Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The meeting was held on 07/31/2023 at Caribe Royale Orlando (Regents Boardroom), in Orlando, FL along with the ASHS annual conference.

Station numbers were reported in the following order by the attending members:

CA, FL, GA, ID, KS, MD, MD USDA, MI, NY, NC, ON, WA, WA USDA, VA.

 

Business meeting:

For the 2024 annual multistate meeting, since ASHS is being held in Hawaii at a different time of the year, the group decided to potentially hold the meeting at a different time/location. The suggested time is the last week of July/first week of August 2024. The following options were given to the participants who were allowed to vote for more than one option. Results were as follows:

Michigan 13 votes (hosted by Randy Beaudry)

California 12 votes (hosted by Beth Mitcham)

Wenatchee 11 votes (hosted by Carolina Torres)

Hawaii 7 votes (along with the ASHS meeting)

Randy Beaudry and his team will host the 2024 multistate meeting of NE2336 (new project/continuation) in Michigan.

 

Discussion was held over opening the meeting to industry participants:

Chris Watkins suggested to open the meeting to everyone

Beth Mitcham suggested to request the industry to present a report

Dave Rudell stressed the benefit of having industry as a technology transfer means

Angelos Deltsidis mentioned that we could invite only the collaborating companies.

After the discussion was completed, a vote was held by all the attending members. The question on the ballot was: Should we allow industry (non-academics) to attend this meeting in the future?

The results were as follows:

Yes: 4 votes

No: 6 votes

Based on the above, in the future the NE1836/NE2336 meetings will not include industry participants.

 

Carolina Torres chairing until 2024, then Angelos Deltsidis chairing and holding elections for secretary.

 

Meeting adjourned

University of Georgia, Angelos Deltsidis   

Obj. 1 

Investigating The Potential of Ozonated and Oxygenated Water as a Replacement of Chlorinated Water for Peach Sanitation During Hydrocooling 
 
The lowest ozone concentration (0.5 ppm) showed the most promising results as a possible add-on to traditional cold storage. This study has yielded important insights into the effectiveness of ozone and the extent to which fresh-market peaches can withstand it. However, additional research is required to explore the possibilities of using ozone in conjunction with current postharvest methods. 
 
Assessing the Impact of Different Picking Intervals on the Storability and Postharvest Quality of Blueberries 

 
Our results indicated that delayed harvests diminished blueberry's postharvest qualities and attributes. Even though fruit was placed at the proper temperature during storage, a delayed harvest reduced fruit storability since it negatively impacted fruit firmness and other quality characteristics. Therefore, timely harvests are recommended to maintain fruit quality and maximize storage potential. 
  

Evaluation of Alternative Atmosphere Treatments to Extend Shelf-life of Georgia-grown Blackberries 

 

Based on the first-year results, there is a potential for CA to extend the shelf-life of Osage and Ponca blackberries. If these promising results are confirmed on year two, the technology could help Georgia farmers extend marketability of their blackberries. More research is needed to elucidate the antifungal benefits of O3 treatments and potential for longer shelf-life extension (past 21 D). 

   

Michigan State University, Randy Beaudry 

Obj. 1 

Dangler for Accelerated Dehydration (DAD): a Novel System for Assessing the Impacts of Relative Humidity on Fruit Water Loss during Cold Storage of Blueberries 

Not all texture analysis instruments perform similarly. The reliability of a simple durometer can be as good as the industry and academic standard FirmTech II instrument. 

Apple Ripening After DCA Storage: Assessing the Risk of Flavor Loss 

Recovery of aroma production was delayed by 1-MCP and DCA, although the impact of the former was far greater. 

Assessing the Performance of Evaporatively Cooled Storages – A Global Assessment 

Evaporative cooling provides only marginal benefits as a means of controlling the loss in quality of harvested perishables, even in a warm and dry climates across the globe. Alternative cooling methods should be sought for effective control of storage life. 

