Iranian Journal of Horticultural Science

Iranian Journal of Horticultural Science

Effect of calcium and boron spray application on fruit’s quantitative and qualitative characteristics of ‘Golab-e Kohanz’ apple

Document Type : Full Paper

Authors
Shahram Azadi Bougar 1
Ali Gharaghani 2
1 Former M.Sc. Student, Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
10.22059/ijhs.2017.133069.844
Abstract
In order to study the foliar application effect of calcium and boron on fruit quantitative and qualitative characteristics of ‘Golab-e kohanz’ apple, an experiment was carried out for two years. Experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design with 10 treatments and 4 replications (totally include 40 trees). The treatments included calcium chloride (CaCl2) with 3 concentrations of 0.5%, 0.75% and 1%, calcium chloride with 3 mentioned concentrations + 0.05% Boric Acid, and three commercial calcium fertilizer, Calsiogreen (34% Ca), Calboron (34% Ca + 1% B) and Set (8% Ca + 0.5% B), and control. Pre-harvest fruit drop, some of fruit quantitative and qualitative traits, potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and boron (B) content, as well as some antioxidant enzymes activities including Catalase (CAT), Ascorbic peroxidase (APX), and Super oxide dismutase (SOD) were measured. Results showed that almost all of Ca treatments (single, in combination with B and even commercial Ca fertilizers) comparing to the control, decreased pre-harvest fruit drop, bruising and russetting incidence as well as fruit color but increased firmness, pH, ascorbic acid, Ca and B as well as antioxidant enzymes activities. Combined treatments of Ca and B performed better results or had no significant difference with single Ca treatments in many of evaluated fruit characteristics. However, there were no significant differences among different concentrations of Calcium chloride as well as between calcium chloride and commercial Ca fertilizers in most of the measured fruit characteristics but generally calcium chloride of 0.75% combined with 0.05% boric acid was the best treatment.
Keywords
Antioxidant Enzymes
Apple
boron
Calcium Chloride
fruit firmness
pre-harvest drop
Subjects
  1. Angeletti, P., Castagnasso, H., Miceli, E., Terminiello, L., oncellón, A., Chaves, A. & Vicente, A. R. (2010). Effect of preharvest calcium applications on postharvest quality, softening and cell wall degradation of two blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) varieties. Postharvest Biology & Technology, 58, 98-103.
  2. A.O.A.C. (1995). Official methods of analysis. (16th Edn.) Association of Official Analytical Chemists International, Arlington, Virginia, U.S.A.
  3. Arzani, K., khoshghalb, H., Malakouti, M. J. & Barzegar, M. (2010). Effect of Ca, Zn and B applications and harvest time on fruits polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity in two Asian pear (Pyrus serotina Rehd.) cultivars during storage. Journal of Crops Improvement, 12(2), 1-9. (in Farsi)
  4. Atkinson, R. G., Schroder, R., Hallett, I.C.  Cohen, D. & MacRae, E. A. ) 2002(. Overexpression of polygalacturonase in transgenic apple trees leads to a range of novel phenotypes involving changes in cell adhesion. Plant Physiology, 129, 122-133.
  5. Awad, M. A. & Jager, A. (2000). Flavonoid and chlorogenic acid changes in skin of ‘Elstar’ and ‘Jonagold’ apples during and after regular and ultra-low oxygen storage. Postharvest Biology & Technology, 20, 15-24.
  6. Beauchamp, C. & Fridovich, I. (1971). Superoxide dismutases: improved assays and an assay predictable to acrylamide gels. Annual Biochemistry, 44, 276-287.
  7. Bennewitz, E. V., Cooper, T., Benavides, C., Losak, T. & Hlusek, J. (2011). Response of “Jonagold” apple trees to Ca, K and Mg fertilization in an andisol in southern Chile. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 11(3), 71-81.
