Masters Degrees (Horticultural Science)

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Aspects of improving cold hardiness of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) var. Rossol.
(2004) Ghebretinsae, Amanuel Ghebrehiwet.; Bertling, Isa.; Bower, John Patrick.
Tomatoes, particularly those of the determinate type, are one of the most popular vegetables in the East African country Eritrea. The crop is a source of income to small farm operators as well as commercial growers, and plays an important role in the nutritional supply of the population. Nonetheless, tomato production is limited during the cool season resulting - on the one hand - in a reduced nutritional supply during this period and - on the other hand - in an increased economic potential of the crop. Although performance of tomato plants under low temperature conditions is genetically influenced, prevailing temperatures as well as management practices also affect growth and development. In order to understand the long-term effects of a cold spell on tomato plants, experiments were carried out to determine the effect of a cold spell on plant vegetative and reproductive characteristics of determinate type ''Rossol'' tomatoes. Plants were moved for two to five subsequent nights from a tunnel to a cold room (4°C). The fruit set stage of "Rossol" tomatoes was found to be most sensitive to cold temperature, followed by the flowering stage. The juvenile stage was, of all the developmental stages examined, the least sensitive to cold. Furthermore, subjecting tomato plants for five subsequent nights (cumulative 60hrs) to 4°C resulted in a significant retardation of growth and development and in yield reduction. However, tomatoes exposed to a two-night cold spell during either the vegetative or the flowering stage recovered quickly and, ultimately, performed well. Furthermore, trials were carried out under tunnel and field conditions to investigate the impact of potassium application as well as mulching on cold tolerance of "Rossol" tomatoes. Under low temperature conditions, increasing the level of potassium to up to 150% of the recommended level (157.5kg*ha-1 ) resulted in quicker ontogenetic development and increased yields significantly. On the other hand, supplying tomato plants with 50% and 200% of the recommended potassium level reduced growth, delayed development and decreased yield and yield attributes. Using black plastic mulch also increased plant growth and speeded up plant development. Maize stover mulch, however, retarded plant growth and development so that certain stages ofthe phenological cycle were reached later than by non-mulched plants. However, yield and yield attributes increased significantly using stover mulch. Therefore, the management practises potassium fertilization and mulching provide excellent tools to increase the tolerance of tomato plants to low temperature conditions. Furthermore, organic mulches can be used to delay crop development and time maturity to achieve high retail process of the commodity in the cool winter months.
Development of a sulphur free litchi storage protocol using sealed polypropylene bags.
(2006) Archibald, Alison Joy.; Bower, John Patrick.; Bertling, Isa.
The use of sulphur as a method of postharvest disease control and colour retention in litchis is soon to be restricted by the European Union. It is therefore essential that new postharvest treatments and packaging techniques be developed in order to retain internal and external fruit qualities and thus allow for export. Good litchi quality is not only important for the export market but also for use on the local market. In this study, alternative methods for postharvest quality control were investigated with the aim of extending the litchi storage life to 40 days under modified storage. Packaging the fruit in polypropylene bags significantly decreased fruit water loss and resulted in an increase in shelf life, as determined by red colour and overall rind appearance. There was no distinct advantage of amodified atmosphere. The use of a punnet, lined with absorbent sheeting and placed within the sealed polypropylene bag, further improved the shelf life. The absorbent sheeting reduced the amount of free water and resulted in little pathogen infection, while the punnet was effective in protecting the fruit from damage. It was notable that most water loss occurred within the first 10 days of storage and that the majority would actually take place during the cooling phase. A hydrocooling technique was therefore investigated and was found to not significantly decrease water loss, possibly due to not hydrocooling the fruit for a long enough period of time. Temperature management was extremely important for both colour retention and pathogen control. It was found that treatments stored at 5.5QC showed better colour retention after the 40 days storage than the 1QC storage treatment. The higher storage temperature, however, enhances the potential for postharvest diseases. Three compounds, namely ISR 2000, 'Biosave' and F10, were tested for pathogen control. 'Biosave' showed the best results with the most effective concentration being 100 mill water and good pathogen control occurred when storage was at 10 C. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity in the litchi rind was evaluated as it is thought to be closely related to browning of litchi fruit, probably due to the degradation of phenolics by PPO. Brown fruit had a high PPO activity whilst red fruit had much lower activity. It was also shown that PPO activity decrease over storage time, possibly due to product inhibition of the enzyme. The internal quality of the fruit was determined using the T88: acid ratio of the pulp, as it is well correlated to mean eating quality. For fruit to have excellent taste, it must have a T88: acid ratio of between 31:1 and 60:1. All the fruit had a ratio that met this criterion and would therefore ensure good eating quality.
