 1000 ppm for 12 h. Evaluations of physiological and quality parameters were carried out on the treated and nontreated fruits for 10 days during storage at 16°C. On the 10^th day of the ripening period, the physiological and quality characteristics were found to vary according to days of storage and, ethylene concentration. Eventually, at the final stage of ripening, the values of most parameters were similar among treated and, nontreated fruits, However, the ripening behavior of HIA-01 was better in fruits treated with 10 ppm ethylene. Respiration rate and ethylene production varied according to ethylene concentration. The climacteric behavior was observed in all fruits; treated and, nontreated. Ethylene production was initiated on the first day of ripening in ethylene-treated bananas. The content of malic acid increased during ripening and, the total soluble solids (°Bx) of treated bananas at 10 ppm reached 19.0 %. Mass loss was significantly lower in treated fruits than in the nontreated ones, however, until the 8^th day of ripening, firmness was higher in the nontreated fruits. As to color, the best characteristics were seen in bananas that had the 10 ppm treatment; their fruits had more intense yellow color. Before further recommendations are made, additional studies at the semi-commercial level should be done and, consumer acceptability should be determined. Given the response of the bananas to the 10 ppm ethylene concentration, the hybrid FHIA-has high potential to become a commercial variety at the international level.