Abstract
One of the great challenges that apple producers face is to substantially improve the quality of fruit, including after harvest. A balanced and timely supply of calcium (Ca) during growth and in the post-harvest stage is considered a technique that could improve shelf life and fruit quality; thus calcium plays a key role during post-harvest, with calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate being an alternative of foliar spraying. The study was carried out on ‘Top Red’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ apple cultivars, in a randomized complete block design with 13 treatments (referring to different commercial presentations of calcium) and 6 repetitions; 8 foliar sprays were applied weekly, from June 22 until harvest; ‘Top Red’ (151 days after full flowering, DDCF) and ‘Golden Delicious’ (145 DDCF) fruit were evaluated in regard with fruit traits (diameter, weight and colour) and maturity (pulp firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity and sugar acidity ratio). In ‘Top Red’ cv., calcium carbonate presented the best results, with intermediate to high quality apple fruit, while for cv. ‘Golden Delicious’ the best results were obtained with calcium sulphate, which increased fruits’ diameter, weight, colour and titratable acidity. Even more, of the products evaluated, CaCO3 and CaSO4 had the lowest costs, and can be considered as good alternatives of foliar calcium supplement applied in order to preserve the quality of the apple during post-harvest.
 
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 In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 4, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue.
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Highlights
Worldwide, more than 62 million tons of apples are annually produced (García-Muñoz et al, 2015) of which Mexico, in the year 2016 contributed with 716,931 tons on a sown area of 58,528 ha-1, making it the fifteenth world producer of this fruit (SAGARPA, 2017)
There is little information available on the effect of calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate on the post-harvest quality of apple, so the objectives of the present study were to evaluate the influence of foliar application of calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate on diameter, weight, color, firmness, soluble solids, titrated acidity and sugar-acidity ratio in apple fruits (Malus domestica Borkh.) cvs
The results presented with respect to CA foliar applications for the ‘Golden Delicious’ variety (Table 3) indicate that treatment with foliar calcium, which recorded significantly the largest diameter and fruit weight at 67.2 cm and 141.5 g respectively, showed a low firmness (10.70 lb in2) compared to the range recommended by Cepeda et al (2014) for both harvest (74-75 N) and maturity of consumption (54-55 N) in this variety
Summary
More than 62 million tons of apples are annually produced (García-Muñoz et al, 2015) of which Mexico, in the year 2016 contributed with 716,931 tons on a sown area of 58,528 ha-1, making it the fifteenth world producer of this fruit (SAGARPA, 2017). In Mexico, approximately 43% of apple cultivation is lost during postharvest period due to changes in quality characteristics, such as firmness, defects, external damage, microbial contamination and color changes (Cárdenas-Pérez et al, 2017), so it is a priority to substantially improve the quality, conservation capacity and shelf life of this fruit. It must be added that during recent years, the United States imported apple had crowded the national market during periods closer to harvest intervals. Among the ways in which this situation is addressed it can be noted the improvement of apple quality at harvest and post-harvest, improvement in its storage capacity and the ability to achieve a longer shelf life (Soto et al, 2016)
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