Effects of pre- and postharvest salicylic acid application on quality and shelf life of 'Flame Seedless' grapes.

摘要

The present investigation was conducted during two consecutive growing seasons in order to study the response of "Flame Seedless" grape to exogenous salicylic acid (SA) application. The postharvest quality was studied in relation to pre-harvest SA spray (PSS) or/and post-harvest SA immersion (PSI) treatments. "Flame Seedless" grapes were stored at 0 degrees C for up to 30 plus 2 days at 20 degrees C. The results showed that all SA treatments significantly increased the storage life of clusters. Furthermore, PSS + PSI treatment was effective in reducing weight loss, fungal decay, berry softening rate and rachis browning and maintained berry appearance. In addition, all SA treatments enhanced the increase of total phenolic content of berry skin after the shelf life period, while total soluble solids content and titratable acidity did not vary in this concern. These results indicated that pre-harvest spray SA and post-harvest immersion have potential for increasing storage life of "Flame Seedless" grapes and maintaining their quality.