Calcium applications on ‘Fuji Suprema’ and ‘Maxi Gala’ apple trees: fruit quality at harvest and after cold storage

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of new Ca sources sprayed on 'Fuji Suprema' and 'Maxi Gala' apple trees on nutrient levels in leaves and fruit, as well as on fruit ripening features and quality at harvest time and after cold storage. Experiments were carried out in a commercial orchard planted with 'Fuji Suprema' and 'Maxi Gala' apple trees in Caçador, Santa Catarina state, Brazil.Application of different Ca sources and untreated trees were evaluated in each experiment. Fruit were harvested at two different ripening stages and analyzed based on the following variables: fruit ripening at harvest time, as well as fruit quality and incidence of physiological disorders after 210-day storage at 1 °C. Calcium applications did not change Ca levels in the leaves and of the whole fruit. Calcium levels in fruit peel increased in cultivars Maxi Gala and Fuji Suprema due to leaf Ca applications. 'Maxi Gala' apples recorded higher postharvest incidence of physiological disorders, such as greater loss of fruit firmness than 'Fuji Suprema' apples (Due to 1-methylcyclopropene [1-MCP] application on 'Fuji Suprema' apples). Calcium applications did not change fruit maturation (starch index and pulp firmness) or apple pulp firmness preservation in both cultivars, although they reduced the incidence of bitter pit disorder in 'Maxi Gala' apples. The new sources of Ca tested did not increase Ca contents, nor did they reduced the risk for physiological disorder compared to the standard CaCl 2 treatment that has been commercially used for decades as the main Ca fertilizer.

Influence of pre-harvest calcium spray on fruit quality of apple cultivars during cold storage

“…https://doi.org/10.17221/127/202-HORTSCI showed different effects of applying calcium fertilizers (Lanauskas, Kvikliene 2006) that were conditioned by application time (Schleg, Schönherr 2002;Neilsen et al 2005;Lötze et al 2008), cultivar (Hahn et al 2022) and growing conditions (Kalcsits 2017). Also, the temperature and relative humidity during storage affect fruit firmness, weight loss, content of total acids and soluble solids and have great importance for preservation of apple quality (Saletnik et al 2022).…”