Creation of a Starch Index Guide for Michigan Apples 

A starch index resource for assisting the assessment of fruit maturity was constructed for 15 apple fruit cultivars. A binder and a poster were created. 

Auxins promote vascular function and reduce bitter pit of ‘Honeycrisp’ apples.  

Auxin application suppressed bitter pit formation and helped to preserve xylem connectivity. 

Verdant HarvestHold Project - Release kinetics of 1-MCP from HarvestHold® Fresh (HHF) 

1-MCP release from the cyclodextrin imbedded in HHF is highly dependent on the RH of the surrounding environment.  

Obj. 2 

Title: Alternative splicing of two otherwise feedback inhibited enzymes provides means for biosynthesis of characteristic banana aroma 

Summary. Two regulatory proteins in the synthesis of branched-chain amino acids and esters were found to have undergone alternative splicing. The alternative proteins were found to lack normal feed-back regulation by valine and leucine and are suspected of bringing about the synthesis of the common precursors to valine and leucine and, respectively, 2-methyl propyl and 3-methyul butyl esters. 

  

North Carolina State University, Penny Perkins-Veazie  

Obj. 1 

Near infrared spectroscopy helps distinguish abscising apples 

Summary. Chemical thinning of apple is done to avoid overcropping but can be unpredictable in results. Near infrared spectroscopy with a handheld unit detected spectra differences in the sugar range of apples that would abscise. This method offers a means to tailor practices that lead to better apple quality. 

Goumi, a new small fruit crop with nitrogen fixation, drought resistance and wide climate adaptability 

Summary. Goumi (Elaeagnus multiflora) has small red fruit that are high in lycopene and ellagotannins. The plants grow in zones 3 to 8 and fruit will last several weeks at 2 °C before developing mold and excessive weight loss. Developing a way to detach fruit will expand markets. 

Obj. 2 

Anthocyanin profiles in primocane and floricane fruiting Rubus 

Raspberry and blackberry varieties can produce two crops per year. In blackberry, the second crop (primocane) of fruit were lower in total anthocyanin pigments than the first crop while raspberry crops were similar in total anthocyanin. Anthocyanin profiles were similar, indicating that environment is important in Rubus fruit anthocyanin content. 

  

Virginia State University, Toktam Taghavi 

Obj. 1 

Screening bacteria for their fungicidal activities 

Identifying the beneficial microbial species could inhibit the growth of the target fungus and would allow strawberries to be cultivated with little or no synthetic fungicides and extend its shelf life. Bacteria samples (potentially beneficial) were collected and isolated from virgin soils and transferred to liquid culture in NB on shaker and co-cultured with several postharvest disease isolates. The data for Botrytis cinerea are presented below (Fig. 1 and Table 1). This experiment has identified several options for biological antagonists of B. cinerea that are performing better than the commercial fungicide, Cease (positive control). The inhibitory properties of the bacteria against other fungal pathogens have to be verified. Also, the potent isolates need to be identified through classical and molecular biology techniques. 

 

University of Maine, Renae Moran 

Obj. 1 

Prediction of Honeycrisp Storage Disorders  

Soft scald after storage at 1.5 °C without conditioning ranged from 0 to 76%. The rapid induction test by itself did not accurately predict soft scald (r2 = 0.44) or soggy breakdown (r2 = 0.55) after storage, but the r2 for soft scald increased to 89% when peel nitrogen and crop load rating were added to the model. These three factors had a positive slope for soft scald after storage indicating a heavy crop load and high nitrogen were associated with greater incidence of soft scald.  

   

University of Maryland-USDA, Wayne M. Jurick II, Chris Gottschall, Mengjun Hu, and Tianbao Yang.  

Obj. 2.  

Expand and translate fundamental plant biology to develop new storage technologies and plant materials that will enhance human nutrition and energy-efficient postharvest systems. 