Effect of methyl jasmonate and salicyclic acid on chilling injury of 'eureka' lemons.
(2010) Siboza, Xolani Irvin.; Bower, John Patrick.; Bertling, Isa.
South Africa is the second largest exporter of citrus fruit in the world. There has recently emerged a strong demand for lemons in the world market due to their nutritional value, culinary and non-culinary uses. During exportation, fruit are subjected to low temperature (-0.5°C) for varying periods of time as an obligatory quarantine treatment. However, lemons are sensitive to low temperatures and easily develop chilling injury during this obligatory quarantine treatment. This has become a major limitation to the expansion of South Africa’s lemon industry. Postharvest treatments with methyl jasmonate (MJ) and / or salicylic acid (SA) have been successfully used in horticultural crops to reduce chilling injury. A similar treatment was applied to ‘Eureka’ lemons. During the 2008 harvest season, postharvest fruit were either dipped in 10 or 50 μM MJ or 2 or 2.5 mM SA solutions. A control or no dip treatment was also applied. Three replicates of 15 fruits per treatment were used. During the 2009 harvest season the following postharvest treatments were applied as dips: 10 μM MJ, 2 mM SA, 10 μM MJ & 2 mM SA, 1 μM MJ & 0.2 mM SA, or 0.1 μM MJ & 0.02 mM SA solutions. A control or no dip treatment was also applied. Three replicates of 15 fruits per treatment were used. Subsequently fruit were stored at -0.5ºC for 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 days, before being transferred to room temperature (25°C) for 7 days where after chilling injury was rated. Treatments with 10 μM MJ and / or 2 mM SA reduced chilling injury symptoms in lemons harvested during the 2009 season. Although no visual symptoms of chilling injury were observed during the 2008 harvest season, treatments with 10 μM MJ and / or 2 mM SA reduced fruit mass loss, delayed the occurrence of stress symptoms such as lipid peroxidation and suppressed accumulation of ROS in the rind. Treatments with 10 μM MJ and / or 2 mM SA were more effective in inducing antioxidant capacity and other defence compounds such as phenolics, ascorbic acid, carbohydrates and chilling injury responses such as accumulation of proline in the rind. This may have increased the chilling tolerance of fruit during the cold storage. Therefore, this study revealed that MJ and SA have the potential to reduce and delay symptoms of chilling injury in lemons. This lead to the suggestion that both, MJ and SA dips should be further tested as treatments to mitigate chilling injury in lemons. Future studies should focus more on preventing the injury itself or preventing the primary event of chilling injury. This could probably reduce the chances of secondary events to take place.
Effects of potassium and mulching on Persea americana Mill. cv. Hass pheno/physiology, yield and fruit size.
(2001) Van Niekerk, Warren; Bower, John Patrick.; Johnston, M. A.
No abstract available.
Enhancement of 'Hass' avocado shelf life using ultra-low temperature shipping or 1-MCP treatment and cold chain management.
(2011) Kok, Richard Dean.; Bower, John Patrick.; Bertling, Isa.
Avocados are becoming an increasingly important crop in South Africa, where the main producing areas include Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. The South African avocado industry faces considerable challenges including increasing competition exporting avocados, particularly to the European market. The processes involved to export avocados has markedly improved over the past two decades, however there is always room for improvement and it is necessary to remain competitive on a global scale. Issues such as fruit being partially soft on arrival, quality defects and cold chain management breakdown are still present. It is necessary to investigate new aspects of cold storage such as extending the storage period and understanding the physiological aspects involved. To improvement such issues, an investigation was conducted on ultra-low temperature shipping (1°C) as well as the use of 1-MCP; the implementation of deliberate cold chain breaks to achieve a better understanding as to the quality influences involved; an extended storage period of 56 days to assess the quality issues and benefits involved; as well as investigating the physiological aspects involved with all above treatments on 'Hass' avocados. An initial study saw early-, mid- and late-season 'Hass' avocados stored at 1°C or 5.5°C for 28 days. Additional treatments included fruit treated and not treated