Elevated growing temperatures during the day improve the postharvest chilling tolerance of greenhouse-grown cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit

Kang, H.M.; Park, K.W.; Saltveit, M.E.

Elevated growing temperatures during the day improve the postharvest chilling tolerance of greenhouse-grown cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit

2002

Kang, H.M. | Park, K.W. | Saltveit, M.E.

Growing cucumber fruit in a greenhouse at elevated temperatures during the day increased their tolerance to postharvest chilling. Fruit grown with an average day temperature of 32 +/- 1 degrees C (high temperature) had a storage life (i.e. time to loose 7% fresh weight) of 16 days at 10 degrees C and did not exhibit chilling injury, while fruit grown at 27 +/- 1 degrees C (control) developed symptoms of chilling injury (i.e. appearance of translucent, water-soaked areas in the mesocarp) after 12 days at 10 degrees C. The rate of fresh weight loss and the storage life (i.e. 7% water loss) of fruit from both treatments was 12 days when stored at 20 degrees C. Chilling-induced ion leakage from mesocarp disks was lower from high temperature grown fruit than from control fruit. During storage at 10 degrees, firmness, vitamin C content, and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD; EC 1.15.1.1), and catalase (CAT; EC 1.11.1.6) were higher in high temperature grown fruit than in control fruit. Enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity in high temperature grown fruit may have contributed to increased chilling tolerance.

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