Using Density Measurements to Study the Effect of Excision, Storage, Abscisic Acid, and Ethylene on Pithiness in Celery Petioles

The density of excised 2-cm celery (Apium graveolens L.) petiole segments was highly correlated with a subjective evaluation of pithiness. Loss of density and the appearance of pithiness was stimulated by lengthening the duration of storage, raising the storage temperatures above 0C, and excising petiole segments. Segments excised from the upper two-thirds of the petiole lost less density during storage than segments excised from the bottom third of the petiole. Segments with initial high densities lost slightly less density during storage at 5C for 5 weeks than segments that were initially less dense. The extent of pithiness development varied significantly among six cultivars held at 5C for 2 weeks. Treating whole petioles with 1 μ m abscisic acid for 4 days significantly increased density loss. Exposing petiole segments to up to 100 μl·liter -1 ethylene in humidified air for up to 2 weeks at 5C did not significantly change density over air controls. The loss of density and the development of pithiness in lightly processed celery petioles could be reduced by selecting resistant cultivars, monitoring water stress during growth, using only segments excised from the upper two-thirds of the petiole, and selecting segments with initial high densities.