SUMMARY
Tissues of fresh vegetables are characterized by the high quantity of moisture (80…96 %), active metabolism, low resistance to mechanical lesions, are spoiled fast. Metabolism in cells of tissues, so mass losses, depends on the content of water and dry substances.It is impossible to manage abiotic factors under conditions of open soil. So, there appears a necessity to study the influence of abiotic factors on the process of mass decrease at cauliflower storage that gives a possibility to prognosticate its mass losses and aptitude to storage.The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of weather conditions of the vegetation period of cauliflower, volume, specific mass and porosity of heads and packing methods on the intensity of natural mass losses of cauliflower at storage. The research gives a possibility to decrease natural losses of cauliflower heads and to prolong the storage duration of it. Cauliflower mass losses at the expanse of water evaporation depend on weather conditions of the vegetation period of the plant. It has been established, that there is a middle force reverse connection with the coefficient correlation r=–0,465 between the intensity of water evaporation at cauliflower heads storage and GTC, middle force connection with the coefficient correlation r=0,437 – with the average day temperature, and strong reverse connection r=–0,776 with the relative air humidity. There was elaborated the regression equation that gives an understanding about mass losses of cauliflower heads, packed in PF, at the expanse of water evaporation.The intensity of water evaporation of cauliflower at storage depends on package method. At packing in a stretch-film (SF), the intensity of moisture decrease, % a day, was the least, equal to 0,30–0,31. The ratio between moisture losses to ones of dry substances was 0,45–0,68. At packing in a performed stretch-film (PSF), the intensity of moisture decrease, % a day, was higher a little – 0,37–0,43.The more storage duration of cauliflower of late ripeness was provided by individual packing of heads in a polyethylene stretch-film. This packing type provided less total natural losses of products: in Skywoker F1– 6,0 %, in Kasper F1 and Santamaria F1 – 6,3 %. Natural losses for a day in variants with using a stretch-film were within 0,05–0,06 % depending on hybrid.