Could an Early Treatment with GA and BA Impact Prolonged Cold Storage and Shelf Life of Apricot?
Maja Milović,
Žarko Kevrešan,
Jasna Mastilović,
Renata Kovač,
Jelena Kalajdžić,
Nenad Magazin,
Aleksandra Bajić,
Biserka Milić,
Gordana Barać,
Zoran Keserović
Affiliations
Maja Milović
Department of Fruit Growing, Viticulture, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Dositej Obradović Sq. 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Žarko Kevrešan
Institute of Food Technology in Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Boul. Cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Jasna Mastilović
Biosense Institute, University of Novi Sad, Dr Zorana Đinđića 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Renata Kovač
Institute of Food Technology in Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Boul. Cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Jelena Kalajdžić
Department of Fruit Growing, Viticulture, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Dositej Obradović Sq. 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Nenad Magazin
Department of Fruit Growing, Viticulture, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Dositej Obradović Sq. 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Aleksandra Bajić
Institute of Food Technology in Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Boul. Cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Biserka Milić
Department of Fruit Growing, Viticulture, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Dositej Obradović Sq. 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Gordana Barać
Department of Fruit Growing, Viticulture, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Dositej Obradović Sq. 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Zoran Keserović
Department of Fruit Growing, Viticulture, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Dositej Obradović Sq. 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) in apricot orchards is a common practice with a goal of improving yield and/or quality of fruits at harvest. However, the question of whether such treatment alters postharvest properties is seldom answered. The effects of an early application of PGRs on postharvest changes on apricots were investigated on cultivar NS-4, grown on Myrobalan rootstock with blackthorn interstock in a 5-year-old orchard. PGR treatments included 50 and 100 ppm of benzyladenine (BA) and 200 ppm of gibberellic acid (GA3), which were applied when the green ovary was surrounded by dying a sepal crown, at the stage where sepals beginning to fall. Apricots at the stage of commercial ripeness were used for the postharvest experiments. Analysis was performed at harvest, after 21 days of cold storage (at 1 ± 1 °C and 80 ± 10% RH), and after 3 days of shelf life (24 ± 2 °C). At harvest, significant differences were observed between treated and untreated fruits regarding flesh firmness, color, ethylene production and respiration rate, flavonoid, carotenoid and citric acid content, while application of BA100 changed TA and TSS. Prolonged cold storage reduced the initial differences in firmness, respiration rate, flavonoid and carotenoid contents, but new differences in fructose, malic and succinic acid contents began to appear. Shelf life reduced the difference in citric acid, but differences in TA, TSS, phenol and flavonoid content appeared. There is no difference in the sensory properties of treated and non-treated fruit after cold storage and shelf life.
