Yield increase and higher flesh firmness of 'Arctic Snow' nectarines both at harvest in Australia and after export to Taiwan following pre-harvest application of ReTain Plant Growth Regulator (aminoethoxyvinylglycine, AVG)

Abstract

The effects ReTain Plant Growth Regulator (830 g in 1000 L water/ha) applied to a commercial block of 'Arctic Snow' nectarines 7 days before the first harvest was assessed in relation to harvest delay, fruit size, fruit quality (flesh firmness and brix), as well as the quality of the fruit following export to Taiwan. The untreated block (0.87 ha) and the ReTain-treated block (1.0 ha) were harvested according to the orchard's standard maturation criteria of background colour, size and percent blush colour. Based on picking schedules, the maturation of the ReTain block was delayed by 2.75 days (P<0.05). The fruit continued to grow during this delay and resulted in a 12.3% increase in yield and an increase of 393 packed cartons/ha. There were more (P<0.001) cartons of ReTain-treated fruit packed in grade sizes 69–78 mm diameter and less of smaller size classes (51–66 mm) compared with untreated fruit. The increase in both the number of cartons of class 1 fruit and fruit size on the ReTain block resulted in a Return on Investment (ROI) of 14.7 : 1 with an additional net return of AU$17 655/ha over the untreated block. There was a correlation between fruit size and flesh firmness with larger fruit being firmer than smaller fruit (P<0.001), however, packed ReTain-treated fruit was 3.2 N firmer on average (P<0.001) than packed untreated fruit for all size grades and from all harvests and packs. Brix levels increased (P<0.001) with fruit size but there was no difference (P = 0.568) between ReTain-treated fruit and untreated fruit. Two containers of fruit (early and late picks) were exported to Taiwan. The containers held a temperature of 0.5–2.0°C for the 14–15 day transit time from Australia to Taiwan. ReTain-treated fruit in both containers was 1.7 N firmer (P = 0.022) than untreated fruit upon arrival in Taiwan. After ambient storage (23°C) of fruit from container 1 for 45 h, fruit firmness declined (P<0.001) from an average of 65.7 to 43.2 N and there was no difference (P = 0.826) between treated or untreated fruit. It is concluded that ReTain application to 'Arctic Snow' nectarines can increase financial returns to growers through increased fruit size and quality benefits as well as maintain a higher flesh firmness following export.