ABSTRACT

Owing to the high degree of perishability of the fruit, the peach industry faces serious challenges tackling physiological disorders, microbial/chemical decay, and the suboptimal quality of the fruit during and following cold storage. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of spray applications of calcium chloride (CaCl₂) at various physiological stages of fruit growth and development, on ripening, flesh softening, chilling injury (CI) and nutritional quality of peach fruit cv “Flordaking” during low-temperature storage. The aqueous solutions of CaCl₂ [0, 1, 2, and 3% (w/v)] were sprayed on peach trees during cell division, pit hardening and cell expansion stages in 2011 and 2012. At commercial harvest, the fruit were hand-picked and were subjected to cold storage at 1 ± 1°C (RH: 90 ± 5%) for 6 weeks. The data on CI index and other quality characteristics of the fruit were recorded at harvest and then weekly for up to 6 weeks. The results showed that the pre-harvest spray application of CaCl₂ substantially reduced the incidence of chilling injury (CI) and delayed climacteric ripening seemingly by lowering the rates of ethylene production and fruit softening during storage as compared to control, regardless the doses of CaCl₂ and its application time, however higher doses of calcium chloride proved to be toxic causing blemishes on the surface of “Flordaking” peaches. In conclusion, pre-harvest spray application of CaCl₂ @ 1% may be a successful production management tool to maintain the quality and to extend storability of peach fruit during cold storage.

摘要

由于水果的高度易腐烂性，桃子产业面临着解决生理障碍、微生物/化学腐烂以及冷藏期间和之后水果质量欠佳的严峻挑战。本研究旨在研究在果实生长发育的不同生理阶段喷施氯化钙（CaCl ₂）对桃果实品种“Flordaking”成熟、果肉软化、冷害（CI）和营养品质的影响。在低温储存期间。CaCl ₂的水溶液[0, 1, 2, 和 3% (w/v)] 在 2011 年和 2012 年的细胞分裂、坑硬化和细胞扩张阶段喷洒在桃树上。在 1 ± 1°C (RH: 90 ± 5%) 下冷藏 6 周。水果的 CI 指数和其他质量特征的数据在收获时记录，然后每周记录一次，最多 6 周。结果表明，与对照相比，收获前喷洒 CaCl ₂显着降低了冷害 (CI) 和延迟更年期成熟的发生率，与对照相比，无论 CaCl 的剂量如何₂和它的应用时间，但是更高剂量的氯化钙被证明是有毒的，会导致“Flordaking”桃子表面出现瑕疵。总之，收获前喷洒 CaCl ₂ @ 1% 可能是一种成功的生产管理工具，可在冷藏期间保持桃果实的质量并延长其耐贮性。