CA-STORAGE RELATED DISORDERS IN ‘CONFERENCE’ PEARS

J. Streif, H. Xuan, A.A. Saquet, C. Rabus
The main CA-storage problems of ‘Conference’ pear are the browning of tissue around the core and the formation of cavities. The causes for the occurrence of these disorders are very complex and comprise pre- and post- harvest conditions such as mineral nutrition, crop load, picking date and storage conditions.
Fruits of ‘Conference’ pear with variations in mineral application and picking date were stored under CA-conditions with high (5%) and low (0.7%) CO2 combined with 2% O2. The incidence of flesh browning and cavities were judged several times during 6 months of storage. According to our results, no relationship exists between these disorders and the macronutrients K, Ca, Mg and P, but the micronutrient boron seems to be strongly related to occurrence of browning. Late picking, as well as high CO2 concentrations in the storage atmosphere, have a very obvious promoting effect on the appearance and intensity of the browning disorder.
Possible causes for the disorders are: (1) The increase in respiration, and/or the change in texture of riper fruits, results in detrimental CO2 /O2 concentrations in the inner part of the fruit tissue. (2) Boron plays an important role in maintaining structure and functioning of cell membranes. (3) Living tissue needs a continuous supply of energy to maintain the integrity of cells. The production of ATP is reduced under CA conditions. (4) The endogenous defence mechanism of cells against stress is exhausted very soon under extreme high CO2 and low O2 concentrations.
Streif, J., Xuan, H., Saquet, A.A. and Rabus, C. (2001). CA-STORAGE RELATED DISORDERS IN ‘CONFERENCE’ PEARS. Acta Hortic. 553, 635-638
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.553.153
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.553.153
Boron, picking dates, energy metabolism, gas diffusion
English
553_153
635-638

Acta Horticulturae