Post-Harvest Physiology of Fruits

Preharvest drop of fruit can result in losses to a grower that may exceed 50% of the total crop. There is a need to find effective ways to keep fruit on the tree until it achieves an acceptable level of quality and maturity. Compounds that can potentially be used to influence preharvest drop are also known to affect ripening and fruit quality. Therefore, the effect of strategies that control preharvest drop must also be evaluated for their effects on fruit quality and storage potential. Ethylene is a gas and a hormone that hastens flesh firmness loss and reduces the effective storage life of apples. Reduction in the ethylene in storage has the potential to extend storage life and improve fruit quality. We intend to reduce ethylene in Controlled Atmosphere (CA) rooms using a scrubber which effectively burns ethylene and converts it to carbon dioxide.