Impact of Meteorological parameters in Fruit Splitting of Daisy mandarin under Subtropical conditions

Komalpreet Kaur^1*Monika Gupta¹H S Rattanpal¹Shubham Anand²Gurteg Singh¹Dimpy Raina¹

• ¹Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
• ²Department of Climate Change and Agrometerology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India

Fruit splitting, is a critical physiological disorder, adversely affecting the fruit quality and marketability of citrus fruits, with its incidence closely associated with prevailing meteorological conditions. Thise current study investigates the influence of weather parameters on the incidence of fruit splitting in Daisy Mandarin. For this study, dDaily meteorological data including on temperature, relative humidity and rainfall were obtained from the Agrometeorological Observatory, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana. The results of this study revealed that a significantly higher incidence of fruit splitting was recorded in 2022 as compared to 2021, with key weather parameters playing a pivotal major role. Statistical analysis, including Ccorrelation and regression studiesanalyses, identified that the maximum and minimum temperatures, morning and evening relative humidity and rainfall as the most influential factors. Increased Higher temperatures were observed to accelerated the fruit growth, leading tocausing structural stress and subsequent splitting, while high humidity increased peel moisture content, making fruits more susceptible. . High humidity levels were found to increase the moisture content of fruit peels, rendering them more prone to splitting. Additionally, heavy rainfall following dry periods further intensified splitting due to resulted in rapid water uptake by the fruitand internal pressure changes. , exacerbating the risk of splitting due to abrupt internal pressure changes. These findings highlights the complex interplay interactions between the different meteorological parameters and fruit splitting. Understanding these relationships is crucialand underscore the need for adaptive management strategies to reduce fruit splitting for developing adaptive management strategies to mitigate fruit splitting under variable weather conditions.