PRESERVATION OF EARLY-WINTER APPLE CULTIVARS UNDER THE POST-HARVEST TREATMENT WITH 1-METHYLCYCLOPROPENE
MELNYK Oleksandr,
Doctor of Agricultural Science, Professor of Uman National University of Horticulture
KHUDIK Liudmyla,
Teacher of Uman National University of Horticulture
PRESERVATION OF EARLY-WINTER APPLE CULTIVARS UNDER THE POST-HARVEST TREATMENT WITH 1-METHYLCYCLOPROPENE
Background. The suppression of apple’s ripening after harvest is necessary to reduce the losses of marketable fruit quality during storage and receiving a high economic effect from the sale of product. SmartFresh technology, based on inhibition of ethylene due to the effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), is used to improve the quality of the majority of apple’s cultivars. The post-harvest application of 1-MCP effectively restrains the development of physiological disorders such as superficial scald and fruit rot, but sometimes may increase susceptibility to flesh browning, especially when stored for 6 or more months.
Material and methods. Research objects were early-winter apple cultivars Calville and Spartan, treated after harvest with 1-MCP (SmartFreshTM 0.068 g·m-3) for 24 h at 5 °C, during storage at 3±1 °C and relative humidity 85–90 % for two, three, four, five and six months (non-treated fruits – control). The value of weight loss, superficial scald, fruit rot and core browning damage was carried by weighing of respective factions of fruits. Data are means of three replicates and expressed as a percentage of fruit’s weight before storage.
Results. The weight loss of both early-winter apple cultivars increased during storage with not-substantial difference between the both treated with 1-MCP and control fruits.
During storage standard product fraction of 1-MCP treated fruits of both cultivars decreased quadratically with high correlation coefficients. After six months of storage control apples cv. Calville had most fruits with superficial scald, core browning and rot, and cv. Spartan with core browning and rot, while the damage product of 1-MCP treated apples consisted mainly of rotting fruits.
Conclusion. Post-harvest treatment of apple fruits with ethylene inhibitor 1-MCP increased the marketable quality and efficiency of the storing of early–winter apple cultivars Calville and Spartan, reducing the intensity of physiological disorders and rot damage.
Keywords: apples, standard products, technical defect, physiological disorders, superficial scald, weight loss, flesh browning, core browning, rot, production cost, profitability.
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