Postharvest storability of ‘Isadora’ apples is unaffected by ethylene: Characterizing a new ethylene-insensitive cultivar

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ethylene-sensitivity of ‘Isadora’ apples. Apples treated with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) and untreated were exposed to different concentrations of exogenous ethylene. The treatments tested were: 1) Ethylene at 0 (control), 1, 10, 100 µL L-1; 2) 0 µL L-1 ethylene + 1-MCP at 1µL L-1 applied every two days; and 3) 10 µL L-1 ethylene + 1-MCP at 1 µL L-1 at the beginning. Ethylene was applied daily, and the fruit were exposed for two hours over fifteen days. Exogenous application of ethylene and 1-MCP did not affect the ethylene production, skin background degreening, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, and flesh firmness in untreated apples. All treatments after fifteen days were compared with the values at harvest and even untreated fruit showed differences. Although the fruits were exposed to exogenous ethylene, no flesh firmness losses were observed. The impact of ethylene on the ripening of ‘Isadora’ apples was found to be insignificant. This suggests that thiscultivar tolerates high concentrations of ethylene, thereby maintaining its quality for a prolonged postharvest period and resulting in enhanced storability. It can be concluded that the ‘Isadora’ apples are either ethylene-insensitive ordisplays a low sensitivity.