Previous work by our group has demonstrated the potential feasibility of using high-temperature forced-air (HTFA) treatment for insect disinfestation of nectarines. Fruit quality of nine cultivars tested was unaffected following the application of a HTFA treatment targeted against Mediterranean fruit fly. In an extention of this work, we examined the effect of this treatment on peach and nectarine cultivars that have differing reported susceptibilities to the development of mealiness to determine if HTFA treatment has any effect on the occurrence of this disorder. Fruit were exposed to HTFA over 4 h until the fruit center registered a temperature of 47.2 °C, then stored at 5 °C for 1 to 3 weeks and 2 d at 23 °C, at which time the fruit were visually evaluated for symptoms of mealiness. `Summer Bright', `Ryan Sun', and `Elegant Lady', cultivars susceptible to the development of mealiness, showed a 66%, 24%, and 66% increase in the incidence of mealiness, respectively, due to HTFA treatment. `Summer Grand', a cultivar classified as nonsusceptible, did not develop mealiness in the absence of HTFA treatment, while 81% of the HTFA-treated fruit of this cultivar were classified as mealy following 2 weeks of storage. Enhancement of mealiness in stonefruit by heat is a very detrimental effect that must be carefully considered in the development of HTFA treatments for these commodities.
Influence of colour net shading on quantity and quality of sweet pepper yield