This research had the objective of studying the effects of preharvest spraying with gibberellic acid (GA3) and aminoethoxyvinilglycine (AVG) on preharvest fruit drop, fruit maturity and fruit quality of peach, cultivar Rubidoux. The experiment consisted of a randomized complete block design, with four replicates, comprising six treatments derived from combinations of two doses of GA3 (0 and 100 mg L-1) and three doses of AVG (0, 75, and 150 mg L-1). GA3 and AVG were sprayed about six and three weeks before commercial fruit harvest, respectively. Treatments with GA3 (100 mg L-1) and AVG (75 and 150 mg L-1) delayed fruit maturity at harvest and during cold storage (4 weeks at 0-2ºC/90-95% RH), resulting in a better retention of skin background color, the least reduction of flesh firmness, the least increasing of acidity, and the least increasing of soluble solids content (ºBrix). The treatment with GA3 (100 mg L-1) was more effective than AVG (75 and 150 mg L-1) to delay fruit maturity. In addition, GA3 reduced the number of fruit with skin splitting and decay, increased the fruit average weight at harvest, and reduced the incidence of flesh browning after cold storage. The AVG increased fruit skin splitting.
Prunus persica L.; gibberellin; ethylene; fruit preharvest drop; decay; disorders; postharvest quality