Preharvest UVB treatment improves strawberry quality and extends shelf-life (USDA-MD) 

Our results suggest that utilization of a low dose of UV-B radiation during the growth stage can improve strawberry fruit quality and extend shelf life. This research facilitates the utilization of preharvest UV-B treatment for improving fruit quality in controlled environment agriculture. 

Obj. 3.  

Systems-based discovery of genetic resistance mechanisms in fruit and vegetables and fungal virulence genes (USDA-MD) 

We observed relatively few reads that aligned to the pathogen’s genome resulting in a small number of genes with considerable expression values. We have two hypotheses for why this data set is sparse. First, the dual RNAseq approach relies on deep sequencing of a sample made up of mixed tissues from the host and pathogen. Unfortunately, the pathogen’s tissues represent a considerably low percentage of the total samples weight, potentially manifesting in limited RNA in which to sequence. Second, symptoms begin to appear at 96 hours but the pathogen’s growth and colonization of the host tissues is nascent.  

  

Develop and optimize chemical and biotechnological tools to abate decay and maintain fruit and vegetable quality (UMD, USDA-MD) 

We obtained resistant mutants of Colletotrichum siamense using CRISPR/Cas 9. The figures below were the comparisons of various fitness parameters and competition on the fruits between the mutant and their parental isolates. Note that the mutants resulted in higher anthracnose incidence on blueberry fruit while no difference was observed in apple lesion size. All isolates used in the study were collected from blueberries. 

   

University of California, Davis, Elizabeth Mitcham 

Obj. 1.  

The Effect of Modified Atmospheres on Shelf Life of Baby Kale  

All of the atmosphere treatments maintained the quality of baby kale longer than air at 5 °C, with better appearance quality, sensory quality, and ascorbic acid content, and less bacterial growth, chlorophyll degradation and ammonia accumulation. However, when the highest CO2 atmosphere (15%) was combined with low O2 (5%) storage, it caused significantly faster ascorbic acid degradation and ammonia accumulation than in any other atmosphere, resulting in off-flavor that was apparent during the last evaluation.  Overall, our findings suggested that a modified atmosphere storage consisting of 10% oxygen and 10% or 15% carbon dioxide was the most effective for preserving the visual quality of baby white Russian kale, while also preventing the development of unpleasant odors and flavors for up to 25 days. 

Non-destructive method to classify walnut kernel freshness from volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions using gas chromatography-differential mobility spectrometry (GC-DMS) and machine learning analysis 

The PLSR model had an accuracy of 80% to predict walnut grade and demonstrated a minimal root mean squared error of 0.42 for the m response variables (representative of walnut grade) with the GC-DMS data. We also conducted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) experiments to identify volatiles that emerged or were enhanced with more rancid walnuts. The findings of the GC–MS study of walnut VOCs align excellently with the GC-DMS study. Based on our results, we conclude that a GC-DMS device deployed with a pre-trained machine learning model can be a very effective device for classifying walnut grades in the industry. 

Obj. 2.  

Chilling temperatures and controlled atmospheres alter key volatile compounds implicated in basil aroma and flavor 

Basil volatile profile was assessed using headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Leaves suffered severe chilling injury and greater loss of aroma volatiles at 5°C compared to 10°C and 15°C. More than 70 volatiles were identified for each genotype, while supervised multivariate analysis revealed 26 and 10 differentially accumulated volatiles for ‘Genovese’ and ‘Lemon’ basil, respectively, stored at different temperatures. Storage in 5% CO2 ameliorated the symptoms of chilling injury for up to 3 days in ‘Genovese’, but not in ‘Lemon’ basil. Both chilling temperatures and controlled atmospheres altered key volatile compounds implicated in basil aroma and flavor, but temperature had a bigger influence on the observed changes in volatile profile.  

University of Minnesota, Cindy Tong   

Obj. 1. 

