Effects of liquid calcium and control atmosphere on storability and quality of kiwifruit (Actinidia chininsis Planch cv. ‘Hayward’)
Fouad M. Basiouny and A. Basiouny
ISHS Acta Horticulturae 518:213-221
2000
บทคัดย่อ
Ten uniform kiwifruit vines cv. 'Hayward' were selected. Five vines received applications of liquid calcium (“NutriCal” 8% soluble Ca) at a rate of 9.33 l/ha. from fruit set until 10 days before harvest. The other five were used as control. Fruits were harvested when soluble solids content reached about 8.0 %. After harvest and precooling, the fruits were divided into 4 groups of 75 fruits each. Two groups, Ca treated and non-treated, were subjected to control atmosphere (CA) of elevated CO 2 (10%) and reduced O 2 (3%) for 8 weeks at 3 + 2°C and 90 - 95% relative humidity. Samples were taken biweekly to determine fruit quality. Both CA and Ca improved storability and quality of kiwifruit. After 8 weeks in cold storage, fruits which were subjected to CA and received Ca were firmer and of better qualit than non-treated fruits. CO 2 and Ca treatments induced variable effects on some internal fruit quality parameters such as soluble solids content , titratable acidity and ascorbic acid. The percent of marketable fruits was higher in CA and Ca-treated compared to control fruits kept under the same refrigerated conditions. It was concluded that the effects of CA on the fruits were more pronounced than the effects of Ca.