MINIMISED POST-HARVEST CHEMICAL TREATMENTS, FRUIT DENSITY PER TREE, AND CALCIUM SPRAYS AFFECT THE STORABILITY OF ‘PASSE CRASSANE’ AND ‘CONFERENCE’ PEARS IN GIRONA (SPAIN)

Several pear orchards of cultivar ‘Passe Crassane’ (1995–1996) and ‘Conference’ (1996–1997) were monitored for changes in fruit quality and mineral content during the late vegetative period.
Pesticide residues and fruit quality were also analysed at harvest.
Pears from orchards were collected, wounded and submitted to five different post-harvest treatments, including non-treated control, washed and disinfected control, standard chemical treatment (calcium chloride, imazalil and folpet), biological control (Pseudomonas fluorescens EPS288) and combined biological control-reduced chemical treatment.
Thereafter, pears were inoculated with Penicillium expansum, stored under controlled atmosphere at 0.5 °C for 6 months and fruit quality as well as incidence of blue mould rot was determined.
Differences in disease incidence were significant between orchards.
Fruit from chemical, biological and biological control-reduced chemical treatments were significantly different from non-treated controls for all orchards studied.
No significant differences were observed between chemical and biological control-reduced chemicals which were the most efficient among treatments.

The effect of foliar sprays with calcium during the vegetative period and of fruit density per tree on flesh firmness and internal browning of ‘Passe Crassane’ pears was studied.
Intensive calcium treatments had slightly significant effects on flesh firmness and decreased internal browning.
However the effect of fruit density per tree on internal browning after storage was not significant.

International Symposium Effect of Pre- & Postharvest factors in Fruit Storage

J. Francés, J.L. Juan, E. Montesinos, P. Vilardell

internal browning, fruit decay, Penicillium expansum, biological control, calcium

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1999.485.21