Raspberries (Rubus ideaus L.) are highly perishable and susceptible to rot during storage. An exploratory study of postharvest physiology associated with maturity was carried out for three new Chilean raspberry cultivars: Santa Catalina, Santa Clara and Santa Teresa. Fruit of these cultivars were harvested at three maturity stages based on color: pink (C3), bright red (commercial maturity) (C4) and dark red (C5). Two experiments were carried out to: i) determine postharvest quality and physiological parameters associated with maturity stages in comparison to those fruits of the main cv. Heritage, and ii) evaluate storage potential at 0 and 4 °C of 'Santa Catalina'. In the first study, fruit quality parameters (such as weight, firmness, color, among others) of all the 'Santa' cultivars were assessed immediately after harvest, and the ethylene production and respiration rates (CO2) were recorded for 4 d at 20 °C. In the second experiment, 'Santa Catalina' was stored at 0 and 4 °C. According to the results of the first experiment, 'Santa Teresa' presented the largest fruit (7.9 g), followed by 'Santa Clara' (5.3 g), 'Santa Catalina' (4.9 g) and 'Heritage' (3.3 g). 'Santa Clara' (~ 6 ng kg -1 s -1 ) fruits had the highest levels of ethylene production, followed by 'Santa Catalina', and 'Santa Teresa' with the lowest production. Regardless the cultivar, the fruit at the C5 stage always showed the highest ethylene production. Overall, compared with 'Heritage', these three new cultivars presented better fruit quality at harvest. The 0 °C was an adequate storage temperature for 'Santa Catalina' reaching storage potential of 20 d without soft fruits; therefore, it is recommended for fresh markets.
BACKGROUND: Charcoal rot of strawberry (Macrophomina phaseolina) is an emerging disease difficult to manage, a desirable alternative is the use of resistant cultivars. However, little is known regarding the reaction of cultivars to the pathogen under water stress conditions. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this work were to study the effect of water stress on the physiology of four strawberry cultivars during the infection, and to determine the relationship between water stress and cultivar susceptibility. METHODS: Healthy and inoculated plants of 'Monterey', 'Albion', 'Camarosa' and 'Sabrina' were maintained under no irrigation and full irrigation regimes, in greenhouse conditions. Stem water potential (SWP) and stomatal conductance (gs) were evaluated. The disease severity was recorded weekly for seven weeks. RESULTS: The disease detrimentally affected the water relations in 'Sabrina', 'Albion' and 'Monterey'. A significant correlation was detected between the evaluated parameters and the disease severity. The disease severity increases in plants with no irrigation, regardless of cultivar. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the infection caused by M. phaseolina increases the negative effects of water stress, depending on the genotype, and that the cultivars that were able to maintain more stable water relations respond better to the disease.
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