Table 1.
Calyx browning, calyx abscission and firmness level in ‘Afourer’ mandarins exposed to different ethylene concentrations and stored at 20, 10 and 5 °C.
| Quality Parameter/Ethylene Level (µL L−1) | Storage Temperature/Storage Time (Weeks) | Mean | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 °C | 10 °C | 5 °C | |||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Weeks | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 Weeks | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 Weeks | ||
| Calyx browning score | |||||||||||||
| Time-0 | 2.0 | ||||||||||||
| <0.001 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.0 a |
| 0.01 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 b |
| 0.1 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.4 b |
| 1 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.0 c |
| Mean | 3.7 a | 3.4 b | 3.1 c | ||||||||||
| LSD | 0.1 | 0.1 | |||||||||||
| Calyx abscission (%) | |||||||||||||
| Time-0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| <0.001 | 20 | 37 | 42 | 52 | 17 | 25 | 32 | 37 | 12 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 28 a |
| 0.01 | 32 | 42 | 45 | 57 | 22 | 32 | 35 | 42 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 35 | 35 b |
| 0.1 | 35 | 45 | 47 | 62 | 25 | 35 | 37 | 47 | 22 | 30 | 35 | 40 | 38 c |
| 1 | 42 | 50 | 60 | 72 | 37 | 45 | 47 | 60 | 30 | 35 | 37 | 45 | 47 d |
| Mean | 46 a | 35 b | 29 c | ||||||||||
| LSD | 2 | 2.3 | |||||||||||
| Firmness level (N) | |||||||||||||
| Time-0 | 14.7 | ||||||||||||
| <0.001 | 14.2 | 13.1 | 11.9 | 11.6 | 13.3 | 12.7 | 12.4 | 12.3 | 12.9 | 12.5 | 11.9 | 11.3 | 12.5 a |
| 0.01 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 11.0 | 14.2 | 13.2 | 12.1 | 12.6 | 13.0 | 12.6 | 12.3 | 12.2 | 12.6 ab |
| 0.1 | 14.0 | 12.7 | 11.5 | 11.0 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 13.3 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.5 | 12.8 b |
| 1 | 13.7 | 12.2 | 10.5 | 9.9 | 13.1 | 12.3 | 11.9 | 10.9 | 12.6 | 11.5 | 11.1 | 10.5 | 11.7 c |
| Mean | 11.5 a | 12.8 b | 12.2 c | ||||||||||
| LSD | 0.2 | 0.3 | |||||||||||
Values are the means of 4 replicates. Means with the same superscript letter across each column and row are not significantly different at p ≤ 0.05. LSD: Least Significance Difference.