Chilling Injury and Ripening of ‘Honey Dew’ Muskmelons Stored at 2.5° or 5°C after Ethylene Treatment at 20°C1

Abstract

Abstract Exposing ‘Honey Dew’ muskmelons (Cucumis melo L.) at 20°C to 1000 ppm ethylene for 24 hours before storage at 2.5° for 2½ weeks reduced the incidence of chilling injury (Cl) by at least 75% and virtually eliminated objectionable Cl. The treatment also permitted 83% of the melons to proceed from minimum horticultural maturity initially to at least an acceptable degree of ripeness during 2½ weeks at the low temperature followed by 2 to 4 days at 20°. Only 41% of the control melons reached a desirable degree of ripeness. Cl was virtually absent in melons held at 5°, whether or not they were treated with ethylene, but ethylene also accelerated ripening at 5°. Almost half of the gassed melons were at or beyond maximum ripeness for eating after 2 to 4 days at 20°, whether stored initially at 2.5 or 5°. ‘Honey Dew’ melons with any degree of solar yellowing were highly resistant to Cl. Decay was negligible in all lots after 2½ weeks at 2.5 or 5°, but objectionable degrees of decay affected twice as many ethylene-treated as control melons after 2 to 4 days at 20°. Overall, treatment with ethylene followed by storage at 2.5° yielded the highest proportion (40%) of good to excellent melons after they were ripened for 2 to 4 days at 20°.