PRE-HARVEST H₂O₂ APPLICATION AFFECTS POSTHARVEST QUALITY OF GREENHOUSE-GROWN SWEET PEPPERS

Greenhouse-grown sweet peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) are considered chilling sensitive.
This study investigated whether a pre-harvest application of H₂O₂ to the hydroponic nutrient solution would benefit postharvest shelf life and quality when fruits were stored at 2.5, 5, 7.5 or 10°C for 28 days, followed by 20°C for 3 days.
Each fruit was observed for the severity of decay and assigned a score of decay index ranging from 0 (no decay) to 5 (severe decay) twice a week during storage.
The first appearance of decay (score of 1) was considered to be the termination of shelf life.
There were three experiments.
Experiment 1 was conducted with a continuous H₂O₂ application for 93 days.
Shelf life of yellow pepper was increased from 21 to 30 days when stored at 5°C, but not with other cultivar-temperature combinations.
The decay index observed on the 31^st day was reduced from moderate to slight symptoms, and the decay sum decreased from 9.8 to 1.3. Experiment 2 was conducted with a 3-day pulse of H₂O₂ in each of three production seasons, with each application followed by three consecutive weekly harvests.
In red peppers, averaged shelf life was increased from 21 to 25 days, and from 17 to 20 days, when stored at 2.5 or 5°C, respectively.
In yellow peppers, the shelf life increased from 21 to 25 d when stored at 2.5°C. In Experiment 3, a 5-day single dose of 500 ppm H₂O₂ prolonged shelf life of red peppers from 14 to 19 d when stored at 5°C. Overall, the application of H₂O₂ during the production phase increased shelf life and reduced decay when peppers were stored at chilling temperatures of 2.5 or 5°C.

XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on Postharvest Technology in the Global Market

W.C. Lin, G.S. Block , D.L. Ehret

Capsicum annuum, oxidative stress, storage, shelf life, decay

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.934.155