EFFECT OF PREHARVEST GA₃ SPRAY, POSTHARVEST HOT WATER DIPS AND INDIVIDUAL FILM WRAPPING ALONE OR IN COMBINATION ON SKIN BROWNING OF PEAR ('PINGGUOLI') DURING STORAGE AT 15 AND 1°C

Skin browning of pear is a major postharvest physiological disease that significantly reduces the fruit appearance by showing many dark brown spots. Effects of hot water dips (HWD), individual fruit wrapping (IFW) or preharvest GA₃ sprays at 50 mg/L, alone or in combination, on skin browning and storage quality of ‘Pingguoli’ pears stored at ambient (15±5°C) and low temperature (0±1°C) were studied. GA₃, HWD and IFW treatments alone or in combination all significantly decreased incidence of skin browning of fruit during ambient and low temperature storage. The lowest incidence of skin browning was found after treatment with GA₃ + HWD; its incidence was 20.9% after 35 d at ambient and 30.8% after 120 d low temperature storage of the control. Moreover, the treatments increased soluble solids content, maintained higher firmness and titratable acid change.