Preharvest temperature affects chilling injury in dessert bananas during storage

BACKGROUND The effect of temperature on chilling injury during fruit growth was studied in a new banana hybrid CIRAD925 in which seasonal variability in chilling susceptibility was observed when fruits were stored at 13 °C. RESULTS The relationship between the response to chilling (presence/absence) and the temperature during banana fruit growth was examined with a logistic regression model. An explanatory variable X N , P was defined as the mean temperature during a period, expressed in weeks, which began N week(s) after flowering and lasted P week(s). The model was calibrated with 143 bunches with a green life of 30 ± 5 days and validated with 156 bunches grown in six plots under different growing conditions. Chilling injury was best predicted by the mean temperature during the period beginning 1 week after flowering and lasting 5 weeks ( X 1,5 ). Above a mean temperature of 24.1 °C in the period concerned, banana fruits had a 95% probability of chilling injury at 13 °C. Below a temperature of 23.4 °C, banana fruits only had a 5% probability of chilling injury. CONCLUSION The results provide a tool to predict chilling susceptibility in banana fruit whatever the thermal conditions in tropical regions. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry