The effects of acid and hormone applications on nutritional element content and yield in dried eggplant and zucchini from Gaziantep region

Today, the globally increasing human population and the parallel good life expectancy necessitate the correct use of limited resources and energy. In this sense, it is of great importance that the vegetables and fruits produced as fresh are evaluated by drying and presented to the market economically. During drying, 80-95% water in the fruit and vegetables is reduced to 10-20% levels, ensuring that the products last for a long time. However, at this time, taste, color, nutritional value and rehydration ability should be preserved as much as possible. In the study; The effects of phosphoric acid and hormone application to the soil and different drying methods on the yield and quality of the products were investigated in the cultivation of stuffed eggplant and zucchini, which are dried vegetables that are economical in Gaziantep region. Soil pH is extremely important for plant nutrition. Chlorosis is common in soils with a pH above 7.5, since the plant cannot take in microelements such as zinc, iron and manganese. In order to lower the pH, the acid reaction of the environment must be increased. In this study; It was aimed to increase the efficiency of nutrient use by decreasing the pH with the application of phosphoric acid to the soil during aquaculture and to increase the dry matter ratios in the products with hormone application and to determine the effect on yield. In addition, another aim of the study is; The aim of this study is to use sun drying technology, which is the oldest and cheapest of the different preservation methods in the food industry, which is used in plant production to prevent a rapid post-harvest deterioration and quality loss process, and to compare the products with the oven drying method in terms of nutritional values. The research was carried out as a field experiment in Gaziantep/Oğuzeli producer conditions, sun drying was done in the same region, and oven drying was carried out in the laboratory of Malatya Apricot Research Institute. During cultivation, plant growth values and post-harvest fruit length, diameter, pH and SÇKM values were measured, and yield values of applications were determined. Nutrient contents of leaves and fruits were also analyzed. As a result, the application of phosphoric acid and hormone together increased the yield of eggplant significantly. Between drying in the oven and drying in the sun, higher values were obtained in terms of nutritional values in dried fruits, especially in eggplant drying in the oven. The nutritional values of both vegetables were found to be higher in the fruits of the parcel with hormone + phosphoric acid applied compared to the other applications. KEYWORDS: Eggplant, pumpkin, phosphoric acid, gibberellic acid, yield, drying, nutritional value