with 1-MCP as well as waxed and unwaxed fruit. Storage at 1°C was comparable with 1-MCP treatment for both fruit softening in storage and extending the ripening period. Storage at 5.5°C resulted in partial in-transit ripening, if 1-MCP was not used. Early-season fruit incurred the most external chilling injury but overall levels were minimal and not concerning. Mid-season fruit were the most sound in terms of quality. It is suggested that 1°C can be used as a viable economic alternative to 1-MCP for long distance shipping of 'Hass' up to 28 days. The cold chain break trial included a 24 hour delay before cold storage, a deliberate 8 hour break at day 14 of cold storage where fruit were removed from cold storage and a control of 28 days cold storage where no break was involved. Early-, mid- and late-season 'Hass' avocados were stored at 1°C or 5.5°C for 28 days. Additional treatments included fruit treated and not treated with 1-MCP as well as waxed and unwaxed fruit. It was found that cold chain breaks do influence the amount of water loss, fruit softening and days taken to ripen. Storage at 1°C did not entirely negate the effects of cold chain breaks compared with 5.5°C, but did result in fruit which were harder at the end of storage and took longer to ripen. The use of 1-MCP also had advantageous effects with respect to significantly lengthening the ripening period, even when a cold chain break occurred, compared with fruit not treated with 1-MCP. As results of the study differed in some respects to those of previous studies, it is recommended that further work be conducted to determine what fruit or pre-harvest factors affect the fruit physiological changes which take place when cold chain breaks occur. Having the option to make use of an extended storage period would be of benefit to the industry if delays occur and fruit have to be maintained under cold storage. Extended storage of South African avocados, especially at the end of the season would also allow for the option of strategically holding back fruit from the export market in order to extend the supply period. It would not only benefit export options, but would also be highly beneficial to local pre-packers, as it would reduce the need to import fruit from the Northern hemisphere production areas during the South African off-season. Early-, mid- and late-season 'Hass' avocados were stored at 1°C or 5.5°C for 56 days. Additional treatments included fruit treated and not treated with 1-MCP as well as waxed and unwaxed fruit. The combination of 1°C with the use of 1-MCP resulted in a good shelf life as well as maintenance of internal quality and integrity. External chilling injury is of concern for early-season fruit, however, mid- and late-season fruit did not incur extensive damage. It is, therefore, advised that fruit placed in extended storage are marketed through the 'Ready ripe' program to mask any chilling injury on the 'Hass' fruit. Avocados are renown as a "healthy food" due to their nutritional value as well as containing relatively high concentrations of antioxidants. The fruit also contain high amounts of C7 sugars which can act as antioxidants. Additionally, C7 sugars and other antioxidants play important roles in fruit quality. Therefore, it is important to understand how varying storage conditions and treatments affect the levels of these physiological parameters. Treatments of cold chain break/delay included a deliberate 8 hour break at day 14 of cold storage where fruit were removed from cold storage, a 24 hour delay before cold storage and a control of 28 days where no break was involved. A 56 day extended storage period was also used. Early-, mid- and late-season 'Hass' avocados were stored at 1°C or 5.5°C for 28 days. Additional treatments included fruit treated and not treated with 1-MCP as well as waxed and unwaxed fruit. The use of 1-MCP maintained higher levels of antioxidants, ascorbic acid and C7 sugars for both the 28 day and the 56 day storage periods. The 24 hour delay had a tendency to increase consumption of anti-oxidant and sugar reserves. The use of 1°C resulted in antioxidant and ascorbic acid levels decreasing while maintaining higher sugar levels. Overall, high stress imposed on fruit decreased reserves resulting in poor quality fruit. The use of 1°C and 1-MCP treatments maintained fruit quality.
Horticultural manipulation techniques to improve yield, fruit size and quality in 'Wai Chee' litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.)
(2010) Froneman, Izak J.; Bower, John Patrick.; Bertling, Isa.; Bijzet, Zelda.