Fruit firmness decreased less at 0-1 °C than at 4-5 °C. Changes in soluble solids content with storage varied by orchard and storage temperature; remaining the same during storage for fruit from one orchard, increasing and then decreasing for fruit from another orchard, and increasing after one month of storage but then unchanged thereafter for fruit from a third orchard.  

 

Washington State University, Carolina Torres 

Obj. 1 

Optimization of preharvest and postharvest fruit quality in organic apples 

- All CA/DCA storage systems evaluated, including conditioning at harvest (7 days at 10oC) and a period of air storage (4 weeks) after CA/DCA, were suitable for long-term storage (10 months) of Honeycrisp and Fuji apples. Nevertheless, preharvest managements (nutrition, pathogens, etc) and seasonal climate (2019/2020, 2020/2021, 2021/2022) greatly affected the amount of decay and incidence of physiological disorders during the storage period. 

- Overall, the application of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG- Retain OL) on Gala (2019/2020, 2020/2021) and Honeycrisp (2019/2020) apples effectively delayed fruit maturity progression preharvest, and maintained fruit firmness postharvest, although not always significantly different (dose and time of application-dependent) from the untreated control. Skin color development was negatively affected by AVG treatments in Honeycrisp.  

- Honeycrisp apples stored in low pressure (RipeLocker, RL) at 1oC were comparable in terms of fruit maturity to those stored in CA/DCA at 3oC (plus 4 weeks in air). Soft scald incidence was block-dependent the first year and slightly higher in RL-stored fruit in 2020 and 2021. Bitter pit (+lenticel blotch pit) was reduced by vacuum RL in most sites in 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 but not in 2021/2022. Similar results in fruit maturity for Fuji apples, as well as overall low disorder incidences, except internal browning in all CA/RL storage protocols in 2021 season. 

  

Lenticel Breakdown disorder on apples (Gala) 

- LBD incidence and severity kept increasing after 96 h at 20oC and it was the highest after 1 week in air plus 7 days at 20oC. Fruit from all lots developed LBD after this time and after being packed or presized (including the least susceptible fruit). Phosphorus accumulation in the processing water was positively correlated with high LBD incidences. Calcium, Boron, and Potassium may also be playing a role. There was no evidence that neither chlorine or peracetic acid (at 50 ppm) in simulated washing conditions (COD) can cause LBD development. Water management (filtering, replacement) is critical when processing susceptible fruit. 

  

New active ingredients to control superficial scald on pears  

- Formulations containing phytosqualane reduced or eliminated superficial scald of ‘d’Anjou’ on fruit from various growing environment (orchards, regions), comparable to ethoxyquin. Superficial scald control was achieved even when applied 2 weeks after commercial harvest. Formulated squalane also impacted peel degreening improving the overall condition of the fruit after 8 months in storage. 

  

Obj. 2. 

Non-destructive hyperspectral indices to sort sun-stressed apples 

- Indexes were determined that can be used to sort 'Granny Smith' fruit not already damaged by sun according to cumulative sun exposure using UV-Vis hyperspectral imaging. Peel area can be classified according to cumulative sun exposure, sunburn presence, and sun scald risk. 

- Apples can be sorted at harvest according to sunscald risk, sunburn, and cumulative sun exposure and potentially other purposes. 

  

University of Maryland, Macarena Farcuh  

Obj. 1. 

Effect of Rootstocks on Buckeye Gala fruit quality  

We have two seasons of data collected and we can already see that there are clear effects on fruit quality based on the rootstock under Maryland environmental conditions. Dwarfing rootstocks such as G.11, G.41, M.9T337 seems to accelerate maturity presenting larger fruit, while vigorous rootstocks such as G.969, M.26, G.935 seem to delay maturity, increase yield but with a decreased fruit weight. 

