6-benzylaminopurine treatment delays senescence and enhances antioxidant defenses in ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt)

Ivy gourd faces several postharvest challenges that limit its marketability and shelf life. These include rapid yellowing, water loss and tissue softening that accelerate deterioration. This study investigates the impact of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) treatments on the quality and shelf-life of ivy gourd fruits during ambient storage, given its reported role in delaying senescence in horticultural produce. Fruits were dipped with BAP at 1 mM, 2 mM and 3 mM concentrations, parameters including weight loss, chlorophyll, carotenoid, ascorbic acid content, antioxidant capacity and enzymatic activities were measured over a 10-day period. Treated fruits showed significantly reduced weight loss, with the 3 mM showing the lowest loss of 23.16 % at 10 days after storage (DAS). Chlorophyll and carotenoid retention were also higher in treated fruits, with the 3 mM treatment maintaining 11.15 mg/g fresh weight (FW) chlorophyll and 0.88 mg/g carotenoids at 10 DAS. Additionally, treatments reduced oxidative stress, as shown by lower malondialdehyde content (54.94 % compared to control) at 10 DAS. Enzymatic activities, such as catalase and peroxidase, were enhanced under 3 mM treatment, with catalase at 116.28 EU/mg protein/min and peroxidase at 140.25 EU/mg protein/min at 10 DAS. These results demonstrate that 6-benzylaminopurine, especially at 3 mM, is effective in delaying senescence, enhancing antioxidant defences and preserving ivy gourd quality during storage up to 10 days.