Login | Request Account (DAF staff only)

Premature fruit softening, a major physiological problem of persimmon in subtropical Australia.

Redpath, S., George, A.P., Hofman, P., Price, S. and Nissen, R.J. (2009) Premature fruit softening, a major physiological problem of persimmon in subtropical Australia. In: ISHS Acta Horticulturae 833. IV International Symposium on Persimmon, 8-13 November 2008, Firenze, Faenza, Caserta, Italy.

Full text not currently attached. Access may be available via the Publisher's website or OpenAccess link.

Article Link: http://www.actahort.org/books/833/833_46.htm

Publisher URL: http://www.ishs.org

Abstract

Premature or abnormal softening of persimmon fruit within 3-7 days after harvest is a major physiological problem of non-astringent persimmon cultivars grown in subtropical regions of Australia. Up to 30% of consignments may soften rapidly frequently overnight, often resulting in the flesh becoming very soft, completely translucent, and impossible to handle. Incidence of premature soft fruit can vary with season and production location. To study the incidence of this problem, we conducted surveys of fruit harvested from five environmentally-diverse regions of Australia over a two-year period. We found wide variation in the rate of both premature softening and normal softening with differences of up 37 days between orchards in percentage of fruit reaching 50% soft. We found that the rate of fruit softening was exacerbated by lower calcium concentrations at fruit set, shorter fruit development periods and heavier rainfall during the fruit development period. The implications of our findings, in terms of orchard management, export and domestic marketing strategies are discussed.

Item Type:Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Corporate Creators:Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), Agri-Science, Crop and Food Science
Business groups:Crop and Food Science
Additional Information:© International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS)
Keywords:Calcium; cultivars; fruit set; fruits; persimmons; plant development; rain; chilling injury; storage; postharvest.
Subjects:Plant culture > Fruit and fruit culture > Culture of individual fruits or types of fruit
Agriculture > Agriculture (General) > Methods and systems of culture. Cropping systems
Science > Botany > Plant physiology
Live Archive:09 Sep 2010 01:16
Last Modified:03 Sep 2021 16:43

Repository Staff Only: item control page