Effect of calcium and fungicide treatments on postharvest fungal disorders in sweet cherries stored under normal and modified atmosphere packaging conditions

The effect of calcium (Ca) and fungicides on fungal pathogens of sweet cherries, cvs. Bing and 0900 Ziraat, in Normal Atmosphere (NA) and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) was investigated. The most effective treatment was MAP+iprodione. The MAP+iprodione treatments reduced the percentage of rotted fruit in cv. Bing from 23.40 to 7.74% and from 11.89 to 5.75% at the end of the trials in 1998 and 1999, respectively, and in cv. 0900 Ziraat from 20.14 to 12.90% and from 23.62 to 5.50% in 1998 and 1999, respectively. It was concluded that sweet cherry cvs. Bing and 0900 Ziraat could be stored under MAP conditions for 32 days and 62 days, respectively. The fungi most frequently isolated from sweet cherry cvs. Bing and 0900 Ziraat were Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium expansum, Moniliniafructicola, Alternaria alternata and Rhizopus stolonifer. The efficiency of Ca, captan and iprodione on these fungi were investigated under in vitro and in vivo conditions, and iprodione was found to be the most effective.