PEACH POSTHARVEST DISORDERS

Corky Spot Inking and/or Skin Burning Double and Lack of Red Color Split Pit Internal Breakdown Freezing Damage Ammonium Damage

PEACH AND NECTARINE CORKING

OBSERVATIONS
Most importantly, in seasons in which March and April temperatures are significantly cooler than normal. Check cultivars and avoid stimulating excessive vigor. Of the options that are commonly available to growers, reduction of nitrogen and summer pruning offers the greatest potential for reducing corking expression in orchards. Trees should be summer pruned sometime in May or early June by significantly reducing the number of total growing points.

Heavy summer pruning ~ 60 days BH reduced corking. right). Summer pruning reduces the competition between growing shoots and developing fruits, allowing resource(s) to be diverted to fruit.

Detailed view of heavy summer pruning showing removal of many shoot growth points. SP

WATER STRESS

EXCESS NITROGEN
Excess nitrogen fertilization (3.0%) did not increase fruit yield or improve fruit quality. Reduce red color formation. Increase shoots, flowers and fruit brown rot susceptibility. Increase OFM & PTB damage. Increase weight loss. In peach, leaf N levels between 2.8 and 3.0% were sufficient for optimum crop production.

SPLIT PIT

SPLIT PIT
Peaches with split pit are flattened at end of the fruit. Often symptoms are not seen until the fruit is cut open. The pit is torn apart or split along the dorsal-ventral suture.
Peach split pit is caused by cultural practices that promote rapid growth such as excessive thinning , temperature changes, or irregular watering during the pit hardening stage. Avoid thinning until after pits are mature and hard.

INTERNAL BREAKDOWN
Mealiness Flesh browning Lack of flavor

Failure to ripen

Lurie and Crisosto. 2005. Postharvest Biology and Technology 37: 195-208.

Effect of Temperature on Carnival Peach Internal Breakdown After Storage Plus 2 Days at 68F

0C

2.2C

5C

Killing Temperature Range

7.2C

10C

Smith, W.H., 1934. Cold storage of Elberta peaches. Ice and Cold Storage. 37, 54-57. Crisosto, et al., 1999. Susceptibility to chilling injury of peach, nectarine, and plum cultivars grown in California. HortScience 34(6):1116-1118

CULTIVAR CI SUSCEPTIBILITY
OHenry August Red May Glo Fay Elberta Carnival Rich Lady Spring Red Summer Lady White Lady Georgia Belle

0% of fruit

100% of fruit

June Sun Ruby Diamond Flavorcrest Summer Grand Sugar Giant

Last Chance Parade Ryan Sun Autumn Rose Elegant Lady

Some cultivars are consistently susceptible suggesting a

STRONG GENETIC INFLUENCE

Stone fruit temperature measured upon arrival at the retail warehouse after 3 days truck shipment, 1996.

Temperature Temperature (F) (F) <35 <35 35-50 35-50 >50 >50

Percent Percent of of Shipment Shipment Nectarine Peach Plum Nectarine Peach Plum (n=103) (n=102) (n=87) (n=103) (n=102) (n=87) 14.7 14.7 69.6 69.6 15.7 15.7 5.9 5.9 79.4 79.4 14.7 14.7 4.6 4.6 71.4 71.4 24.0 24.0

FORCED AIR COOLING

1.0 CFM/LB

PEACH DELAYED COOLING

(43% Mealy) (0% Mealy)

0C 20 Days
(100% Mealy)

20C 48 Hours + 0C 20 Days`

(0% Mealy)

5C 20 Days

20C 48 Hours + 5C 20 Days

Crisosto, Carlos H., David Garner, Harry L. Andris, and Kevin R. Day. Controlled delayed cooling extends peach market life. HortTechnology 14:99-104.

Crisosto, C.H., D. Garner, H.L. Andris, and K.R. Day. 2004. Controlled delayed cooling extends peach market life. HortTechnology 14(1): 99-104.

PEACH INKING

Crisosto, C.H., R.S. Johnson, K.R. Day, B. Beede, and H. Andris. 1999. California Agriculture 53(1):19-23.

Inking incidence of fruit sampled after transportation and packing operations average of 'Flavorcrest', 'Elegant Lady', and 'O'Henry' peaches (1992).
100
SD (%)

80

FRUIT (%)

60 40 20 0

Transportation

Packinghouse
Cheng, G.W., Crisosto, C.H., 1994. J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 119, 529-533.

SAMPLING LOCATION

PEACH INKING ANATOMICAL STUDIES

Crisosto, C.H., R.S. Johnson, and J. Luza. 1993. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 118(6):796-800.

ABRASION

CONTAMINATION

INKING

Cheng, G.W., Crisosto, C.H., 1994. J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 119, 529-533. Cheng, G.W., Crisosto, C.H., 1995. J. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. 120, 835-838. Cheng, G.W., Crisosto, C.H., 1997. J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 122, 95-99.

CAN WE IDENTIFY SOURCES OF CONTAMINATION?

15-21 DBH
Carlos H. Crisosto, Huating Dou, Gayle Crisosto, and Kevin R. Day. CTFA Report 2008.

WHITE FLESH SKIN BURNING DISCOLORATION

Cantin, CM, Day, K, Crisosto, GM, Crisosto, CH. Central Valley Postharvest Newsletter 2009 Vol.18 No.2: 2-5.

Postharvest white flesh skin burning incidence, for Snow Giant and Snow King after transportation and after packing (2008).
20

Skin burning incidence (%)

15

10

0 Af ter Transportation Af ter Processing

Carlos H. Crisosto, Huating Dou, Gayle Crisosto, and Kevin R. Day. CTFA Report 2008.

PACKINGLINE DESIGN
RECEIVING Dumping Washing-Brushing Waxing Sorting Sizing Packing Cooling (Room or FAC

Long Dry
Long Wet Short Dry

Incidence of skin burning disorder affected by type of cooling of Snow Princess peach.

Snow Princess

BRUSHING AND WASHING

Free Chlorine 50-100ppm We found that pH ranged from 6.5-9.1. Most of the pH water samples were found to fall in a cluster of ~ 8.3. In general our well and /or tap water pH is ~7.4, but when hypochlorite is applied, the pH increases from 7.4 to 9.0 depending on chlorine dose concentration.

Effect of high pH on skin burning disorder

No susceptible cultivar

Susceptible cultivar

pH 7.0

7.5

8.0

8.5

9.0

Tips to Prevent Skin Burning Disorder

Based on our current work, it looks like the skin burning disorder is triggered by the combination of physical damage during harvesting-hauling combined with postharvest stresses. -Reduce physical damage during harvesting-postharvest handling. - Control your pH during washing-brushing. - Use room cooling (R.C.) rather than forced air cooling (F.A.C). - Reduce fruit water losses during harvesting-postharvest handling. - Get current information (web sites).

Can we reduce physical damage during harvesting and hauling?

TOP

BOTTOM

Potential inking damage of Snow Giant peach picked using three harvesting systems.
Treatment Harvesting System Field Packed Field Packed Totes Totes Half-bins Half-bins Skin Discoloration Disorder (SSD)

x
X X X X X X

Bin Position
Top Position Bottom Position Top Position Bottom Position Top Position Bottom Position

(mm2)

0.6 2.0 28.0 9.1 30.4 31.6

VERY DIFFICULT & EXPENSIVE!

AMMONIUM DAMAGE

AMMONIUM DAMAGE

FREEZING DAMAGE

Where can we get postharvest information?

For information contact: chcrisosto@ucdavis.edu http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu. http://fruitandnuts.ucdavis.edu