Abstract
Growth regulators are used in the production of apples worldwide, especially to extend the harvest period and maintain postharvest quality. This study aimed to investigate the effects of applying aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) in isolation as well as in combination with other growth regulators and postharvest techniques on the harvest quality and storage potential of ‘Brookfield’ apples (Malus domestica), a ‘Gala’ strain. Fruit receiving AVG only had the highest starch content and the highest titratable acidity at harvest. After 8 months of storage, the AVG + 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) and AVG + ABS (ethylene absorption) conserved higher flesh firmness than to all the other treatments. Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) application induced ACC oxidase enzyme activity at harvest, but not after storage. AVG application, with or without the aid of another technique, did not decrease the red skin color of ‘Brookfield’ apples. Low mealiness and a high healthy fruit percentage was obtained when the fruits were submitted to pre-harvest AVG application combined with NAA, 1-MCP and ABS. Internal carbon dioxide had an inverse correlation with the quantity of healthy fruit and was directly correlated with mealiness.
Highlights
The application of growth regulators is necessary either to advance or to delay the fruit harvest in the field, due to the short period that fruit remains naturally at the correct maturation stage
Quality analysis at harvest Fruit that received AVG application only had the highest starch content and titratable acidity (Table 1) due to the lower respiration rate of fruit subjected to the same treatment, once organic acid was consumed in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (Steffens et al, 2007; Taiz and Zeiger, 2009)
The higher starch level in fruit with AVG application culminated in lower soluble solids (Table 1), once the starch molecules had been converted into monosaccharides by fruit ripening
Summary
The application of growth regulators is necessary either to advance or to delay the fruit harvest in the field, due to the short period that fruit remains naturally at the correct maturation stage. The main growth regulator applied in the field is aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) which is used to delay the harvest in order to avoid pre-harvest fruit drop (McFadyen et al, 2012; Yildiz et al, 2012). Despite the benefits promoted by AVG application, it decreases the red skin color of ‘Gala’ apples (Malus domestica) (Steffens et al, 2006). This reduction of red skin color has not yet been proven in ‘Gala’ mutants
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