QUALITY OF STORED STRAWBERRIES GROWN IN SOILLESS CULTURE AS AFFECTED BY GA₃ AND THINNING OF FLOWER AND FRUIT

The responses of two short–day strawberry cultivars ‘Camarosa’ and ‘Sweet Charlie’, grown in a greenhouse in vertical polystyrene boxes filled with peat moss and perlite (v:v 1:1) were studied at a commercial strawberry farm in Ma’adaba, Jordan.
The effect of concentration and time of application of Giberellic Acid (GA₃), and flower or fruit thinning on fruit quality constituents were investigated.
Fruit from all treatments were picked at three different dates, packed in regular plastic boxes, then stored at 1°C and 90 – 95% RH. Total soluble solids (TSS), total titratable acidity (TA), TSS/TA ratio, anthocyanin, and ascorbic acid contents were determined before and after storage.
The results of the measured parameters showed significant differences between the two cultivars. ‘Sweet Charlie’ had higher TSS, ascorbic acid, and TSS/TA ratio, and less anthocyanin and TA compared to ‘Camarosa’. A decrease in ascorbic acid, and an increase in anthocyanin in both cultivars after storage was noticed.
Spraying 15 ppm GA₃ after three weeks of planting had the highest anthocyanin content among the treatments.
However, no significant differences among treatments on ascorbic acid content neither before nor after storage.
An increase in TSS, ascorbic acid anthocyanin, and TSS/TA ratio, and a decrease in TA were observed with delaying the picking date for both cultivars.

I International Symposium on Fresh Food Quality Standards: Better Food by Quality and Assurance

O. Al-Najdawi, A. Dayoob, G. Abdullah, N. El Assi

Fragaria × ananassa, anthocyanin, ascorbic acid, picking date

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.741.17