• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.212-220
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• 2014

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), a known ethylene action inhibitor, on fruit quality and incidence of physiological disorders during simulated marketing period in Asian pears (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) of early-season cultivar 'Hanareum' and mid-season cultivar 'Manpungbae'. Flesh firmness was decreased abruptly at 15 days after shelf-life in untreated fruit of early-season cultivar 'Hanareum' which showed less than 19N, although those of 1-MCP-treated fruits were kept high value (>28N) during 15 days of shelf-life. However, there were no distinct firmness changes during 30 days of shelf-life in mid-season cultivar 'Manpungbae' pear. Two pear cultivars did not show any considerable differences in quality indices such as soluble solids content, titratable acidity and skin color during the shelf-life regardless of 1-MCP treatment. The reduction of ethylene production level by 1-MCP treatment did not appeared in 'Hanareum' pear. Meanwhile, 1-MCP treated 'Hanareum' pears showed significantly low respiration rate during shelf-life. On the other hand, the inhibitory effect of 1-MCP was not remarkable in mid-season 'Manpungbae' pears. 1-MCP treatment completely blocked the incidence of physiological disorders including core browning and mealiness symptom during shelf-life only in early-season 'Hanareum' pears, and reduced considerably the pithiness disorder regardless of 1-MCP concentration. Consequently, we concluded that the treatment efficacy of 1-MCP is largely cultivar-dependent and the use of $1{\mu}L{\cdot}L^{-1}$ 1-MCP was recommended for the keeping quality and the prevention of physiological disorders only in early-season Asian pear 'Hanareum'.