CAN BORON PREVENT ‘CONFERENCE’ PEAR FROM BROWN HEART INJURY DURING CA STORAGE?

‘Brown heart‘ and subsequent development of ‘cavities‘ are important physiological disorders in ‘Conference‘ pears during the CA-storage.
In 1999 and 2000, pear trees were sprayed with B several times starting 2 months before harvest in order to study the effect of preharvest B sprays on fruit minerals (Ca, Mg, K, P, B), vitamin C, and the subsequent incidence of brown heart in pear fruits stored under -0.5°C, 2% O₂ + 5% CO₂. The results of the first year showed that up to 60% of the control fruits were affected with brown heart after 4 months storage.
On the other hand, the B treated fruits remained completely healthy till the end of the storage period.
There were no differences in Ca, Mg, K, P uptake, but a more than 10 fold B-uptake between the control and B-treated fruits.
In contrast to the first year, the effect of B application on the prevention of brown heart was less effective in the second year.
Simultaneously the B uptake was much lower, only the half of the first year.
This could be partially an explanation for the reduced effectiveness of boron in 2000.

VIII International Controlled Atmosphere Research Conference

H. Xuan, J. Streif, F. Bangerth

Physiological disorder, ascorbate, minerals

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2003.600.33