Volume 53(1):21-26, 2009Acta Biologica Szegediensis

http://www.sci.u-szeged.hu/ABS

ARTICLE

1Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Omar AlMukhtar University, EL-Beida, Libya, 2Department of Agricultural Botany, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt

Physiological and anatomical comparison between four different apple cultivars under cold-storage conditions

Saleh A. M. Ghafir1, Suliman O. Gadalla1, Benissa N. Murajei1 and Mohamed Fathi El-Nady2*

ABSTRACT The work was carried out in two successive seasons to investigate the storability of four apple cultivars viz. Golden Delicious, Starking Delicious, Star Cremson and Gala, which were grown under El Jabal El Akhdaer conditions, in Libya. Fruits were harvested and stored at 85-90% relative humidity and 0ºC for 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days. The obtained results exhibited the significant differences between the tested cultivars in the studied parameters comprising physiological and anatomical parameters. The fruits of Star Cremson cv. had a po-tentially good storage properties, as they showed less weight loss, while those of Gala cv. had the highest level of weight loss. On the other hand, Golden Delicious cv. gave the highest values of fruit firmness, while the lowest values were obtained in fruits of Starking Delicious and Star Cremson cvs. fruits. Fruit weight loss % increased, while other studied parameters (firmness rate, TSS%, starch concentration and acidity%) decreased gradually by extending storage period.Anatomical data demonstrated that fruit surface of cvs. Gala and Star Cremson were smooth, while undulate and ripples surfaces were obtained in Starking Delicious and Golden Delicious cvs., respectively at the end of cold storage. Gala fruits had the thick cuticle layer compared to the other cultivars. Crushed parenchymatous cells (cpc) were found in storage tissue in Starking Delicious and Golden Delicious. It may be concluded that the results indicated a great variability among cultivars. All studied parameters of four apple cultivars reduced during cold-storage periods. The highest fruit storability was achieved for Star Cremson.Acta Biol Szeged 53(1):21-26 (2009)

KEY WORDS

Apple cultivarscold-storagecuticlecrushed parenchymatous cells storability

Materials and Methods

Physiological parameters

Fruit weight loss (FWL) %

Chemical parameters

Anatomical parameters

Figure 1. Transfer-sections in surface parts of apple cultivars fruits. 1-2: Gala 3-4: Starking Delicious, 5-6: Star Cremson, 7-8: Golden Delicious. Cuticle (c), parenchyma cells (pc), crushed parenchyma cells (cpc). X 100 (1,3,5 and 7), X 400 (2, 4, 6 and 8).

Figure 2. Means of cuticle thickness (µm) of fruit of four apple cultivars under cold storage conditions.

Statistical analyses

Results and Discussion

Physical and Chemical Parameters

Effect of cultivars

Table 1. Differences between the tested apple cultivars by using some physical and chemical parameters under storage-cold condi-tions.

Apple varieties Weight loss % Firmness rate kg/ cm2 T.S.S % Starch concent. Acidity %2005 2006 2005 2006 2005 2006 2005 2006 2005 2006

Golden DeliciousStarking DeliciousStar CremsonGala

F test

6.89b6.12c5.63d8.7a

**

2.80b2.47c2.42c4.13a

**

2.51c3.16a3.14a2.74b

**

2.48c3.19a3.23a2.85b

**

13.07b13.57ab13.46ab13.94a

**

14.07b14.57ab14.46ab14.91a

**

3.503.503.393.46

NS

3.533.573.393.46

NS

0.16c0.19a0.17b0.18a

**

0.15c0.19a0.17b0.19a

**

Mean values within a column followed by different letter are significantly different at P 0.5 level.

Table 2. Effect of storage periods on some physical and chemical characters of cold-stored fruits.

Storage periods

Weight loss % firmness rate kg/ cm2 T.S.S % Starch concent. Acidity %2005 2006 2005 2006 2005 2006 2005 2006 2005 2006

0 day30 day60 day90 day120 day150 day180 dayF test

0.00f6.05e7.16d8.06c8.38d9.23a9.03a**

0.00g2.26f2.71e3.12d3.61c4.23b4.77a**

4.47a2.44d3.57a2.64c3.00b273c2.44d**

3.63a2.75d2.89c2.81c2.74d3.11b2.63e**

14.25a13.87b13.68c13.56bc13.34cd13.09de12.78e**

15.25a14.88b14.69bc14.56cd14.34de14.09ef13.72f**

5.18a5.00a3.68b3.25c3.25c3.06d1.68e**

5.21a5.06a3.75b3.43b2.93c2.37d1.68e**

0.23a0.22a0.21b0.19c0.16d0.12e0.11f**

0.24a0.22b0.21c0.19c0.16e0.11f0.10g**

Mean values within a column followed by different letter are significantly different at P 0.5 level.

