Integration of curing treatments with degreening to control the main postharvest diseases of clementine mandarins

The practical integration of curing treatments with degreening was evaluated on 'Clemenules' mandarins harvested at two maturity stages. Fruit were inoculated with Penicillium digitatum, P. italicum or Geotrichum candidum before: (1) degreening at 20degreesC and 90% RH, with 5-10 mul ml(-1) of ethylene (standard degreening); (2) curing and degreening at 33degreesC for the first 65 h of the degreening process; or (3) degreening at 40degreesC for the first 24 h of the degreening process. Control fruit were kept at 20degreesC without exogenous ethylene exposure. Fruit quality was also evaluated during degreening and the subsequent marketing periods at 20degreesC for 7 days. Seven days after inoculation, both degreening treatments using curing conditions successfully controlled green and blue mold decay, regardless of harvest date. Sour rot was significantly reduced by the degreening treatment at 40degreesC for the first 24 h on late harvested fruit. On early and late harvested fruit, commercially acceptable color (color index, CI greater than or equal to 6) was achieved 1 and 3 days later, respectively, on fruit degreened at 40degreesC for the first 24 h when compared to the standard degreened fruit. Greater softening and lower acidity were observed on late harvested fruit degreened at 40degreesC for the first 24 h compared to standard degreened fruit after a marketing period. Soluble solids did not differ among the treatments. A curing treatment at 40degreesC for 24 h could be integrated with the cur-rent degreening process to control green and blue mold decay without deleterious effects on fruit market quality of early season mandarins. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.