Articles
REGULATED DEFICIT IRRIGATION IN ‘FORTUNE’ MANDARIN TREES IMPROVES THE FRUIT QUALITY AT HARVEST AND DURING STORAGE
Article number
892_19
Pages
155 – 161
Language
English
Abstract
The quality of Fortune mandarin fruit (Citrus clementine Hort.
Ex.
Tanaka × C. reticulate Blanco) subjected to four different drip irrigation treatments was studied at harvest and after a subsequent storage period of 50 days at 5°C plus a shelf-life period of 8 days at 20°C. Irrigation treatments consisted of a control (CTL) irrigated at 130% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) throughout the season, and three regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) regimes.
These treatments were irrigated as a CTL except during the non critical periods, when different percentage of the control were applied: 50% during stage I and beginning of stage II in RDI1 and RDI2 treatments, and 80 and 200% during stage III in RDI1 and RDI2, respectively.
RDI3 was irrigated at 50% of RDI1 during the water deficit periods.
The electrical conductivity of the irrigation water averaged 4.23 dS m-1. RDI treatments promoted a water stress integral, derived from stem water potential at midday values, of 56, 46 and 114 MPa day for RDI1, RDI2 and RDI3, respectively.
Fruit at harvest from RDI1 and RDI3 treatments showed around 15% higher total soluble solids and 11 and 19% higher levels of titratable acidity, respectively than CTL (13.8°Brix and 20.3 g L-1 citric acid). RDI fruits showed about 5-10% lower values of extractable juice than control.
The storage period reduced fruit titratable acidity compared with harvest levels.
Weight loss in control fruit reached 1.4 or 2.3% w/w at the end of cold storage or shelf-life, respectively, while in RDI treatments were reduced by 0.2-0.4% w/w.
Overall, the effect of water stress on fruit quality were more pronounced at harvest than after the postharvest treatments.
Under water scarcity conditions RDI1 showed acceptable fruit quality at harvest and increased storability of mandarin fruit, saving considerable amounts of water.
Ex.
Tanaka × C. reticulate Blanco) subjected to four different drip irrigation treatments was studied at harvest and after a subsequent storage period of 50 days at 5°C plus a shelf-life period of 8 days at 20°C. Irrigation treatments consisted of a control (CTL) irrigated at 130% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) throughout the season, and three regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) regimes.
These treatments were irrigated as a CTL except during the non critical periods, when different percentage of the control were applied: 50% during stage I and beginning of stage II in RDI1 and RDI2 treatments, and 80 and 200% during stage III in RDI1 and RDI2, respectively.
RDI3 was irrigated at 50% of RDI1 during the water deficit periods.
The electrical conductivity of the irrigation water averaged 4.23 dS m-1. RDI treatments promoted a water stress integral, derived from stem water potential at midday values, of 56, 46 and 114 MPa day for RDI1, RDI2 and RDI3, respectively.
Fruit at harvest from RDI1 and RDI3 treatments showed around 15% higher total soluble solids and 11 and 19% higher levels of titratable acidity, respectively than CTL (13.8°Brix and 20.3 g L-1 citric acid). RDI fruits showed about 5-10% lower values of extractable juice than control.
The storage period reduced fruit titratable acidity compared with harvest levels.
Weight loss in control fruit reached 1.4 or 2.3% w/w at the end of cold storage or shelf-life, respectively, while in RDI treatments were reduced by 0.2-0.4% w/w.
Overall, the effect of water stress on fruit quality were more pronounced at harvest than after the postharvest treatments.
Under water scarcity conditions RDI1 showed acceptable fruit quality at harvest and increased storability of mandarin fruit, saving considerable amounts of water.
Authors
E. Pagán, A. Pérez-Pastor, R. Pérez-Reverte, A.B. Provencio, J.A. Martínez-López, R. Domingo, J.M. Robles, J.P. Fernández-Trujillo
Keywords
shelf-life, deficit irrigation, cold storage, quality
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