packing
dates
when kiwifruit
had
firmness values
equal to
or less than
4.0 lbf. Decay
was not observed
during
this cold-storage
trial.
We observed
a difference
in the
rates of fruit
softening under
laboratory
versus bin air
storage. Under
laboratory
conditions, it took 1 week longer to
reach 5.0 lbf than under commercial
bin storage conditions. This may be
due to better circulation of air around
the fruit under laboratory conditions,
or possibly the difference in the
weight of fruit upon fruit. It is important
to point out that the softening rate
of a given size of kiwifruit during ethylene-
free storage is also influenced by
orchard factors. For instance, Johnson
and others (1997) have reported the influence
of different nitrogen application
rates and the nitrogen/calcium ratios
on kiwifruit softening.