Introduction. The objective
of this study was to examine the relationships among the ripening
attributes of ‘Honeycrisp’ apples at harvest and after storage,
and the direct and indirect contributions of these attributes to
peel greasiness and the incidence of soft scald and soggy breakdown
during storage using correlation and path-coefficient analyses. Materials
and methods. Fruit were harvested from a commercial orchard
at least five times throughout the commercial harvest period during four
subsequent years (2008 to 2011). In two of the years, fruit were
stored in air for 3 months at 3 °C and/or in a controlled atmosphere
(1–2 kPa O2 + 1–2 kPa CO2) for 6 months at 3 °C. Fruit were analyzed
at harvest and after storage. Results and discussion.
Negative correlations were detected between internal ethylene concentration
(IEC) and soluble solids concentration (SSC) or titratable acidity
(TA) (the higher the IEC, the lower the SSC and TA) and a positive
correlation between firmness and TA (the higher the firmness, the
higher the TA). More peel greasiness and higher incidence of soggy
breakdown during storage were associated with lower firmness, SSC
and TA. Negative correlations were also detected between the incidence of
soft scald and IEC or peel greasiness. The results of the path-coefficient
analyses suggest that, in ‘Honeycrisp’, interrelationships among
postharvest ripening indices and each individual disorder differ. Three
possible path models for the interrelationships among ripening attributes (independent variables)
and the incidence of peel greasiness, soft scald and soggy breakdown
(dependent variables) are presented.