Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 July 2013
Introduction. The objectiveof this study was to examine the relationships among the ripeningattributes of ‘Honeycrisp’ apples at harvest and after storage,and the direct and indirect contributions of these attributes topeel greasiness and the incidence of soft scald and soggy breakdownduring storage using correlation and path-coefficient analyses. Materialsand methods. Fruit were harvested from a commercial orchardat least five times throughout the commercial harvest period during foursubsequent years (2008 to 2011). In two of the years, fruit werestored 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 analyzedat 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 positivecorrelation between firmness and TA (the higher the firmness, thehigher the TA). More peel greasiness and higher incidence of soggybreakdown during storage were associated with lower firmness, SSCand TA. Negative correlations were also detected between the incidence ofsoft scald and IEC or peel greasiness. The results of the path-coefficientanalyses suggest that, in ‘Honeycrisp’, interrelationships amongpostharvest ripening indices and each individual disorder differ. Threepossible 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.