EFFECT OF FOLIAR FERTILIZATION OF CA, B AND ZN IN THE QUALITY OF PEACH (PRUNUS PERSICA L. BATSCH) ´DIAMANTE´

The nutrition during fruit development in the most important factor that influences quality and postharvest behaviour. The objective of this study was to evaluated the relationship between foliars fertilizers and refrigerated storage conditions and quality in ‘Diamante’ peach. Four formulations of foliars fertilizers were evaluated; T1= Sagaquel-calcio®; T2=Nutriboro®; T3=Nutrizinc® and T4= Sagaquel-calcio + Nutriboro + Nutrizinc. The criterion used for fruit harvest was external coloring. In this case, fruits were harvested when one fourth of the fruit was yellow. For the postharvest analyses, four periods of storage were evaluated: 1 (initial), 2 (1 week at 5°C), 3 (2 weeks at 5°C), 4 (3 weeks at 5°C + 3 days at 20°C). On each sampling date the following variables were determined: pulp firmness, tritatable acidity, total soluble solids, vitamin C; and weight loss. At the beginning of storage, the fruits of the trees fertilized with Nutriboro had the highest content of total soluble solids. Successively, the highest content of total soluble solids was found in the fruits of the trees fertilized with Sagaquel-calcio + Nutriboro + Nutrizinc had the highest content of total soluble solids. At the beginning of storage the fruits of the trees fertilized with Sagaquelcalcio + Nutriboro + Nutrizinc had the highest fruit firmness Successively, no statistically significant differences were found. In general the fruits of the trees fertilized with Nutriboro had the highest titratable acidity. After tree weeks of storage at 5°C + 3 days at 20°C, the fruits of the trees fertilized with Nutrizinc and Sagaquel-calcio + Nutriboro + Nutrizinc had the highest vitamin C. The fruits that had the lowest weight loss were those fruits from trees fertilized with Nutrizinc.