Page 58 - SA Fruit Journal VOLUME 14

of establishing new varieties. SPA 365 has replaced McIntosh as it has the same fla- vour and less bruising. Aurora Golden Gala (Splendour/Gala cross) was rated the best tasting apple. It has good firmness retention with only slight bruising.Pre and postharvest inhibition of eth- ylene production and action by 1-mcp on the quality of apples and other horticultural productsWatkinSCurrently 70% of USA CA stored fruit is treated with 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). Harvista (pre-harvest 1-MCP) is almost as good in controlling ethylene as the posthar- vest 1-MCP treatment. Harvista reduced soft scald on Honeycrisp apples, but can increase CO2 damage. Both Harvista and Retain reduce internal ethylene concentrations. It is best to apply Harvista close to harvest to minimise its impact on colour inhibition.1 MCP:• reduces senescent breakdown in apples• reduces senescence in pears• increases woolliness and internal break- down in peaches and nectarines• reduces core flush of apples and pears• increases CA disorders such as:CO2 injuries of applesflesh browning of apples and pearsAdvances in the developmentof ethyl formate + carbon dioxideto control pests of horticultural commoditiesJaMiESOnEthyl formate (16,7% in 83,3% CO ) is regard-apples are first stored for 6 weeks before treat- ment. There were no sensory differences be- tween treated and untreated fruit.Sex pheromones offer an elegant future for pest controlSuCklinGWhen light brown apple moth was discov- ered in Auckland, authorities conducted 40 aerial bt sprays. This could only be achieved by spending one third of the budget on com- munication with the public. Pheromones are good for surveillance, but an attractant is re- quired for eradication, and chemicals need to be applied before sterile insect release. When conducting eradication, sixteen pheromone traps per hectare provide good results.Advances in application of high pres- sure washing for market accessWOOlFHigh pressure washing can be used to remove surface pests. The most widely used high pres- sure washing system was developed in South Africa by L.J.K. Theron in 1979. This system uses multiple rows of manifolds (7-10), with multiple nozzles on each manifold pointing downwards onto rotating brushes. Systems de- veloped in New Zealand involve a three-nozzle treatment system (side and top nozzles), while another employs a high speed spinning rotor (1 000 rpm) with four inward pointing noz- zles. Low level water blasting at 80 − 100 PSI removes woolly apple aphid. For good control for other insects 800+ PSI is required. While insect removal is the primary aim, they have found other significant benefits such as im- proved visual appearance, reduced disease development, and reduced chemical residues. Equipment requires a high capital cost.Nitric oxide as a fumigant for postharvest pest control and its safety to postharvest qualityof fresh productsliuNitric oxide (NO), is a potent fumigant against insects under ultralow oxygen condi- tions. Nitric oxide inhibits bacterial growth and enhances postharvest life of fruit and vegetables. It is effective against insects such as thrips, codling moth and mealy bug on ap- ples. Nitric oxide reacts with oxygen to pro- duce nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and may cause damage to fumigated products. When fumi- gation chamber was flushed with nitrogen to dilute nitric oxide at the end of fumigation before opening fumigation chamber to am- bient air, the fumigation did not cause any injury to fresh fruit and vegetables. Nitric oxide treatments are currently unregistered, and require a high capital cost.RecommendationsThe following IHC congress will be held in Turkey in 2018. Apart from picking up new trends and ideas in horticulture, as well as valuable information, the IHC congress offers a wonderful networking opportunity.Programme managers and researchers are encouraged to attend the following congress. Turkey has a strong production and techni- cal capability in our smaller industries such as cherries, apricots, figs and pomegranates, and for members of these industries, it will be in- sightful to arrange a tour to their production regions in conjunction with the symposium.• We should place a higher priority on con- sumer studies in our industry.• Make anthocyanin content a focus in our breeding programme.• Investigate the relevance of Index of Ad- sorbance Difference (IAD) for stone fruit.• Should researchers require more informa- tion on specific presentations, they can contact me for the contact details of the presenter. See- ing as we are commencing with a project for disinfestation of grain chinch bug using ethyl formate, we can learn from the New Zealand researchers’ experience with this fumigant.2ed as a GRAS product which can be appliedas a fumigant to disinfest fresh produce. Ethyl formate (0,8 – 1%) exhibited 100% mortality of thrips on apricots. Lepidopterans are more tolerant to ethyl formate. Codling moth on apples were successfully treated, though in- ternal browning can occur at concentrations > 1% over 1 hour. No browning occurs if theTECHNOLOGY 55 FEB | MARCH 2015The next Congress will be held in 2018 in Turkey and four years later France will be the host country