บทคัดย่องานวิจัย

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Effect of preharvest CaCl2 sprays on the postharvest quality of Rainier and Totem strawberries.

Toivonen, P. M. A. and Stan, S.

ISHS Acta Horticulturae 564: 159-163.

2001

บทคัดย่อ

Effect of preharvest CaCl2 sprays on the postharvest quality of 'Rainier' and 'Totem' strawberries.

Two cultivars of strawberry ('Rainier' and 'Totem') were grown under commercial production conditions by a local grower in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada in 1995. When the fruit reached a light-green to pink colour stage they were sprayed with either 0.4% CaCl2 (w/v in water) or water during the ripening period. The sprays were applied to wetness starting 10 days before harvest and repeated approximately every three days for a total of three sprays for each cultivar. Fruits were then harvested twice, approximately six days apart, after an initial harvest by the grower. The fruit quality at harvest was assessed for the two harvests of the two cultivars. In addition, postharvest quality changes were monitored in air and modified atmosphere (MA) storage for fruits from the second harvest. Preharvest foliar sprays of CaCl2 appeared to only have a significant effect on the "at-harvest" soluble solids content in the cultivar 'Totem'. Minor increases in soluble solids were found for 'Rainier'. There were no effects on firmness, titratable acidity or decay. The preharvest CaCl2 sprays had slight, but not significant, effects on changes in firmness and soluble solids during storage. Calcium-treated fruit appeared to be more stable in terms of firmness and soluble solids content changes in air and MA storage. These results indicate that preharvest CaCl2 foliar sprays have minor effects on strawberry quality and retention of quality during short-term storage. 'Totem' appears to respond to calcium sprays to a greater extent than does 'Rainier'.