In South Africa, a shortage of litchi cultivars to expand the very short harvesting period has seriously threatened the viability of the local export orientated Litchi Industry. Only two cultivars have dominated commercial plantings for more than a century, namely ‘HLH Mauritius’ and ‘McLean’s Red’. The marketing period of litchis from South Africa coincides with large export volumes from competitor countries such as Madagascar, resulting in lower returns for local growers. To address this situation, the late season cultivar ‘Wai Chee’ was imported amongst others from Australia. ‘Wai Chee’ is harvested at a time in South Africa when there is a gap in worldwide litchi production, making the cultivar potentially very profitable. However, its potential and subsequent use in the industry is affected by small fruit size and questionable internal quality. As the South African Litchi Industry is export orientated and the qualities of ‘HLH Mauritius’ fruit currently dictate export requirements, solutions need to be found to improve fruit size and fruit quality in ‘Wai Chee’ litchi. In this study, a number of horticultural manipulation techniques were investigated with the aim of enhancing yield, fruit size and quality in ‘Wai Chee’ litchi. The use of chemical applications of foliar nutrients and plant growth regulators were found to improve certain fruit characteristics in ‘Wai Chee’. Foliar nutrient applications of nitrogen, potassium and calcium during the early stages of fruit set and -development improved fruit set and subsequently yield, and also increased fruit mass, fruit size and flesh mass. Treatments with potassium nitrate (KNOз), calcium nitrate (CaNOз) and calcium metalosate proved to be the most enhancing nutrient applications. Applications of synthetic auxins and auxin-like substances during the 2-3g stage of fruit development improved fruit size, fruit mass and flesh mass in ‘Wai Chee’. The combination treatment of Tipimon® (2,4,5-TP), applied at the 2-3g stage, followed by Maxim® (3,5,6-TPA) a week later, yielded the best results in this regard. With biological practices, pollination was found to have an influence on litchi tree- and fruit characteristics. Pollen source proved to have an influence on fruit set and fruit retention at harvest in ‘Wai Chee’. Initial fruit set was lower when using cross-pollination compared to the use of self-pollination in female flowers of ‘Wai Chee’, whereas final fruit retention was higher with the use of cross-pollinators when compared to retention of fruit with self-pollination. Although some beneficial effects with different pollen donors on fruit characteristics were observed, these effects were not significant, and would therefore necessitate further investigation. Pollen donor effect on quality parameters such as Titratable acid (TA)- and Total Soluble Solid (TSS) content of fruit was not significant. Cultivar differences regarding fruit characteristics and maturation rate were detected with the use of cultural practices such as bunch covering materials in ‘HLH Mauritius’ and ‘Wai Chee’. Beneficial effects on fruit size were obtained with thicker covering materials with nominal mass of 70 and 80 g/m² respectively on ‘HLH Mauritius’, while with ‘Wai Chee’, thinner covering materials (60 and 65 g/m²) showed enhancing effects. Maturation rate was significantly delayed only on ‘Wai Chee’ with the use of thicker covering materials (70 and 80 g/m²). Differences in colour were detected amongst different covering materials, but these should be verified with chromameter technology. Covering of fruit bunches for better fruit size and a later harvest date would, especially for ‘Wai Chee’ as a late season cultivar, be beneficial, since better prices are realised towards the end of the season.
Means of improving colour expression in pepper fruit.
(2003) Mosoeunyane, Molipa.; Bertling, Isa.; Bower, John Patrick.
Colour is a characteristic that makes fruit appealing to the consumer, hence, is a prime factor when (s)he chooses to buy certain horticultural commodities. If colour is unappealing, consumers tend to ignore other quality characteristics of the fruit. Although colour expression in Capsicum annuum L. is genetically influenced, it is also affected by environmental factors as well as crop management practices. In an attempt to identify which are the dominant red colour-imparting carotenoids in red pepper and how to influence their occurrence, extracts from crude and saponified mature-green, colour-break and red-ripe fruit were purified on TLC silica gel 60 GF(254) plates. TLC R(f) values of the identified intensive red bands from saponified red-ripe extract were compared to those of authentic capsorubin, capsanthin, 13-Z-capsanthin and 9-Z-capsanthin standards. Two dominant red carotenoids were isolated from red-ripe fruit, by separating either crude or saponified extract by TLC. The two bands were then subjected to reversed-phase HPLC analysis. Both bands were characterized by comparison of their absorption spectra to that of authentic capsanthin and capsorubin standards. Red colour imparting compounds of the red pepper cultivar Capistrano surfaced at colour-break stage and their intensity increased with the ripening process. HPLC results show that there was structural modification of ketocarotenoid, mainly capsorubin. Trials were carried out in a plastic tunnel and in a growth room to investigate the impact of various plant management practices (moisture regimes, macronutrient applications, thinning of reproductive structures, subjecting pepper plants to optimal growing temperature) on pepper fruit pigment concentration. This concentration was determined at the mature-green and red-ripe stage. Subjecting pepper plants to optimal growing temperature (23/18°C) from the vegetative stage onwards, providing them with recommended optimal amount of K fertilizer (25.2 Kg ha-1 ) and supplying Mg at supra-optimal level (455 Kg ha-1 ) as well as subjecting them to drought stress starting from 30 or 50 days after transplanting and water logging conditions from 30 days after first petal fall onwards increased pepper fruit carotenoid concentration significantly. On the other hand, other levels of the above-mentioned factors (subjecting pepper plants to the optimum temperature later than the vegetative stage, supplying 'very low', 'low' or 'high' K or, 'very low', 'low' or 'medium' Mg concentrations as well as thinning of reproductive structures of pepper plants early in the fruit developmental stage and subjecting plants to drought from 30 days after first petal fall onwards or to water-logging from 50 days after transplanting or 30 days after first petal fall onwards) resulted in a significant decrease in the carotenoid concentration. Therefore, management practices can be explored to improve red colour formation in red-ripe Capsicum fruit.