  8. Blanco, A., Fernández, V. & Val, J. (2010).  Improving the performance of calcium-containing spray formulations to limit the incidence of bitter pit in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) Scientia Horticulturae, 127, 23-28.
  9. Casero, T., Benavides, A. L. & Recasens, I. (2010). Interrelation between fruit mineral content and pre-harvest calcium treatments on ‘Golden smoothee’ apple quality. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 33, 27-37.
  10. Chatzissavvidis, C. & Therios, I. (2010). Response of four olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars to six B concentrations: growth performance, nutrient status and gas exchange parameters. Scientia Horticulturae, 127, 29-38.
  11. Codling, E. E., Mulchi, C. L. & Chaney, R. L. (2007). Grain yield and mineral element composition of maize grown on high phosphorus soils amended with water treatment residual. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 30, 225-240.
  12. Creasy, L. L. (1980). The correlation of weather parameters with russet of ‘Golden Delicious’ apples under orchard conditions. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, 105, 735-738.
  13. Dhindsa, R. S., Plumb-Dhindsa, P. & Thorpe, T. A. (1981). Leaf senescence: correlated with increased levels of membrane permeability and lipid peroxidation, and decreased levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase. Experimental Botany, 32, 93-101.
  14. Dong, X., Wrolstad, R. E. & Sugar, D. (2000). Extending shelf life of fresh-cut pears. Jornal of Food Science, 65, 181-186.
  15. Dugger, W. M.  (1983). Boron in plant metabolism. In: Lauchli, A., R.I. Bieleski, (eds). Encylopedia of Plant Physiology, New series, New York, Springer, pp. 626-650.
  16. Fallahi E, Conway, W. S., Hickey, K. D. & Sams, C. E. (1997). The role of calcium and nitrogen in post harvest quality and disease resistance of apples. HortScience, 32, 831-835.
  17. Goulao, L. F. & Oliveira, C. M. (2008). Cell wall modifications during fruit ripening: when a fruit is not the fruit. Trends Food Science & Technology, 19, 4-25.
  18. Hadian-Deljou, M. & Sarikhani, H. (2012). Effect of salicylic acid on maintaining post-harvest quality of apple cv. ،Golabe-Kohanz.  Journal of Crops Improvement, 14 (2), 71-82. (in Farsi)
  19. Harker, F. R., Kupferman, E. M., Marin, A. B. Gunson, F. A.  & Triggs, C. M.  (2008). Eating quality standards for apples based on consumer preferences. Postharvest. Biology & Technology, 50, 70-78.
  20. Huber, D. J. (1984). The role of cell wall hydrolase in fruit softening. Horticultural Reviews, 5, 169-219.
  21. Jones, H. G., Higgs, K. H. & Samuelson, T. J.  (1983). Calcium uptake by developing apple fruits. Seasonal changes in calcium content of fruits. Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 58, 173-182.
  22. Kazemi, M., Aran, M. & Zamani, S. (2011). Effect of salicylic acid treatments on quality characteristics of apple fruits during storage. American Journal of Plant Physiology, 6(2), 113-119.
  23. Kadir, S. A. (2004). Fruit quality at harvest of Jonathan apple treated with foliarly-applied calcium chloride. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 27, 1991-2006.
  24. Knee, M. & Srivastava, P. (1995). Binding of calcium by cell walls and estimation of calcium in apple fruit tissue with an ion selective electrode. Postharvest Biology & Technology, 5, 19-27.
  25. Klein, B. & Perry, A. (2006). Ascorbic acid and vitamin A activity in selected vegetables from different geographical areas of the United States. Journal of Food Science, 47, 941-945.
  26. Kou, L., Yang, T., Luo, Y., Liu, X., Huang, L. & Codling, E. (2014). Pre-harvest calcium application increases biomass and delays senescence of broccoli microgreens. Postharvest Biology & Technology, 87, 70-78.
  27. McGlone, V. A., Jordan, R. B., Seelye, R. & Clark, C. J. (2003). Dry matter- a better predictor of the post-storage soluble solids in apples? Postharvest Biology & Technology, 28, 431-435.
