PATHOGENESIS AND CONTROL OF INTERNAL BREAKDOWN OF PEACHES

The pathogenesis of Internal breakdown of peaches (cv. Crest Haven and Red Haven) was studied in relation to the cold storage temperature and harvesting time. It was confirmed that the physiological disorder reaches the maximum severity at 2°C and is a minimum at 0 and 5°C. At 0°C the incidence of the disorder is less than at 5°C. This anomalous behavior is discussed in terms of the chilling injury. The fruit with the least resistance to Internal breakdown was found to be that which was ripest at the time of harvesting. The effect of Ca on Internal breakdown of peaches was followed for a two year period. It was found that pre-harvest treatments with 0.5% CaCl₂ reduced the incidence of the physiological disorder by as much as 30%. The extent of the reduction in the disorder however, does not seem to be related to the number of treatments.