Articles
PREHARVEST FACTORS AFFECT APRICOT FRUIT QUALITY
Article number
1058_31
Pages
269 – 276
Language
English
Abstract
Consumers have experienced large variation in the quality of apricots that they buy.
Poor quality included fruit that were too firm and lacking in flavour, or were over-soft, mealy and lacking in juiciness.
In studies over three years, preharvest factors that affected fruit quality were investigated.
Lower crop loads resulted in fruit having higher fresh weight (FW) and soluble solids concentration (SSC) and less post¬harvest mealiness development.
Fruit in upper canopy locations were larger and had higher SSC for the same flesh firmness than fruit in the lower canopy.
Light penetration to upper outer canopy positions was typically between 30 and 70% full sunlight but declined to between 1 and 20% full sunlight in lower inner canopy positions.
Fruit from flowers borne on 3- or 4-year-old wood were largest whilst those from 1-year-old wood were smallest, although results varied slightly depending on genotype.
Genotype determined which wood age exhibited the highest SSC. Postharvest mealiness develop¬ment was lower in fruit from older wood age classes and was strongly affected by genotype.
Implications for improving fruit quality through tree and harvest manage¬ment are discussed.
Poor quality included fruit that were too firm and lacking in flavour, or were over-soft, mealy and lacking in juiciness.
In studies over three years, preharvest factors that affected fruit quality were investigated.
Lower crop loads resulted in fruit having higher fresh weight (FW) and soluble solids concentration (SSC) and less post¬harvest mealiness development.
Fruit in upper canopy locations were larger and had higher SSC for the same flesh firmness than fruit in the lower canopy.
Light penetration to upper outer canopy positions was typically between 30 and 70% full sunlight but declined to between 1 and 20% full sunlight in lower inner canopy positions.
Fruit from flowers borne on 3- or 4-year-old wood were largest whilst those from 1-year-old wood were smallest, although results varied slightly depending on genotype.
Genotype determined which wood age exhibited the highest SSC. Postharvest mealiness develop¬ment was lower in fruit from older wood age classes and was strongly affected by genotype.
Implications for improving fruit quality through tree and harvest manage¬ment are discussed.
Publication
Authors
J. Stanley, R. Marshall, S. Tustin, A. Woolf
Keywords
Prunus armeniaca, soluble solids concentration, mealiness, postharvest storage, crop load, wood age
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