How are new cultivars shaping the adoption and application of 1-MCP and DCA by the North American apple industry? By Anna Mouton. The use of 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) and DCA (dynamic controlled atmosphere) by the New York State apple industry is…
The highlights of the panel discussion about the South African pear industry’s status and prospects. By Anna Mouton. The panel covered topics ranging from rootstocks to netting. The edited transcript below summarises the main points, and the entire session can…
Compiled by Store‐it Group for Hortgro Science. NOTE: these best-practice guidelines are regularly updated. Please consult the Hortgro website for the latest version. What is the correct harvest maturity for long-term storage? Starch breakdown <40%. Optimum is 20%–30%. Can be…
The following applies to all scald-susceptible fruit. Preharvest risk factors Hot and dry weather in the weeks before harvest. Increased risk could be the result of drought stress. Both increase ethylene and α-farnesene — important precursors of superficial-scald promoting compounds…
Post-harvest innovation has helped South Africa become a global leader in Forelle pear production and exports. Updated from an article originally published in Fresh Quarterly issue 3. Forelle has been around for 350 years, says Dr Ian Crouch, managing director…
Understanding the relationship between the preharvest application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) and fruit maturity is crucial for optimising storage and avoiding disorders. By Anna Mouton. “What happens on the farm is the most important influence on the postharvest performance…
Experts explain two agrochemical options that growers can use to manage harvest maturity. By Anna Mouton. Ethylene is a plant hormone that promotes fruit ripening, flower opening, and leaf dropping. In mature pome and most stone fruit, ethylene drives the…
Strategies to mitigate the risk of internal browning. By Anna Mouton. “Internal browning touches people’s pockets,” says Dr Elke Crouch, a post-harvest physiologist with the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Stellenbosch University. “Particularly in Cripps Pink, because it’s a high…
Initial and repeated low-oxygen stress can extend the scald-free storage life of Packham’s Triumph pears. By Anna Mouton. Packham’s Triumph remains South Africa’s biggest pear cultivar by area planted and volume exported — nearly 40% of pear cartons we shipped…
How is the Dutch pome-fruit industry responding to increasing restrictions on chemical postharvest disease control? By Anna Mouton. The Netherlands has approximately 6 000 hectares of apple orchards and 12 000 hectares of pear orchards. The dominant cultivars are Elstar apples and…