Changes in the chlorophyll content in stored lettuce Lactuca sativa L. after pre-harvest foliar application of CaCl2

The aim of the present investigations was to determine the cumulative effect of foliar treatment of lettuce plants with a CaCl2 solution and the cold-storage period on the level of chlorophylls in the leaves of lettuce cv. ،Omega٫ ( Lactuca sativa L.). Plants were grown in a pot experiment conducted in the greenhouse of the Department of Cultivation and Fertilisation of Horticultural Plants, University of Life Sciences in Lublin. During the growing period, 10 and 20 days before harvest, the plants received foliar application of CaCl2 at the concentrations of 0.1 M and 0.2 M. Control plants were sprayed with water. Some plants were analysed immediately after the harvest; other specimens were cold-stored at a temperature of 4oC for 7 and 14 days. Whole leaves and blades without the midrib were analysed. The results obtained indicated that the foliar application of 0.2M CaCl2 in lettuce resulted in a decrease in the level of chlorophylls in fresh plants, compared with the control. A beneficial cumulative effect of the CaCl2 application and storage period on the chlorophyll level in lettuce leaves was observed in the leaf blades of plants after foliar treatment with the 0.1M CaCl2.solution and cold-stored for 7 and 14 days, in which in- creased levels of chlorophyll “a” and “b” and total chlorophyll, compared with the control, were found.