Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Croplife-B and ethephon: Candidates for use in strawberry sustainable organic horticulture

Author(s):

Abbas F. Al-Jamali ^1*, Saeed S. Al-Wardi ^{1, 2}

Recieved Date: 2010-06-23, Accepted Date: 2010-11-03

Abstract:

Strawberry fruit are very susceptible to attack by fungi, particularly Botrytis cinerea, gray mold, control of which is conventionally carried out by the application of fungicides. However, there is a consensus that alternatives to the use of fungicides must be found. Among the non-fungicidal products proposed for the sustainable horticulture production of strawberries is the organic Croplife-B. Another is ethephon whose breakdown products, ethylene, chloride and phosphate ions are all naturally occurring in plants. To investigate the ability of ethephon and Croplife-B to extend strawberry shelf life, Camarosa and Honor cultivars were sprayed pre-harvest for two seasons with either 1000 or 1500 µL L^-1 ethephon for one time and/or Croplife-B weekly at a rate of 300 mL/hectare. Quality was maintained as indicated by unchanged firmness, total soluble solids (TSS ) and titratable acidity (TA). During continuous cold storage (2-6 ^oC) ethephon and Croplife delayed and inhibited the appearance and development of gray mold on strawberry fruits. In another experiment, there was no mold on any of the treatments during five days of cold storage or the first day after transfer to room temperature. Both ethephon and Croplife-B, separately or combined, significantly decreased the percentage of attacked fruits at days nine and ten after harvesting. Following removal from cold storage only the combined Croplife-B + ethephon 1000 µL L^-1 showed no mold after two days at room temperature suggesting a role for ethephon and Croplife in extending strawberry shelf life for sustainable organic horticulture.

Keywords:

Strawberry, Fragaria x ananassa, shelf life, ethephon, ethylene, 1-MCP, 1-methyl cyclopropene, Croplife-B, Botrytis cinerea, gray mold, grey mould, phytoalexins, resveratrol, quality, firmness, softening, total soluble solids, TSS, titratable acidity, TA, natural products, organic, sustainable horticulture, agriculture

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2010
Volume: 8
Issue: 3&4
Category: Agriculture
Pages: 683-688

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