Impact of preharvest plant growth regulators and reflective groundcovers on Honeycrisp skin coloration and fruit maturity 

Our results showed that the lowest hue values for surface and background color at all dates were for T2, followed by T1 and T4, while T3 fruit were highest, indicating that Extenday deployment increased red skin coloration and background color change from green to yellow even in AVG-treated fruit. Differences in red skin coloration correlated with blush surface percentage results. Ethylene production was highest in T2, followed by T4 and T1, and lowest in T3 fruit, indicating that Extenday can affect fruit ethylene production rates, thus fruit maturity, independent of AVG treatment. Extenday treatment did not enhance fruit drop.  

Improving Honeycrisp red skin coloration using postharvest ultraviolet irradiation treatments under different storage temperatures 

Overall, postharvest UV irradiation is a promising tool for promoting postharvest skin coloration in Honeycrisp apples. Our results contribute to the identification of optimal dosage application treatments. 

Obj. 2. 

Assessing changes in aroma volatiles as predictors of chilling injury development during peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) cold storage and subsequent shelf-life  

We detected significant differences among the different treatments in terms of ethylene production rates, texture characteristics, chilling injury incidence, as well as aroma volatile profiles. Multivariate analysis allowed the identification of significant relationships emerging from this extensive dataset and separation of treatments based on their chilling injury susceptibility. Overall, our results contribute to the identification of key aroma volatile compounds that could be used as early predictors of susceptibility to peach chilling injury.   

 

University of Florida, Jeffrey K. Brecht and Steven A. Sargent 

Obj. 1. 

Responses of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP)−treated banana fruit to pre− and post−treatment ethylene exposure.  

- A 60-s aqueous 1-MCP immersion was shown to be comparable to gaseous application for mature-green (MG) banana and the minimum 1-MCP immersion concentration for inhibition and recovery of ripening was 25 µg L−1. Prior 24-h ethylene exposure largely overcame 1-MCP ripening inhibition of MG banana and continuous ethylene exposure following 1-MCP accelerated ripening recovery. 

Delaying ripening using 1-MCP reveals chilling injury symptom development at the putative chilling threshold temperature for mature green banana.  

- We demonstrated that the mature-green (MG) banana chilling threshold temperature of 14°C becomes a de facto chilling temperature if the shelf-life-limiting factor (ripening) is removed using 1-MCP, allowing longer low temperature exposure. Vascular browning was the most sensitive indicator of CI status while quantum yield [Y(II)] was also determined to be a potential non-destructive tool to detect early CI stress in MG banana. 1-MCP-treated fruit at 13 or 14°C developed less vascular discoloration, less electrolyte leakage, and higher Y(II) than fruit without 1-MCP, but 1-MCP did not reduce development of external peel discoloration or affect Fv/Fm at the same temperatures, which suggests that ethylene might be involved in early development of some, but not all CI symptoms. 

 

Feasibility of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) plus ethylene scrubbing for extended international shipping of mangos.  

- Tree-ripe (25-50% flesh color development) Kent, Keitt, and Tommy Atkins mango can be stored in MAP for 4 weeks at 7°C plus 4 days at 20°C without showing chilling injury (CI) symptoms and deterioration of fruit internal quality. ‘Tommy Atkins’ had more marketable fruit when stored in 6% O2 + 5 or 10% CO2 while Kent and Keitt did better when stored in 4% O2 + 5 or 10% CO2. MAP reduced lenticel spotting, CI and decay, while retaining firmer fruit with less color development (i.e., less ripe). Scrubbing ethylene in MAP slightly further reduced softening and color changes (ripening). 

FoodTransport app  

- The FoodTransport app was completed and disseminated for Android and iOS platforms https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2023/04/04/foodtransport-app/  This app was adapted from the publication: Brecht, J.K., S.A. Sargent, P.E. Brecht, J. Saenz and L. Rodowick. 2019. Protecting Perishable Foods During Transport by Truck and Rail. University of Florida. EDIS Publication HS-1328. 204 pp. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1328, which is an update and revision of USDA Handbook 669. The user-friendly app is the next step in a years-long project that started in 2017 when the UF/IFAS scientists began working to revise and digitize a USDA handbook last updated in 1995. That work resulted in an extensive smart document for food transportation industry professionals, “Protecting Perishable Foods During Transport by Truck and Rail,” and was completed in 2019. It serves as the source material for the new app. 