Effect of cold-storage periods

Table 3. Effect of apple cultivars and storage periods interactions on some physical and chemical characters of fruits stored under cold conditions.

Varieties Storage periods

Weight loss % Firmness rate kg/ cm2

T.S.S % Starch concent. Acidity %

2005 2006 2005 2006 2005 2005 2006 2005 2006 2005

Golden Delicious

Starking Delicious

Star Cremson

Gala

F test

0 day30 day60 day90 day120 day150 day180 day

0 day30 day60 day90 day120 day150 day180 day

0 day30 day60 day90 day120 day150 day180 day

0 day30 day60 day90 day120 day150 day180 day

0.00g6.03mn6.86kl7.97gh8.56f9.32e9.50de

0.00g5.57po6.27m7.23j7.12jk8.29fg8.56f

0.00g5.25p5.83no6.33m6.76l7.61i7.68hi

0.00g7.35ij9.67d10.72c11.08b10.57c11.69a**

0.00g1.88p2.57m-o2.66k-m3.48g-i4.37de4.86c

0.00g1.98op2.50l-n2.54l-n2.94j-l3.39h-j3.95ef

0.00g1.69p2.09n-p2.76k-m3.06i-k3.51f-i3.83f-h

0.00g3.47g-i3.87fg4.53b4.96cd5.63b6.43a**

3.81bc1.97n3.11fg2.23k-n2.47jk2.07l-n1.93n

3.17e-g2.82h3.93ab3.09fg3.21ef3.28ef2.84h

3.31ef2.03mn4.12a2.74hi3.73de3.30ef3.14e-g

3.61cd2.93gh3.12fg2.50ij2.93gh2.30j-l2.84n**

5.35d-f2.75h-k2.63i-k2.30lm2.14m2.08m2.12m

3.89a3.61b-d3.27ef2.92h2.77h-k3.23fg2.63ik

3.49c-f3.13m3.62a-d3.52b-e3.23fg3.63a-c2.99gh

3.79ab2.52j-l2.03m2.50kl2.80hi3.51c-e2.78h-i**

13.6213.3713.0013.5013.1212.5012.37

14.5013.8714.0013.513.3713.001275

14.2513.6213.5013.3713.0013.3713.12

14.6214.6214.2513.8713.8713.5012.87NS

14.6214.3814.0014.5014.1213.5013.38

15.5014.8815.0014.5014.3814.0013.75

15.2514.6214.5014.3814.0014.3814.12

15.6215.6215.2514.8814.8814.5013.62NS

5.504.753.753.253.002.501.75

5.255.003.503.252.752.752.00

4.755.003.753.253.252.251.50

5.255.253.753.253.252.001.50NS

5.505.006.253.753.253.002.50

1.755.255.003.503.752.752.00

4.755.004.003.502.752.251.50

5.255.253.753.253.252.001.50NS

0.28a0.22cd0.19fg0.16i0.12j0.08k0.05l

0.21d-f0.20e-g0.24bc0.20d-g0.16i0.15i0.16i

0.20g-e0.21g-d0.20g-e0.22c-e0.17hi0.13j0.11j

0.22cd0.26b0.21d-f0.16gh0.19f-h0.11j0.11j**

0.280.21d-f0.18h0.15i0.12jk0.07l0.04m

0.22de0.20f-h0.23cd0.20e-h0.16i0.15i0.16i

0.20e-h0.21e-g0.20f-h0.21d-f0.16i0.13j0.10k

0.24bc0.25b0.21d-f0.19h0.19g-h0.11jk0.10k**

Effect of apple cultivars and storage periods interactions

References

Table 4. Means of cuticle thickness of fruit of four apple culti-vars stored under cold conditions.

Cultivars Means of cuticle thickness (µm)

GalaStarking DeliciousStar CremsonGolden Delicious

20. 6a 13.8b 12.3c 14.3b

Mean values within a column followed by different letter are significantly dif-ferent at P 0.5 level.