in the present studies shelf life and fruit quality seem to be linked with air circulation and hardness of the material. Fruit firmness was tested on packing material like wooden crate, corrugated card board box with separate cells and holes made in the boundary walls and nylon mesh bag for twelve days keeping green hard textured tomato at 200C room temperature. Fruits placed in corrugated card board box showed 69.00g fresh and 11.05 g dry weight. Aeration factor was dominant in nylon mesh bags but hardness of the thread imposed negative effect on quality justifying parameters. Open container and mesh bags showed accelerated fruit decay frequency (complex infection) due to faster fungal sporulation and mycelial spread (Plate 2).
The present studies suggest the redesigning of paper material which should be shock proof, non insulator and appropriated aeration. Though no significant difference was observed among Corrugated Card board box, wooden crate and Mesh bag but wooden crate was experienced better than rest of two because least physical damage was noticed in this case. The physical damage observed in wooden crates was due to improper fixing of wooden pieces with iron nails. The open container irrespective of the nature of packing material is harmful