Low-Oxygen High-Carbon Dioxide Controlled Atmosphere Storage for Control of Anthracnose and Chilling Injury of Avocados

Green mold, a predominant disease of citrus fruit, develops when spores of Penicillium digitatum infect extant wounds in fruit epidermal tissue. Development of green mold during shipping limits the distance grapefruit can be surface transported. The objective of this research was to evaluate whether altering the atmosphere during refrigerated storage could suppress development of green mold. In the first two experiments, growth of green mold was evaluated after fruit were stored in ultra-low oxygen (0.05 or 1 kPa) at 14, 16, or 18 °C for up to 21 days. In the last two experiments, grapefruit were stored for 14 or 21 d at 12, 13, or 14 °C in atmospheres containing 2, 5, or 10 kPa oxygen with or without 2, 5, 10, or 20 kPa carbon dioxide. In all experiments, grapefruit were inoculated with 10 or 20 μL of a spore suspension of P. digitatum. Decay progression after storage was monitored by measuring the diameter of the lesion in cm at the demarcated site of inoculation or by subjectively rating percent decayed fruit surface area. Grapefruit not inoculated with P. digitatum had no visible symptoms of green mold. Grapefruit stored under controlled atmosphere had less fruit surface covered with mycelium (5% to 64%) than grapefruit stored in air. Inoculated grapefruit stored in 0.05 kPa oxygen for up to 14 d at 14 or 18 °C had no visible symptoms of green mold upon removal from cold storage, but developed a characteristic green mold lesion after 5 additional days of storage in air at ambient temperature. Results suggest that refrigerated controlled-atmosphere storage combined with wax and a fungicide can enhance control of green mold during shipping.

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Effects of Low Oxygen and High Carbon Dioxide Atmospheres on the Chilling Sensitivity of Cucumber Seedlings

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.32.3.539b ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 539B-539

Author(s):

Mary E. Mangrich ◽

Mikal E. Saltveit

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Chilling Injury ◽

Chilling Tolerance ◽

Low Oxygen ◽

High Carbon ◽

Radicle Growth ◽

Cucumber Seedlings ◽

Carbon Dioxide Levels ◽

The Individual ◽

High Carbon Dioxide

Crops with origins in tropics and subtropics undergo physiological injury when subjected to nonfreezing temperatures below 12°C. Application of heat and chemical shocks to tissue prior to chilling induces chilling tolerance. This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of low oxygen and high carbon dioxide atmospheres on subsequent chilling tolerance. Cucumber seedlings (Cucumis sativus L., cv. Poinsett 76) with radicles 8 to 12 mm long were subjected to 0% to 21% oxygen and/or 0% to 20% CO2 atmospheres for 0 to 72 hr at 2.5 or 15°C. After chilling, they were placed at 25°C for three additional days. Radicle growth was used to assess chilling injury. Modification of the individual germination plates was necessary to ensure seedling exposure to the desired atmospheres. Chilling injury was reduced by exposure to oxygen levels below 1% and to carbon dioxide levels above 5%. Effects of brief exposures were small in comparison to prolonged exposures during chilling. Seed to seed variability was high and obscured some results. The effects of the various atmospheres were greater with the less vigorous seedlings.

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714 PB 394 CHANGES IN AVOCADO FRUIT MEMBRANE LIPIDS DURING CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE STORAGE AND RIPENING

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.29.5.535d ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 535d-535

Author(s):

Dana F. Faubion ◽

Adel A. Kader

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Membrane Lipids ◽

Saturated Fatty Acids ◽

Chilling Injury ◽

Controlled Atmosphere ◽

Sterol Esters ◽

Controlled Atmosphere Storage ◽

Avocado Fruit ◽

Hass Avocado ◽

Atmosphere Storage

California grown `Hass' avocado fruit were stored at 5C, in air or a controlled atmosphere (CA) of 2% oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide. Fruit were evaluated at 0, 3, 6, and 10 weeks, both immediately upon removal from storage and after 5 days at 20C. Severe chilling injury developed in the air-stored fruit after six weeks, while only moderate symptoms were observed in CA stored avocado fruit after 10 weeks. Lipid peroxidation breakdown products increased during storage and ripening in both air and CA treatments. Sterols, sterol esters, glycolipids, and phospholipids were analyzed. There was a shift in composition during storage towards increasingly saturated fatty acids. The fatty acid shift was greater in air, than in CA stored fruit. Results will be discussed concerning their relevance to chilling injury development.

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The effects of carbon dioxide and oxygen concentrations on superficial scald of Granny Smith apples

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.1071/ar9630765 ◽

1963 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 765 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

EA Roberts ◽

EG Hall ◽

KJ Scott

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Oxygen Concentration ◽

Carbon Dioxide Concentration ◽

Good Control ◽

Controlled Atmosphere ◽

Low Oxygen ◽

Controlled Atmosphere Storage ◽

Zero Carbon ◽

Regression Techniques ◽

Atmosphere Storage

In the past, experiments on controlled atmosphere storage have tested specific combinations of carbon dioxide and oxygen, usually in a manner which precludes determination of the effect of change in concentration of these gases. The data from the series of trials discussed in this paper permitted an investigation of the effect of concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxygen on the incidence of scald with simple and multiple linear regression techniques. The method was applied to data from three types of controlled atmosphere storage: (1) Carbon dioxide 2.5–10% at 2.5% oxygen, (2) Oxygen 1.25–20%, at near zero carbon dioxide, (3) Carbon dioxide 3.3–10.9% oxygen 2.2–16%. The relation between scald (Y), carbon dioxide concentration (x), and the reciprocal of oxygen concentration (z), was described by the regression equation: Y = y + b(x – x) + c(z – z), which implies that scald is directly proportional to carbon dioxide concentration and indirectly proportional to oxygen concentration. The effects of changes in concentration of the gases, as estimated by the regression coefficients, were consistent for size of fruit, season, and orchard, but the effect for oxygen was dependent on the method of maintaining the atmosphere. Good control of scald was obtained with low oxygen atmospheres, even after storage for 6–7 months.

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