Optimisation of propagation methods in Prunus persica (L.) Batsch.
(2001) Lebese, Thabiso C.; Bertling, Isa.; Bower, John Patrick.
Propagating methods for peach (Prumis persica L. Batsch.) are currently limited to the use of seeds or cuttings. Most of the rootstocks commonly used for establishing peach trees commercially originate from a narrow genetic base. The most commonly used peach rootstock in South Africa is 'Kakamas', which has disadvantages such as slow growth, and a high susceptibility to certain pests and diseases. 'Kakamas' is classified as a mid to late ripening cultivar, hence, its use as a rootstock is restricted in early ripening cultivars. Optimising peach seedling and cutting production may on the other hand increase more selection material that will increase genetic variability and also serve as the basis for future production and selection of rootstocks for peach nursery establishments. Hence, this study was designed to improves success of peach cutting production by increasing the rooting percentage and the survival rate of cuttings. This was firstly achieved by the application of various concentrations of IBA and several rooting-cofactors. Secondly, rooting success of cuttings taken at different seasons was studied. The response of two cutting positions to various IBA and rooting-cofactor was evaluated. Attempts were also made to overcome the requirement of peaches for a seed stratification period by using plant growth regulators. Studies to optimise the establishment and growth of embryos of early to late ripening cultivars ('Klara', 'Oom Sarel' and' Summer Giant') in vitro were undertaken to overcome the problem of small underdeveloped embryos which are often obtained from early ripening peach cultivars. The early ripening peach cultivars 'DeWet', 'Earlibelle' and 'Florida Prince' were propagated by softwood, semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings prepared from August 1999 to July 2000. It was found that softwood cuttings prepared in October and November responded well to an IBA application of 1000 mg 1(-1), resulting in 100 % rooting in all three cultivars. In 'Florida Prince' and 'DeWet' the rooting-cofactors chlorogenic acid and phloroglucinol at the concentration of 100ug 1(-1) yielded 77 % and 81 % rooting, respectively while quercitin and rutinin gave only 46 and 44 % rooting for all cultivars. The basal portion of the cutting rooted better than the terminal portion (78 % versus 58 %). Rooting percentage differed in all treatments in response to IBA application and rooting-cofactors 74 % for 'Florida Prince', 62 % for 'DeWet' and 54 % for 'Earlibelle'. The use of IBA and Ca-EDTA proved to be beneficial for rooting of 'Florida Prince' cuttings and resulted in a rooting percentage of 86 % in wounded hardwood cuttings of this cultivar. It was also shown that the simple sugars glucose, fructose and sucrose as well as the sugar alcohols sorbitol and mannitol accumulated at the base of the cutting during adventitious base root formation if the cutting bases were treated with 1000 mg 1(-1) IBA. The concentration of these sugars and sugar alcohols were lower in untreated cuttings compared to IBA treated cuttings during the adventitious root formation process. Studies on the origin of adventitious root formation in stem cuttings of peaches were conducted using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. These studies revealed that adventitious roots originate (in peaches) in the vicinity of the vascular bundle tissue and in the cells around them. It was found, however, that adventitious root formation in IBA treated cuttings is associated with the formation of root primordia. These may trigger root initiation and ultimately the development of adventitious roots. In embryo culture studies the highest number of roots and greatest length of roots per embryo as well as the highest number of embryos forming roots was achieved when either the medium of Murashige and Skoog (MS) (1962) or of Steward and Hsu (SH) (1978) were employed. The Woody Plant medium (Lloyd and McCowan, 1978) and the medium after Schenk and Hildebrandt (1972) were found to be less effective when compared to MS and SH media. Addition of GA(3) (0.01 mg 1(-1)), BAP (0.2 mg 1(-1)) or GA(3) (0.01 mg 1(-1))+ BAP (0.2 mg 1(-1))+IBA (0.5 mg 1(-1)) to the media gave the best results with respect to embryos forming roots (86 %), number of roots per embryo (8.0) and total length of roots per embryo (7.57 cm). Furthermore, the following conditions for optimal rooting of peach embryos were established: pH 5.2, 1.5 g 1(-1) agar, 60 g 1(-1) sucrose and 16h light/8h darkness photo period. Further studies on the influence of the stratification temperature on germination of embryos revealed the highest germination percentage after exposure to 40 C ±2 constantly for 30 to 60 days. However, this chilling requirement can be successfully substituted by the addition of GA(3) , kinetin, zeatin, BA and thiourea to the culture media.