Efficacy of HarvestHoldTM technology for extending postharvest quality and shelf life of selected fresh vegetables. 

- A film-based system for releasing 1-MCP during shipping was evaluated for several vegetable crops. The greatest effect was for grape tomatoes during commercial shipment whereby treated fruit remained firmer and had less decay (5%) than untreated fruit (30%) after a 28-day period.  

Obj. 2 

 Postharvest evaluation of elite lettuce germplasm in non-traditional areas of Florida  

 In winter/spring season 2023, elite lettuce germplasm from the UF breeding program was grown in two non-traditional areas in north-central Florida (sandy soil in open culture and hydroponic system under protected culture). Employing the Accelerated Shelf Life Protocol we developed for lettuce (10 °C for 13 d), two commercial cultivars and one breeding line performed best.  

SAGs Senescence-associated genes as markers for postharvest physiological age 

We used genomic tools to understand senescence and molecular signaling events in harvested broccoli florets stored at 25 or 4 ◦C to test the hypothesis that genetic markers can be used to identify the stage of senescence or physiological age of plant tissue. 

  

Cornell University, Chris Watkins and Yosef Al Shoffe 

 ‘Gala’ Effects PGRS, atmospheres and storage temperature 

- PGR applied at the correct time are critical for long term storage of Gala apples; store Gala at 38F (will benefit fruit without PGR treatment); postharvest 1-MCP recommended; 0.5% oxygen (1% carbon dioxide) recommended for long term storage; 2% oxygen (1% carbon dioxide) for standard CA, although lower concentrations are okay.  
 
‘NY1’ ‘Snapdragon’ in normal CA and DCA with and without conditioning at 10 ⁰C– regional study 

- After storage, firmness, TA, and IAD value were lowest in fruit from Champlain Valley compared with other regions. In addition, stem end flesh browning, flesh browning, core browning, fruit shrivel, fruit senescent, and fruit decay were significantly higher in fruit from Champlain compared with other regions. On the other hand, DCA maintained better fruit quality and reduced fruit physiological disorders development compared with those stored in CA. However, no differences were detected from fruit unconditioned or conditioned at 10 ⁰C for 1 week before transfer to 3 ⁰C. The reason for high internal browning in fruit from Champlain is not understood but might relate to the effects of the cold weather during fruit development on increasing fruit susceptibility to chilling injuries compared with other regions.  

‘NY2’ ‘RubyFrost’ in normal CA and DCA +1-MCP with and without conditioning at 10 ⁰C – regional study 

- Fruit from HV showed lower firmness, and higher IAD value with the lowest physiological disorders compared with those from the other regions. Internal browning in fruit from WNY was reached 34% with variability between orchards. Fruit stored in DCA showed lower internal browning compared with those stored in CA. However, no effects of the storage treatment were detected in reducing internal browning after storage. However, the effects of the storage treatment on physiological disorders were location dependent. 

Plant growth regulators to manage watercore and greasiness in ‘EverCrsip’ apples 

- Fruit treated with AVG had lower watercore percentage and severity compared with those were untreated. IEC was lower and IAD value was higher in fruit treated with AVG compared with the untreated fruit. After storage, AVG treatment suppressed greasiness compared with untreated fruit. AVG treatment reduced watercore breakdown and flesh browning compared with untreated fruit. However, Core browning was enhanced by AVG treatment after 9m of storage.  AVG might be a good strategy to manage physiological disorders in ‘EverCrisp’ apples but the effects on the delaying fruit color is a downside of the treatment.  

