FUMIGATION OF SWEET CHERRY (PRUNUS-AVIUM BING) FRUIT WITH LOW-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT ALDEHYDES FOR POSTHARVEST DECAY CONTROL

Bing sweet cherries were inoculated with conidia of Penicillium expansum and then fumigated with acetaldehyde, propanal, butanal, or pentanal vapors. Conidial germination was prevented at the higher concentrations of acetaldehyde, propanal, and butanal, but extensive stem browning and fruit phytotoxicity also occurred. Stem browning was induced at lower aldehyde concentrations than fruit phytotoxicity. Treatment combinations (concentration, exposure duration) were identified that minimized decay in the absence of fruit phytotoxicity, indicating a potential use of aldehyde fumigation for processing applications.