This study investigated the effects of pre-harvest calcium (Ca) application on apple fruit ascorbic acid (AsA) concentration and mineral contents in the cultivars ‘Braeburn’, ‘Fräulein’, ‘Pinova’, ‘Topaz’ and ‘Elstar’, and core browning (CB) susceptibility in ‘Braeburn’ and ‘Fräulein’ during controlled atmosphere (CA) storage (1 °C, 1 kPa O plus ≤ 1 kPa CO). Approximately eight pre-harvest Ca applications were applied during the growing season for ‘Braeburn’ and ‘Fräulein’ cultivars and one application in “spring” for ‘Pinova’, ‘Topaz’ and ‘Elstar’. In addition, data from five consecutive harvest seasons was used to assess the relationship among AsA, mineral content, and CB for ‘Braeburn’. Results showed that the impact of pre-harvest Ca was variable among cultivars; fruit Ca concentration was increased and the K/Ca ratio was reduced only in ‘Fräulein’ fruit, and AsA was increased only in ‘Braeburn’ fruit, especially in the inner cortex tissue where CB occurs. For ‘Pinova’, ‘Elstar’ and ‘Topaz’, Ca concentration was slightly higher in untreated fruit compared to Ca-treated fruit ( < 0.07). AsA increased after storage, remaining higher in ‘Braeburn’ fruit treated with Ca, especially in the outer cortex tissue. Pre-harvest Ca reduced CB in ‘Fräulein’, but CB incidences in ‘Braeburn’ were too severe (> 84%) and unaffected by Ca application. Analysis of the data from five consecutive harvest seasons showed that ‘Braeburn’ CB incidence related positively with Ca (r = 0.97, < 0.05) and negatively with the AsA/Ca ratio (r = −0.71, > 0.05). Our results suggest that the positive effect of pre-harvest Ca application in reducing CB incidence in ‘Braeburn’ apple, as reported by previous studies on ‘Braeburn’ apple, may be associated with increased AsA concentration, possibly due to higher synthesis and/or reduced degradation, rather than due to higher total fruit Ca concentration.

中文翻译：

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采前施钙对苹果品种采收和贮藏期间抗坏血酸和矿物质含量的浓度和分布的影响

本研究调查了采前施用钙 (Ca) 对品种‘Braeburn’、‘Fräulein’、‘Pinova’、‘Topaz’和‘Elstar’中苹果果实抗坏血酸 (AsA) 浓度和矿物质含量的影响，以及在受控气氛 (CA) 储存（1 °C、1 kPa O 加 ≤ 1 kPa CO）期间，‘Braeburn’和‘Fräulein’的核心褐变 (CB) 敏感性。 'Braeburn' 和 'Fräulein' 品种在生长季节施用了大约 8 次收获前钙施用，为 'Pinova'、'Topaz' 和 'Elstar' 在“春季”施用了 1 次。此外，使用连续五个收获季节的数据来评估“Braeburn”的 AsA、矿物质含量和 CB 之间的关系。结果表明，收获前钙的影响在不同品种之间存在差异；仅在“Fräulein”果实中，果实钙浓度增加，K/Ca 比值降低，仅在“Braeburn”果实中，AsA 增加，特别是在发生 CB 的内皮层组织中。对于“Pinova”、“Elstar”和“Topaz”，未处理的果实中的 Ca 浓度略高于经过 Ca 处理的果实 ( < 0.07)。 AsA 在储存后增加，在用 Ca 处理的“Braeburn”果实中保持较高水平，特别是在外皮层组织中。收获前施用钙可减少“Fräulein”中的 CB，但“Braeburn”中的 CB 发生率太严重（> 84%）并且不受钙施用的影响。对连续五个收获季节的数据分析表明，“Braeburn”CB 发病率与 Ca 呈正相关（r = 0.97，< 0.05），与 AsA/Ca 比率呈负相关（r = -0.71，> 0.05）。我们的结果表明，正如之前对“Braeburn”苹果的研究所报告的那样，收获前施用钙对于降低“Braeburn”苹果的CB发生率具有积极作用，这可能与AsA浓度增加有关，这可能是由于更高的合成和/或减少降解，而不是由于果实总钙浓度较高。