Effect of temperature on anthocyanin accumulation in apple fruit as affected by cultivar, stage of fruit ripening and bagging

SummaryNon-bagged and bagged apples of cvs Jonathan, Fuji, Jonagold and Tsugaru were harvested at different stages of ripening and irradiated with light at 15, 20 and 25°C. The changes in anthocyanin accumulation during ripening varied with temperature, cultivar and bagging or otherwise. In ‘Jonathan’, the optimum temperature for anthocyanin accumulation increased clearly from 15°C to 25°C in non-bagged and from 20°C to 25°C in bagged fruit as it ripened. In ‘Fuji’ and ‘Jonagold’, 20 and 15°C, respectively, were always the optimum for anthocyanin synthesis in non-bagged and bagged apples. In non-bagged and bagged ‘Tsugaru’, the optimum temperaturfe increased from 15°C to 20°C with ripening.