Variation in harvest and storage quality of fruit from different positions on kiwifruit vines

Abstract

The storage quality of fruit from six positions on kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) vines was investigated using fruit from both pergola and T-bar trained vines growing in three districts in one season. The positions were expected to provide fruit which exhibited the greatest differences in soluble solids concentrations (SSC) and flesh firmness at harvest and during storage. Effects of fruit position on SSC were reasonably consistent between 1 To whom correspondence is to be addressed. H95050 Received 25 July 1995; accepted 19 September 1995orchards, and between fruit at harvest and after coolstorage. In general, SSC tended to be higher in fruit from the ends of the leader than in fruit from nearer the centre of the vine. Fruit from the proximal ends of canes, near the leader, tended to have higher SSC than fruit from the distal ends of the canes, particularly for T-bar vines. For fruit near the leader, fruit from canes contained higher SSC than fruit from spurs, particularly in pergola orchards. In the two districts where comparisons between training systems could be made, fruit from T-bar-trained vines tended to have higher SSC than fruit from pergolas. Relationships between fruit firmness and fruit position were not so clear. Fruit from canes were, on average, firmer than fruit from spurs at harvest, but not after 18 weeks of storage. However, fruit from canes or spurs originating at the ends of the leaders were on average firmer after storage (but not at harvest) than fruit from fruitful wood which originated near the centre of the vine. Neither of these effects were consistent for fruit from all five orchards. A simple relationship between fruit position and fruit firmness was not observed consistently across the different orchards, or in fruit at harvest and in storage.

The Effect of Canopy Position on the Fruit Quality Parameters and Contents of Bioactive Compounds and Minerals in ‘Braeburn’ Apples

“…'Laetitia' [50]; peaches [51][52][53] and nectarines cv. 'Red Jewel' [46]; kiwifruits [54,55]; mandarins [56]; oranges [57]; grapefruits [58]; and lemons [59]. Finally, SSC content is a very important biochemical fruit characteristic because a high level of consumer acceptance has been associated with high levels of SSC, among many other factors [60].…”

Prediction models for the softening of new commercialActinidiacultivars

“…Michaelis-Menten type models are monotonic models that represent firmness loss, and contain different parameters for characterising the dataset (Benge, De Silva, Banks, & Jeffery, 2000), while reciprocal, power and reciprocal quadratic models (Westcott & Callan, 1990) represent models that can be used to fit storage potential parameters. The most studied physiological mechanisms that regulate decreasing kiwifruit firmness include the disassembly of polysaccharide networks in cell walls, pectin degradation, hydrolysis of starch celluloses and hemicellulose (Hertog, Nicholson, & Jeffery, 2004;Macrae, Lallu, Searle, & Bowen, 1989;Macrae, Stec, & Triggs, 1990;Paliyath & Murr, 2008;Pyke, Hopkirk, Alspach, & Cooper, 1996).…”

“…Simple exponential, Boltzmann, inverse exponential polynomial (Jordan & Loeffen, 2009), complementary Michaelis–Menten type, complementary Gompertz and jointed Michaelis–Menten type models are monotonic models that represent firmness loss, and contain different parameters for characterising the dataset (Benge, De Silva, Banks, & Jeffery, ), while reciprocal, power and reciprocal quadratic models (Westcott & Callan, ) represent models that can be used to fit storage potential parameters. The most studied physiological mechanisms that regulate decreasing kiwifruit firmness include the disassembly of polysaccharide networks in cell walls, pectin degradation, hydrolysis of starch celluloses and hemicellulose (Hertog, Nicholson, & Jeffery, ; Lallu, Searle, & Macrae, ; Macrae, Lallu, Searle, & Bowen, ; Macrae, Stec, & Triggs, ; Paliyath & Murr, ; Pyke, Hopkirk, Alspach, & Cooper, ). Cellular turgor decreases due to water loss by transpiration (Biswas, East, Hewett, & Heyes, ; Saladie et al, ), and the softening processes of fruits is known to be affected by storage conditions.…”

Variation in fruit quality among ‘Hort16A’ kiwifruit vines in New Zealand

“…Reducing within-vine variability in fruit quality may be easier than reducing variability between vines. Variability within a vine is more predictable and can be managed using selective fruit-thinning or pruning to reduce variability in shoot type or canopy density (Pyke et al, 1996;Thorp et al, 2003;Boyd et al, 2007).…”