This research aimed to investigate the effect of asafoetida extract solution on the physical and mechanical properties of red apples, with a particular focus on the mechanical characteristics of the apple peduncle in Razavi Khorasan Province, Dargaz County. For the preparation of the asafoetida extract solution, a combination of 50 kilograms of asafoetida with 250 liters of water was used, and mechanical properties were examined through compression, penetration, and tensile tests. In the compression test for the whole fruit, the treatment with chemical pesticides exhibited the highest force at 867.60 Newtons, while for cylindrical samples, the treatment with the asafoetida extract solution showed the highest force at 226.95 Newtons. The penetration test with a spherical probe on the whole fruit indicated that the treatment with the asafoetida extract solution had the highest force and deformation, measuring 40.04 Newtons and 6.37 millimeters, respectively. Moreover, in examining the maximum force under penetration with a spherical probe for cylindrical samples, the treatment with the asafoetida extract solution had the highest force and corresponding deformation, measuring 41.12 Newtons and 7.44 millimeters, respectively. The evaluation of penetration with a cylindrical probe on both the whole fruit and flat cylindrical samples revealed that the treatment with the asafoetida extract solution had higher average forces compared to other treatments, measuring 49.22 Newtons and 38.57 Newtons, respectively. In the tensile test for fruit peel deformation, the treatment with the asafoetida extract solution and pesticides exhibited the highest force at 23.51 Newtons. Regarding the effect of the asafetida extract solution on apple drop, the treatment with the asafoetida extract juice demonstrated the lowest percentage of fruit drop at 4.28%. Additionally, the results indicated that treatments with the asafoetida extract solution and chemical pesticides significantly reduced apple drop, with reductions of 59.71% and 41.03%, respectively. In assessing the effect of treatment with the asafoetida extract solution on the reduction of apple pests, it was observed that treatments with the asafoetida extract solution and chemical pesticides reduced apple worm infestation by 77.72% and 28.65%, and red European mite infestation by 47.65% and 54.70%, respectively. The effectiveness of the asafoetida extract solution treatment was significantly higher than that of chemical pesticides.

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