EFFECTS OF NEW CURING AND CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE STORAGE TECHNOLOGY ON BOTRYTIS ROTS AND FLESH FIRMNESS IN KIWIFRUIT

Many producers in Italy cure kiwifruit at ambient temperature for 48–72 hours to reduce incidence of Botrytis cinerea rots, and utilize CA storage to maintain postharvest flesh firmness above 2 kg for more than 120–140 days.
In central and northern Italy, where kiwifruit harvesting is completed in a few days to avoid early frost, curing at ambient temperature presents considerable logistical and warehousing difficulties, whilst CA storage is known to favour the spread of Botrytis rots – hence its relatively limited use.

Tests were undertaken during the 1996/97 and 97/98 seasons to:

1. find curing systems that could be implemented directly in refrigerated rooms,

2. identify effects of delaying establishment of CA conditions on rots and firmness.

Each test batch consisted of 750 fruits, appropriately randomised and divided into 5 replications each of 150 fruits.
All curing and storage operations were carried out in a commercial packinghouse.
Incidence of rots (Botrytis and Phialophora spp. rots) was evaluated after 150–180 days at -0.8°C on the 5 replications of 150 fruits for each test; firmness and SSC was evaluated at harvest and after storage on randomised lots of 30 fruits for each test.

Curing could indeed be carried out directly in refrigerated rooms, by gradually reducing temperature from 10 to 0°C over a period of around 10 days.
We confirmed the findings of our previous tests, where it was shown that by postponing the establishment of CA conditions (O₂ pull down and increasing CO₂) by 30–50 days postharvest (CA delay), the negative impact of CA storage (increasing of Botrytis rots) was avoided without any adverse effects on fruit firmness.

IV International Symposium on Kiwifruit

G. Tonini, K. Barberini, F. Bassi, R. Proni

storage regime, temperature, softening, decay, CA delay

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1999.498.33