Aminoethoxyvinylglycine and Low Oxygen Controlled Atmosphere Storage Shift Functional Microbiomes of ‘Gala’ Apples (MS/PhD Connor Lane) 

- Bacterial but not fungal diversity decreased after 9 months of CA storage. Microbial genera with potential biocontrol functions such as Pseudomonas and Aureobasidium were found across all time points and treatments. The microbiomes detected in CA stored fruit were the most different from those in air stored fruit late in storage, where we found a decreased abundance of predicted gene pathways with O2 as a reactant. The results indicate that storage conditions influence the composition, diversity, and function of microbiomes inhabiting fruit surfaces, which could have implications for biocontrol and pathogen population dynamics. 

Harvest maturity and preharvest aminoethoxyvinylglycine treatment effects on cold-induced ethylene production of ‘Gala’ apples 

- The results were different from those described in the literature for cold-enhanced ethylene production of ‘Gala’ apples. Although ethylene production occurred without cold exposure of untreated fruit, exposure of fruit to 0.5 _C for 21 days resulted in more rapid and higher ethylene production rates and IEC than for fruit kept at only 20 _C. Ethylene production was suppressed by the preharvest AVG treatment, especially in 2020. The rates of respiration and softening of non-AVG treated fruit were enhanced by cold treatment. The effects of cold treatment were more significant for less mature fruit as indicated by higher IAD values. 

Cold-induced ripening dynamics of ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘NY1’, ‘NY2’, and ‘Braeburn’ apples 

- Cold treatments resulted in similar or increased ethylene production by the fruit, depending on the temperature and duration of cold treatment. The longer period of 6 weeks of cold storage caused more rapid increasing in ethylene production in ‘NY2’ and ‘Braeburn’ than 3 weeks of cold storage. Warmer storage temperature at 10 °C induced higher amount of ethylene production in ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘NY1’, and ‘NY2’ compared with storage at 0 °C. While ‘Honeycrisp’ and “NY1’ maintained firmness, that of ‘NY2’ and ‘Braeburn’ were negatively affected by enhanced ethylene production. The changes in IEC sometimes were not consistently mirrored by changes in ACC concentration. The mechanism of cold storage of different temperatures and durations on ethylene biosynthesis is affected greatly by cultivar and is complex. 

 

Kansas State University, Eleni D. Pliakoni   

Obj. 1 

Effect of system, grafting, and harvest maturity stage on the quality of tomatoes grown in greenhouses.  

Grafting and the nutrient system did not significantly affect the titratable acidity, sugar-acid ratio, or dry matter of the fruit. On-vine ripened fruit had a significantly higher sugar-acid ratio at the light red and red stage than fruit ripened off-vine. The DAP system produced fruit with comparable lycopene and β-carotene content red stage compared to the hydroponic control. Grafting also did not impact carotenoid concentrations at the red stage. Fruit ripened off the vine had greater lycopene content than fruit ripened on vine. 

Effects of harvest maturity on storability, ripening dynamics, and fruit quality of ‘Genea 3’ Kiwiberries. 

In result, the recommended harvest of ‘Geneva 3’ kiwiberries is when SSC is at 8 °Brix. The fruit held in cold storage for 4 weeks was acceptable for consumption for 3 days after ripening at room temperature for 3 day. There was no benefit to quality or shelf life when berries were harvested at 10 °Brix and fruit harvest at 6.5 did not reach adequate SSC and were visually unacceptable to consumers. Impacts

1. New technologies introduced and adopted by produce industry.
2. Adoption of improved postharvest handling practices to reduce losses and increase efficiency.
3. Increased funding opportunities from outside sources due to newly formed collaborations.
4. New postharvest systems to store organic apples with high value.
5. Recommendations to industry for the implementation of growing practices to improve quality and consumer acceptability.
6. New knowledge regarding the use of PGRs to manage physiological disorders in new apple cultivars.

Publications