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- Author or Editor: Irving L. Eaks x
- HortScience x
Abstract
The effects of chilling ‘Hass’ avocado fruit at 0° or 5°C on the respiratory rates, rates of ethylene production, ripening, and chilling injury symptoms at 20° were compared with the same responses of fruit exposed to a nonchilling temperature (10°) and fruit placed directly at 20°. Fruit held at 10° for 2 weeks were beginning the climacteric and ripened after about 4 days at 20°. Longer exposures at 10° resulted in ripe or overripe fruit. Fruit held for 2 weeks at 0° or 5° displayed normal climacteric patterns and ethylene production at 20°, and developed no significant chilling injury symptoms. Exposures of 4 and 6 weeks at 0° or 5° resulted in the development of chilling injury symptoms, abnormal ripening, atypical respiratory rate patterns, and reduced ethylene production rates which peaked after 2 days at 20° and showed a declining rate thereafter, with no increase in the rate of ethylene production associated with fruit softening.
In accordance with the currently approved Australian citrus disinfestation protocol for export to Japan, degreened `Eureka' lemons [Citrus limon (L.) Burm.] were cold-stored for 2 weeks at 1C. Following cold treatment, fruit were stored at 5C for 3 weeks, then transferred to 20C for an additional week to simulate transportation and handling. Fruit harvested early in the season were more susceptible to chilling injury than fruit harvested later, with 62% having lesions >1 cm2 after 2 weeks at 1C. Most of the chilling injury occurred after subsequent storage (at 5C) rather than immediately after the 1C treatment. Injury was different from surface pitting or oleocellosis, manifesting as large uniform surface lesions 2 to 3 cm in diameter that rapidly discolored following storage at 20C. Although the oil glands were flattened, the collenchyma layer immediately above the oil gland remained intact. Cellular discoloration was localized around the oil gland, possibly indicating a lateral release of oil gland contents. Nondegreened late-season fruit developed substantially lower levels of chilling injury.