1- Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) has been identified as a safe chemical tested successfully in extending shelf life while maintaining quality of plant products. 1-MCP, at very low concentrations, usually blocks ethylene receptors and then inhibits the action of ethylene delaying further ripening and senescence. Several studies have been conducted elsewhere for delaying ripening of different banana cultivars such as Cavendish, Prata, Tella Chakkerakeli, Beragan and Kolikuttu. Physiological reactions related with ripening of banana are delayed by inhibition of ethylene perception, while ethylene synthesis of banana fruit can be regulated at suppressed levels of ACS and ACO by 1-MCP. The effectiveness of 1-MCP on bananas varies with the maturity of the fruit. Fumigation, the conventional application method, has some limitations, particularly long exposure duration, uneven ripening and green ripening in bananas. Application of 1-MCP in aqueous form is recently developed to minimize these limitations. Micro-bubbling and controlled release packaging technologies are effective tools of application of 1-MCP on bananas. This review compiles and critically analyses the existing knowledge on the technological use of 1-MCP, clarifies inconsistencies in different publications.

INTRODUCTIONCinnamomum verum J. Presl, commonly known as Ceylon cinnamon is a multifaceted evergreen tree mostly well known for the usage of its bark as a spice. The plant belongs to the family Lauraceae and synonym as Cinnamomum zeylanicum as it has been originated in the up-country area of Sri Lanka. The down south area of the country owns most of the Country's cinnamon lands which approximately covering 11,159 ha in Galle district, 8,453 ha in Matara district and 3,158 ha in Hambantota district (Fonseka et al. 2018). The land area under cinnamon cultivation has been increased by 12.8% during

Cinnamon is one of the most important export crops in Sri Lanka, which generates a considerable amount of foreign exchange for the country. Therefore, special emphasis should be given to enhancing its production as well as quality. Hence, the study was conducted to evaluate some important quantitative and qualitative aspects of the cinnamon yield, namely, cumulative bark yield, bark dry matter percentage, biological yield, the composition of the biological yield and organoleptic properties under some modified planting systems. Seedlings and vegetatively propagated plants of cinnamon variety Sri Gemunu were planted under three different spatial patterns 1.2×0.6 m with three plants per hill, 1.2×0.4 m with two plants per hill and 1.2×0.2 m with one plant per hill while maintaining equal planting density in a unit area. Plants were harvested according to two harvesting intervals, 6 and 8 months and required measurements were taken. According to the results, the effect of harvesting interval and the interaction effect between planting material and the spatial pattern was significant (p < 0.05) for the cumulative cinnamon bark yield for two years (kg/ha). However, tested factors were not significant (p < 0.05) for the bark dry matter percentage. In contrast, the effects of harvesting interval and planting materials were significant (p < 0.05) for the biological yield of cinnamon plants. When considering the composition of the aboveground biological yield of cinnamon plants, the interaction effect between planting material and the spatial pattern was significant (p < 0.05) for the percentages of all components (bark, leaves, stem wood, scrape, immature stems and the un-peelable portion of the mature stems and branches). Vegetatively propagated plants consist of a higher bark oil content and a cinnamaldehyde percentage than seedlings. In contrast, seedlings consist of higher eugenol and cinnamyl acetate percentage than vegetatively propagated plants. When considering benzyl benzoate, β-linalool and β-caryophyllene, an impact from the tested factors was not observed.

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum J. Presl) is a spice crop native to Sri Lanka which plays a vital role in the country's export earnings. Bark being the harvestable portion, the production of cinnamon can be affected by its bush architecture. Hence, this study was conducted to identify the impact of harvesting interval, spatial pattern, and type of planting material on some essential aspects of cinnamon bush architecture, namely, the number of stems per plant, stem height, stem diameter, straightness of the stem, percentage of branches in upper, middle and lower levels of the stem, number of branches per unit length, branch length and angle. Seedlings and vegetatively propagated plants (VP) of cinnamon variety Sri Gemunu were planted under three different spatial patterns such as (A) 1.2×0.6 m with three plants per hill, (B) 1.2×0.4 m with two plants per hill, and (C) 1.2×0.2 m with one plant per hill while maintaining an equal plant density. Two main plots were maintained with the above treatment combinations, harvested according to two harvesting intervals (6 and 8 months). The study was conducted two years after the first harvest. According to the results, seedlings established in the spatial pattern C produced a significantly higher (p < 0.05) number of longer stems with fewer branches per unit length. Similarly, seedlings harvested in eight months intervals produced significantly longer stems (p < 0.05). The stem diameter of VP was significantly higher than seedlings (p < 0.05). Similarly, stem diameter was significantly higher when harvested in eight months intervals than six months intervals (p < 0.05). Seedlings were straighter than VP. Therefore, a preferable bush architecture can be obtained in cinnamon plants by selecting an optimum combination of harvesting interval, spatial pattern, and planting material.