INFLUENCE OF 1-METHYLOCYCLOPROPENE (1-MCP) ON THE QUALITY AND STORABILITY OF ‘RED JONAPRINCE’ APPLES STORED IN DIFFERENT CONDITIONS

The research was carried out on apples of the cultivar ‘Red Jonaprince’ in two storage seasons of 2015/2016 and 2016/2017. Both 1-MCP-treated and untreated apples were stored for 120 and 150 days at 2°C and 90–92% relative humidity in a regular cold store (NA) and in two atmospheric controlled storages, i.e. 2% CO2 and 2% O2 (CA) and 2% CO2 and 1.2% O2 (ULO). Apples were evaluated directly after the storage and after 7 days of simulated shelf-life. It was shown that storage conditions had significant impact on the value of apple quality traits. The effectiveness of the post-harvest 1-MCP treatment of apples manifested in different manner depending on the tested trait and storage conditions. 1-MCP delayed the softening of apples, but only those stored in CA and ULO. It effectively limited the decrease in titratable acidity, especially of apples from NA and ULO. A positive effect of 1-MCP in NA conditions on the soluble solids content was observed, as well as a reduction in the natural loss of weight and the percentage of fruits with the symptoms of fungal decay.