ORGANIC & INTEGRATED GROWN PEARS – ASPECTS OF POSTHARVEST BEHAVIOUR

Freshly harvested pear fruits (Pyrus communis, cultivars ‘Beurre Bosc’s’, ‘Packham’s Triumph’, ‘Concorde’) from two growing systems (integrated intensive, organic intensive) established at the experimental site of the Institute of Fruit-growing and Horticulture (Vienna, A) were put in two different storage trials: 1) brick-cellar storage (cooling by forced air exchange; 12-7 °C depending on outside temperature) 2) cooled storage chamber (2/4 °C). Weekly fruits were taken out, adjusted to room temperatures and investigated: Measurements of skin resistance, actual pH, fresh and dry fruit weight and fruit size, were taken as parameters of fruit quality.
In general fruits of organic growing system performed as well as (but did not exceed) those of integrated growing systems.
Tested cultivars, so it is concluded, are suited by the same extent for conventional post-harvest-strategies.

International Conference: Postharvest Unlimited

J. Balas

Pyrus communis; “Beurre Bosc’s”, “Packham’s Triumph”, “Concorde”, postharvest, organic growing, integrated production, cold-storage, quality

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2003.599.85