RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FRUIT MINERAL COMPOSITION AND STORAGE LIFE OF APPLES, CV. JONAGOLD

According to the results of mineral analysis of fruitlets taken in July fruits of 34 different orchards of apple (cv. Jonagold) were divided into 3 classes corresponding to 3 degrees of risk of physiological disorders during storage. Statistical significant differences in fruit characteristics at picking time could be shown between classes, not only in mineral composition but also in colour, firmness, refractometric index, sugar content … The general behaviour during storage was also significantly different with more physiological disorders in class 3 fruits. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using fruitlet analysis for predicting storage potential of fruit classes. The usefulness of mineral analysis for individual forecasting of storage is discussed.