  28. Lancaster, J. E., Grant, J. E. & Lister, C. E. (1994). Skin color in apples- influence of pigmentation and plastid pigments on shade and darkness of red color in five genotypes. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, 119, 63-69.
  29. Liu, H., Chen, F., Yang, H., Yao, Y., Gong, X. & Xin, Y. (2009). Effect of calcium treatment on nanostructure of chelate-soluble pectin and physicochemical and textural properties of apricot fruits. Food Research International, 42, 1131-1140.
  30. Lötze, E., Joubert, J. & Theron, K. I.  (2008). Evaluating pre-harvest foliar calcium applications to increase fruit calcium and reduce bitter pit in ‘Golden Delicious’. Scientia Horticulturae, 116, 299-304.
  31. Mostoufi, Y., Hajizadeh, M. & Ebrahimzadeh Mosavi, A. (2007). Maintaining of quality and extending storability of Iranian local apple golab kohanz by modified atmosphere packaging. Seed and Plant Improvement Journal, 23(1), 87-99. (in Farsi)
  32. Miller, R. H. (1982). Apple fruit cuticles and the occurrence of pores and transcuticular canals. Annual Botany 50, 355-3710.
  33. Nakano, Y. & Asada, K. (1981). Hydrogen Peroxide is scavenged by Ascorbate-specific Peroxidase in Spinach Chloroplasts. Plant & cell physiology, 22, 867-870.
  34. Ortiz, A., Graell, J. & Lara, I. (2011). Preharvest calcium applications inhibit some cell wall-modifying enzyme activities and delay cell wall disassembly at commercial harvest of ‘Fuji Kiku, apples, Postharvest Biology & Technology, 62, 161-167
  35. Peng, G., Wu, J., Lu, W. & Li, J. (2013). A polygalacturonase gene clustered into clade E involved in lychee fruitlet abscission. Scientia Horticulturae, 150, 244-250.
  36. Peryea, F. J. (1994). Boron nutrition in deciduous tree fruit. In: Peterson, A.B. and Stevens, R.G. (Eds.), Tree Fruit Nutrition. Good Fruit Grower, Yakima, Washington, pp. 95-99.
  37. Pesis, E., Ebeler, S. E., de Freitas, S. T., Padda, M. & Mitcham, E. J. (2010). Short anaer-obiosis period prior to cold storage alleviates bitter pit and superficial scaldin ‘Granny Smith’ apples. Journal Science Food & Agriculture, 90, 2114-2123.
  38. Rabiei, V., Shirzadeh, E., Sharafi, Y. & Mortazavi, N. (2011). Effects of postharvest applications of calcium nitrate and acetate on quality and shelf-life improvement of “Jonagold” apple fruit. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 5(19), 4912- 4917.
  39. Saure, M. C. (2005). Calcium translocation to fleshy fruit: its mechanism and endogenous control. Scientia Horticulturae, 105, 65-89.
  40. Singh, D., Beloy, J., McInerney, J. & Day, L. (2011). Impact of boron, calcium and genetic factors on vitamin C, carotenoids, phenolic acids, anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity of carrots (Daucus carota). Food Chemistry, 132(3), 1161-1170.
  41. Souty, M., Reich, M., Breuils, L., Chambroy, Y., Jacquemin, G. & Audergon, J. M. (1995). Effects of postharvest calcium treatments on shelf-life and quality of apricot fruit. Acta Horticulturae, 384, 619-623.
  42. Supapvanich, S., Arkajak, R. & Yalai, K. (2012). Maintenance of postharvest quality and bioactive compounds of fresh-cut sweet leaf bush (Sauropus androgynus L. Merr.) through hot CaCl2 dips. International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 47, 2662-2670.
  43. Swietlik, D. & Faust, M. (1984). Foliar nutrition of fruit crops. Horticultural Review, 6, 287-355.
  44. Val, J., Monge, E. Risco, D. & Blanco, A. (2008). Preharvest calcium sprays at high rates increase calcium concentration only in the apple skin.  Est. Exp. de Aula Dei, 202.
  45. Wojcik, P., Wojcik, M. & Klamkowski, K. (2008). Response of apple trees to boron fertilization under conditions of low soil boron availability. Hortticulture Science,116, 58-64.
  46. Wolf, B. (1974). Improvement in the Azomethine-H method for determination of boron. Common Soil Science Plant Annul, 5, 39-44.
Iranian Journal of Horticultural Science
Volume 47, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
Spring 2017
Pages 811-822

  • Receive Date 04 October 2015
  • Revise Date 19 December 2015
  • Accept Date 12 January 2016