Relationship between watercore and maturity or sorbitol in apples affected by preharvest fruit temperature

• Published in: Scientia horticulturae 1999-04, Vol.80 (3), p.189-202
• Main Authors: Yamada, Hisashi, Kobayashi, Shinichi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: APPLES; Biological and medical sciences; ETHYLENE PRODUCTION; FERMETE; FIRMEZA; FIRMNESS; Flesh firmness; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; MADUREZ; Malus domestica; MALUS PUMILA; MANZANA; MATURITE; MATURITY; Membrane permeability; Physiological diseases. Varia; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; POMME; PRODUCCION DE ETILENO; PRODUCTION D'ETHYLENE; SORBITOL; Watercore
• ISSN: 0304-4238; 1879-1018
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-4238(98)00245-3

The effect of preharvest fruit temperature on the relationships between development of watercore and ethylene evolution, flesh firmness, membrane permeability and sorbitol level in two watercore-susceptible apple ( Malus domestica Borkh.) cultivars, `Himekami' and `Fuji', was investigated at ambient or modified temperatures of 10, 15 or 25°C. Watercore occurrence was completely inhibited at 25°C in both cultivars whereas fruit subjected to 10 or 15°C exhibited significantly higher watercore ratings after two or three weeks of the treatment than those at 25°C and ambient temperatures. Ethylene production of `Himekami' apples increased at 25°C and ambient temperature but not at 15°C. Ethylene production was not affected by treatment in `Fuji' apples. Flesh firmness of `Himekami' tended to maintain a higher level at 15°C than at 25°C, while there was no clear difference among the treatments in `Fuji'. The rate of potassium (K) ion elution from the flesh tissues of either cultivar was not affected by fruit temperature treatment. Sorbitol content at 15°C maintained significantly higher level than that at 25°C during the treatment in `Himekami' apples although no sorbitol difference was observed among the temperature treatments in `Fuji' apples.