Ripening behavior and physiological disorders of ‘Abate Fetel’ pears treated at harvest with 1-MCP and stored at different temperatures and atmospheres

Abstract ‘Abate Fetel’ pears are susceptible to superficial scald (SupSc), a storage disorder usually prevented by ethoxyquin treatments, which, being recently banned in Italy, may be replaced by alternative methods such as 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment at harvest and dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) storage. Aiming at finding the better strategy to prevent storage disorders and to ensure fruit softening of ‘Abate Fetel’ pears, the effect of 300 nL L −1 1-MCP treatment at harvest in combination with two storage temperatures (−0.5 °C, 1 °C), three oxygen levels (21%, air—NA; 2%, controlled atmosphere—CA; 0.8%, DCA) and two storage times (20 and 28 weeks) was studied. 1-MCP treatment strongly reduced ethylene production in pears stored at −0.5 °C, inhibiting softening, yellowing and the development of SupSc, soft scald (SoftSc) and internal breakdown, regardless storage atmosphere and time. NA and DCA treated pears stored for 28 weeks at 1 °C had a sufficient ethylene production to trigger the ripening process, while CA treated pears stored in the same conditions were less able to recover the ripening capacity. Treated pears stored for 28 weeks at 1 °C developed SupSc in NA and SoftSc in CA fruit, even if the severity was slight and fruit were still marketable. DCA control fruit stored at −0.5 °C for 20 weeks were capable to soften to an eating quality, showing low incidence of storage disorders. NA and CA control fruit stored at −0.5 °C well ripened, but showed a very high SupSc incidence in NA and developed SupSc, SoftSc and internal breakdown, even if at slight severity, in CA. After 28 weeks at −0.5 °C, storage disorders incidence in control fruit dramatically increased in all the atmospheres and pears became unmarketable. Control fruit stored at 1 °C were not marketable having the worst quality characteristics and the highest incidence of storage disorders regardless storage atmosphere and time.