COMPARING PULSATED ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT AND POSTHARVEST FUNGICIDE FOR PEACH FRUIT DECAY CONTROL

Decay control comparison between pulsated ultraviolet light (PUV) and postharvest fungicide was evaluated on commercially packed peaches.
PUV (1J/cm²) treated fruit had earlier and more severe Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia fructicola decay than the commercially postharvest fungicide treated fruit.
The same results were obtained with wounded and not wounded inoculated fruit.
Fruit quality measured at harvest and after simulated shipment was not affected by any of the treatments.
However, a blemish developed on the surface of the peach fruits as a consequence of the PUV treatment.
Water loss, carbon dioxide and ethylene production rates were higher on the PUV treated fruit than on the untreated fruit despite only treating a small portion of the total fruit with PUV. These results indicate that more detailed work on the effectiveness and safety of PUV as a fungicide replacement must be done before this technique can be used commercially.

IV International Peach Symposium

C.H. Crisosto, X. Seguel, T. Michailides

Fruit quality, skin blemish, Botrytis cinerea, Monilinia fructicola

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1998.465.59