Effect of spacing and trailing system on quality parameters and shelf life of Indian spinach (Basella alba L.)

The present investigation entitled “Effect of spacing and trailing system on quality parameters and shelf life of indian spinach (Basella alba L.)” was conducted at the College of Horticulture, Dapoli, Dist. Ratnagiri (M.S.) during year 2024-25. The experiment was carried out in a factorial randomized block design (FRBD), with two factors, nine treatment combinations and three replications. The experiment consisted two factors: factor A, spacings (S1- 45 cm x 30 cm, S2- 30 cm x 30 cm and S3- 15 cm x 30 cm) and factor B, trailing systems (T1: Ground trailing, T2: No trailing (harvesting of new sprouts) and T3: Trailing on low bower). Among spacings, S2 (30 cm x 30 cm) demonstrated superior performance in quality parameters such as anthocyanin (17.62 mg/100g), β-carotene (2.78 mg/100g) and crude fibre content (1.48%). while the lowest anthocyanin (17.25 mg/100g) was recorded in S3 (15 cm x 30 cm) and the lowest β-carotene (2.38 mg/100g) and crude fibre (1.07%) were observed in S1 (45 cm x 30 cm). Ascorbic acid content was highest in S1 (62.03 mg/100g), which was at par with S3 (61.71 mg/100g) and the lowest was recorded in S2 (61.15 mg/100g). S3 (15 cm x 30 cm) recorded the highest shelf life (28.72 hrs), whereas treatment S1 (45 cm x 30 cm) recorded the lowest (27.92 hrs). Among trailing systems, T3 (trailing on low bower) recorded the highest anthocyanin content (18.50 mg/100 g), while the lowest (16.32 mg) was in T2 (no trailing). Ascorbic acid (62.61 mg/100g) and β-carotene (2.59 mg/100g) contents were highest in T2, whereas their minimum values were recorded in T1 (60.48 mg/100g) and T3 (2.49 mg/100 g), respectively. The highest crude fibre (1.27%) and shelf life (29.78 hrs) were observed in T1, while the lowest crude fibre (1.20%) and shelf life (26.86 hrs) were noted in T2 (no trailing). In interaction, spacing (30 cm x 30 cm) with trailing on low bower was superior in quality parameters, whereas overall shelf life was greater in spacing of 15 cm x 30 cm with ground trailing. The data recorded in the present investigation revealed that spacing and trailing systems influenced the quality parameters and shelf life of Indian spinach.