Assessment of pre-harvest fruit bagging for carbon and energy footprints, and quality attributes of mango

The study assessed the effectiveness of bagging in terms of carbon emissions, energy use, fruit quality, and pest incidence in mango (Mangifera indica L.). Fruits of Dashehri and Amrapali were bagged with double-layered brown paper bags after 4–5 weeks of fruit set. Bagging markedly reduced the frequency of pesticide applications (<0.2 sprays) compared with non-bagged fruits (>3 sprays), leading to a significant decline in carbon emissions (161–208 kg CE ha−1) and energy input (120–145 MJ ha−1), compared to carbon emissions (1200–1400 kg CE ha−1) and energy input (2800–3700 MJ ha−1) for non-bagged fruit. High proportion of unmarketable fruits emerged as the largest contributor (61%) to carbon emissions in unbagged fruits, followed by pesticide use and machinery operations. Significant improvement in skin colour attributes and shelf life (6.79–7.86 days) was observed, along with higher fruit firmness and a substantial reduction in sunburn incidence (0.17–0.24%). Fruit bagging significantly increased the proportion of marketable yield (93–95%) and improved the overall market value of the fruits. However, it slightly reduced the soluble solids content and sugar concentration. The incidence of anthracnose (0.37–0.40%), shoulder browning (0.08–0.42%) and fruit fly infestation was almost eliminated in bagged fruits.