INFLUENCE OF 1-MCP ON BERRY DROP AND QUALITY OF 'ISABEL' GRAPE

‘Isabel’ grapes are very susceptible to berry drop. The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of 1-MCP on berry dropping and postharvest quality of ‘Isabel’ grapes during storage under modified atmosphere and room conditions. Fruits were harvested in the commercial maturity and four doses of 1-MCP (0, 500, 1000 and 2000 nl L^-1) were applied during 12 h in sealed plastic boxes kept under room conditions. Two clusters of grapes from each treatment were placed in trays and wrapped with 12 μm PVC film and stored under room conditions (25±2°C and 75±2% RH) for 12 days. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, in a factorial scheme 4×7 (4 doses of 1-MCP and 7 evaluation periods), with three replications (1 tray/rep). The evaluations were soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), SS/TA ratio, ascorbic acid, total anthocyanins, incidence of decay, berry firmness, and berry drop index. 1-MCP treatment influenced retention of ascorbic acid and total anthocyanins contents and maintenance of firmness. The berry drop index decreased as the doses of 1-MCP increased, suggesting that it has a role on alleviating berry dropping of ‘Isabel’ grape.