Postharvest maintenance of the shelf life and quality attributes of banana and papaya.
(2003) Ghebreslassie, Biniam M.; Bower, John Patrick.; Bertling, Isa.
Banana and papaya are two commonly grown fruits of the tropical regions of the world. Like most tropical climacteric fruits, these fruits have a short shelf life and deteriorate rapidly after harvest. This becomes more pronounced in tropical areas where cold chain management practices are poor and the ability environmental control is limited. To extend the shelf life with maintained quality of the fruits and to investigate the effect of various postharvest treatments a study was conducted on banana cv. Williams and on papaya cv. Hortus Gold. The treatments included storage in different packaging materials such as micro perforated polypropylene bags (MPB), Micro perforated polypropylene bags with ethylene absorbent (MPB+K), macro perforated polypropylene bags coated with anti mist coating (PP), fruit waxing, gibberellic acid (GA3) and indole butyric acid (IBA) applications. Comparison was made against untreated fruits. Banana fruits were held at 12, 15 and 22°C, while papaya fruit were held at 5.5, 7, 10 and 22°C. Percentage weight loss (PWL), firmness change, visual colour development and respiration rate were evaluated on a weekly basis during the storage period. Selected quality attributes such as total soluble solids (TSS), pH, total chlorophyll, total carotenoids and organic acids for banana and TSS, pH, titratable acid (TA) and sugar:acid ratio for papaya were analyzed at the end of the storage period. PWL, softening, colour development and respiration rate increased significantly (P
The potential of post-harvest potassium silicate dips to mitigate chilling injury on citrus fruit.
(2012) Mditshwa, Asanda.; Bertling, Isa.; Bower, John Patrick.
The South African Citrus Industry is the second largest exporter of citrus, after Spain. The industry is under pressure to supply high quality fruit as well as to expand into new, high paying markets. However, high paying markets such as Japan and the USA require cold sterilised fruit as obligatory quarantine treatments against Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) in order to reduce any possible spread of the pest. Citrus fruit originated from tropical climates and hence are chilling susceptible. Chilling injury symptoms appear as dark brown spots, pitting and/or decay when fruit are transferred to shelf temperatures; thus reducing the marketability of citrus fruit. Therefore, there is need for methods to mitigate chilling injury. Previous studies have shown silicon to mitigate many forms of stress without any hazardous effect on human health. Thus, the aim of the study was to investigate the potential of post-harvest silicon dips in mitigating chilling symptoms in citrus fruit. Briefly, fruit from two sources (Ukulinga Research Farm and Ithala Farm) were dipped in different silicon concentrations (0, 50, 150, and 250 mg ℓ-1) for 30 minutes and thereafter stored at -0.5 or 2⁰C for up to 28 days with weekly evaluation for chilling injury symptoms. Total antioxidants were determined using FRAP, ABTS, and DPPH assays under spectrophotometer. In addition, sugars, ascorbic acid, phenolics and flavonoids were analysed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Fruit from Ukulinga Research Farm showed significantly higher total antioxidants (ascorbic acid total phenolics and specific flavonoids hesperidin and naringin) and sugars relative to fruit from Ithala Farm. Low concentrations of silicon dips significantly reduced the appearance of chilling injury symptoms by inducing an enzymatic conversion of glucose to ascorbic acid, thereby increasing the antioxidant capacity of chilling susceptible fruit. Moreover, silicon increased the concentration of total antioxidants, total phenolics and total flavonoids. High silicon concentrations had a negative effect on post-harvest quality of lemons by increasing fruit weight loss and electrolyte leakage, resulting in appearance of chilling symptoms. In conclusion, the study showed that silicon had potential to reduce chilling injury. However, high silicon concentrations raised concern, in particularly, on fruit appearance.
A preliminary study on the effect of climatic conditions and fruit mineral concentration on the development of lenticel damage in 'Tommy Atkins' and 'Keitt' mangos (Mangifera indica L.) and rind pitting in 'Benny Valencia' oranges (Citrus sinensis).
(2008) Magwaza, Lembe Samukelo.; Bower, John Patrick.; Kruger, Frans J.
