Packaging treatments under fluctuating
temperatures (2009–2010). Similar to fruit
harvested in 2008, seasonal differences in
visual quality and disease incidence were
observed for longans harvested in Nov. 2009
and Mar. 2010 (Table 3). After 14-d storage,
only fruit in CL at 10 C retained average
visual quality in the November test, whereas
all treatments had visual quality ratings >3 in
the March test, regardless of temperature regime.
The lower quality for the November
harvest was related to much higher disease
incidence, compared with the March harvest.
Rainfall was 74% of normal during the 3
months before the Nov. 2009 harvest but only
31% of normal during Jan. to Mar. 2010. This
may account for lower disease incidence for
longans harvested in 2010. In March, fruit
packaged in CL or PF had the lowest disease
incidence after 14 d at 10 C (Table 3). For
both harvest dates, there were no disease
differences among the package treatments
when stored under the SS temperature regime.
Peel color values showed that longans in CL
or PF retained a lighter yellow color when
compared with fruit in MP, especially at
constant 10 C.