Changes in the quality of fruits of four sweet cherry cultivars grown under rain-shelter cultivation during storage at room temperature

This study investigated changes in the quality of fruits of four sweet cherry cultivars (Brooks, Tieton, Black Pearl and Sunburst) grown under rain-shelter cultivation during storage at room temperature and comprehensively evaluated fruit quality via principal component analysis (PCA). With increasing storage duration at room temperature, the fruit skin parameter L* values first increased but then decreased, and the a*, b*, chroma (C*) and hue angle (Ho) values decreased rapidly. At the same time, the changes in fruit texture characteristics such as the hardness, springiness, chewiness, skin strength and flesh firmness parameters were significantly reduced, but the cohesiveness and resilience first rose but then decreased. In contrast, the total soluble solids (TSS) content of the fruit gradually rose, while the weight loss and decay incidence rose rapidly during storage. When the quality of the fruits of the four sweet cherry cultivars during storage was compared, the Black Pearl fruits presented the lowest TSS. Furthermore, the fruit skin color and textural parameters were higher than those of the other three cultivars, and there were significant differences at certain periods. PCA revealed that compared with the fruits of other cultivars, the Black Pearl fruits had the best quality and the longest shelf life, which may be important for improving the postharvest quality of fruits from sweet cherry grown under rain-shelter cultivation and for extending shelf life.