Dataset describing the influence of preharvest gibberellic acid application on fruiting behavior, yield and fruit biochemical properties of rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.)

Abstract

Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.), an exotic non-climacteric tropical fruit in Bangladesh, has got wide acceptance to consumers as well as growers due to its attractive appearance, taste and nutrition, but the demerits of inadequate fruiting and yield as well as low edible properties at the farmers field requires to be addressed. Hence, an experiment was performed with gibberellic acid (GA3) and the obtained dataset demonstrates how GA3 application augmented the fruit set and retention, fruit yield and post-harvest biochemical properties of rambutan. Gibberellic acid was sprayed at seven various concentrations from 0 ppm (control) to 500 ppm at the mature panicles (inflorescence) during the pre-flowering and the early fruiting stages (three weeks after fruit set). The study was conducted in two sequential growing years (2020 and 2021) following a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Results revealed that 200–300 ppm doses had superiority over the lower (50–100 ppm) and higher (400–500 ppm) doses for promoting the fruit yield and quality. More specifically, fruit set and retention, fruit size and weight, pulp weight and thickness, pulp:peel ratio, edible portion and fruit yield as well as total soluble solids and total sugars contents in fruit were exhibited the best at 300 ppm being consonant with 200 ppm at majority cases, whereas GA3 doses from 200 ppm to 500 ppm performed similarly to enhance fruit physico-chemical qualities and shelf life of rambutan. Control treatment along with 50 ppm gibberellic acid dose demonstrated inferior results for yield and fruit quality promotion of rambutan. Thus, use of plant growth regulator at appropriate dose and time is imperative to rambutan improvement.

Keywords

• Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.)
• Fruit yield
• Postharvest quality
• Shelf life
• Plant growth regulator