The South African fresh fruit industry is a significant exporter, accounting for approximately 45% of the country’s agricultural exports. Of the total exported fruit in the 2005/06 season, 60% was subtropical fruit. However, certain physiological rind disorders such as mango lenticel damage and citrus rind pitting are frequently observed, reducing the commercial value of the fruit. This thesis deals with the epidemiology of these rind physiological disorders, in an attempt to obtain basic information that could serve as a guideline to predict and manage the fruit susceptibility to these disorders. The study further investigated the relative effects that certain pre-harvest factors have on the postharvest development of these disorders. Factors of particular interest were harvest maturity, climate and the mineral content of the fruit. Rind pitting is a physiological disorder of citrus that develops during storage. A study was conducted to investigate the relative effects that certain pre-harvest factors have on the post-harvest development of superficial rind pitting in ‘Benny Valencia’ oranges. Factors of particular interest were harvest maturity, climate and the mineral content of the fruit. In addition, trees were treated with two different formulations of nitrogen viz. limestone ammonium nitrate (LAN) and a slow release nitrogen fertilizer (Horticote®), during March 2006. The fruit were then sampled on a two-weekly basis over a period of three months. On each sampling date a set of quality related readings, such as juice sugar and titratable acid concentration were taken, after which the mineral concentration of the exocarp and mesocarp was measured. Fruit were also stored under export simulation conditions. The results indicate that fruit from trees that received additional N were more susceptible to rind pitting than those from control trees. Of the two N applications, fruit from trees that received slow release N were more susceptible to rind pitting than fruit from trees that received the LAN treatment. Another important observation made was that the nitrogen concentration of oranges from trees that received extra nitrogen fertilizer was lower than that from the controls. In addition, experimental fruit were smaller than control fruit. Fruit from trees that received the slow release nitrogen treatment were smallest. A sink/source hypothesis aimed at explaining this phenomenon has been formulated and is currently being investigated. A number of control mechanisms are also being explored. Mango lenticel damage is a serious defect that occurs on the rind of the fruit. This condition causes fruit to attain a speckled appearance and become unattractive to the buyer. Each season, the disorder reduces the packout of fresh fruit by about 16%. Several preharvest factors play a critical role in the postharvest development of lenticel damage. Preliminary studies have shown that the incidence of lenticel damage has some relationship to fruit moisture and fruit nutrient concentration, depending on which of these factors first achieve a critical threshold. A study was conducted to develop appropriate skin moisture content parameters to predict lenticel damage potential before harvest. The study further aimed to provide certain biological markers regarding appropriate nitrogen fertilization practices to reduce lenticel damage. To do this, two trials were conducted approximately a month before harvest. Firstly, a plastic ground cover to restrict water supply was laid under ‘Tommy Atkins’ trees at Numbi Estates in the Hazyview area of the Mpumalanga province, South Africa. Secondly, additional nitrogen was applied as three different formulations, viz. limestone ammonium nitrate (LAN), potassium nitrate (KNO3), and a slow release nitrogen fertilizer under trade name Horticote®, to two ‘Tommy Atkins’ and two ‘Keitt’ orchards at Bavaria Estates in the Hoedspruit area of the Limpopo province, South Africa. Fruit samples were harvested, packed and stored at different intervals after rain during January 2006. With regard to lenticel damage on ’Tommy Atkins’ fruit from Numbi, there was no significant difference between the control and plastic cover treatments. However, when compared to fruit from other localities, the Numbi fruit had the highest incidence of lenticel damage, followed by the conventional orchard at Bavaria. The Numbi fruit, which had the highest incidence of lenticel damage, also had the highest pulp and skin nitrogen concentration. Of the four treatments at Bavaria, the LAN treatment had the highest incidence of lenticel damage, but the pulp and skin nitrogen concentrations of this treatment were comparable with the other treatments. The organic fruit had significantly lower lenticel damage incidence and also had the lowest pulp and rind nitrogen concentrations. Similarly, ‘Keitt’ results showed that the intensity of lenticel damage was significantly higher in the orchard that received additional nitrogen in the form of LAN. From the results it was, however, not possible to formulate nitrogen-lenticel damage correlations. The study failed to prove the case for a direct relationship between the disorder and with nitrogen, as there were no significant or consistent correlations with nitrogen content. An interesting relationship was nevertheless observed between lenticel damage and the time of harvest before and after rainfall. The results indicated that both ‘Tommy Atkins’ and ‘Keitt’ fruit become more susceptible to lenticel damage when harvested a day after rainfall and this gradually reduces afterwards. The effect of rainfall in this regard and a sink-source hypothesis arising from these observations are also discussed.
Ultra-low temperature shipping and cold chain management of 'fuerte' avocados (Persea americana Mill.) grown in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
(2011) Lutge, Andre.; Bertling, Isa.; Bower, John Patrick.
‘Fuerte’ makes up 25% of the avocados exported from South Africa to European markets and requires shipping periods of up to 28 days and a correctly managed cold chain. A temperature of 5.5°C and expensive CA and 1-MCP treatments are currently used to delay ripening over this lengthy cold chain; however, fruit still appear on the European market showing signs of softening and physiological disorders. Increased competition on the global market and the disadvantage of a particularly long distance to the European market has challenged the South African export industry. These challenges have necessitated improved road and sea transport logistics, co-ordination with producing countries which supply fruit to European markets over similar periods as South Africa, and research into ultra-low temperature storage to possibly enable future access to new lucrative markets in the USA, China and Japan. It is also known that there are various ‘weak links’ in this cold chain and that cold chain breaks are detrimental to fruit quality, but further research into the negative effects of these cold chain breaks at ultra-low temperatures was needed. Thus, the objective of the study was to determine the potential for shipping ‘Fuerte’ avocados at temperatures of 2°C as well as determining the effects of cold chain breaks on fruit quality, throughout the growing season and possibly for an extended period of 56 days. ‘Fuerte’ avocados were harvested at three different maturity stages reflecting early-, mid- and late-season fruit, with moisture contents of 74%, 68% and 63%, respectively. Fruit were stored at 2°C or 5.5°C, treated with 1-MCP and waxed. Additionally cold chain breaks (24 hour delay and break at 14 days) were implemented. Fruit softening, mass loss, days-to-ripening, external and internal quality as well as antioxidant levels and total sugar levels were determined. The first aim was to determine whether a lower than currently used storage temperature could be a successful alternative to 1-MCP use. A storage temperature of 2°C provided good internal quality as well as reduced mass loss and fruit softening, which is related to the slightly reduced use of C7 sugars at 2°C compared with 5.5°C. Although the overall occurrence of external chilling injury was relatively low, 2°C storage caused a notably higher occurrence of external chilling injury than 5.5°C storage, particularly early in the season, but extended the days-to-ripening. Unfortunately, no correlation between the anti-oxidants in the exocarp and external damage was found. Waxing significantly reduced the external damage on fruit stored at 2°C, so much so, that the treatment combinations of ‘2°C, no 1-MCP, waxed’ showed no external chilling injury throughout the season. Further, waxing fruit at 2°C could eliminate the need for 1-MCP, delivering a product of the required shelf-life and quality. Best results were achieved for mid-season fruit stored at 2°C. Late-season fruit would potentially be the most profitable to store at this low temperature, however, body rots (anthracnose and stem-end rot) were more common in the late-season. Storage at 2°C can therefore maintain the internal quality over a storage period of 28 days and be a potential alternative to 1-MCP use as the season progresses. The effect of cold chain breaks on fruit quality was then investigated and showed that both a delay and a break in the cold chain increased mass loss and fruit softening, reduced days-to-ripening and increased external chilling injury, especially early in the season. Water loss was the main contributor to the decreased fruit quality which resulted from the delay in cooling, increasing external damage significantly, particularly early in the season. The break at 14 days had a marked effect on physiological activity of fruit during storage, seen mainly in the increased metabolic activity, resulting in increased fruit softening and water loss during storage and a decrease in C7 sugars and thus shelf-life, particularly for fruit stored at 5.5°C. Importantly, 1-MCP use and storage at 2°C reduced the effects of cold chain breaks with respect to fruit softening, however, lowering the storage temperature had a greater negating effect than 1-MCP and could be a successful alternative to the use of 1-MCP. The internal quality throughout the experiment was very good, with few internal disorders and no significant treatment effects on internal quality and C7 sugar concentrations. Overall, a break in the cold chain, before and during cold storage, resulted in a marked reduction in fruit quality. The storage temperature of 5.5°C should not be used for a 56 day storage period as it resulted in significant fruit softening during storage, even when 1-MCP was used, and resulted in significantly more external chilling injury in the mid- and late-season than at 2°C. Storage of 1-MCP treated, waxed fruit at 2°C, resulted in the best shelf-life and fruit quality, particularly mid-season fruit which had negligible external chilling injury and 100% sound fruit. Early-season fruit suffered significant external chilling injury at 2°C and late-season fruit had the highest body-rots and internal disorders at this storage temperature. Although mid-season fruit could be successfully stored at 2°C for 56 days, the use of a 56 day storage period is not recommended as a practical storage period, due to the high risk of external damage, particularly if maturity levels are not optimum and trees and fruit are not of the highest quality. Overall this thesis has shown that 1-MCP treatment can play an important role early in the season when fruit are susceptible to external damage, however, storage at 2°C results in good quality fruit and, when used in conjunction with waxing, appears to be a viable alternative to the use of 1-MCP, particularly later in the season. Further, the negative effects of cold chain breaks on fruit quality have been demonstrated and, importantly, the storage temperature of 2°C negates the fruit softening effects of these breaks, even if 1-MCP is not used.

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