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3 Pags.- 1 Fig.- 1 Tabl. This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND license., Flat peach and flat nectarine (Prunus persica L. Batsch.) production in Spain started from local cultivars at marginal sites, mainly in the Ebro Valley and Murcia regions. At the end of the 1990s, the introduction of improved cultivars from France and Italy, with more red skin color coverage and better regular shape, fruit size, and stylar cavity closure, together with superior handling and transport conditions led the Spanish peach sector to develop this fruit type on a commercial scale. Currently, Spain is the largest European producer and exporter of flat peach and nectarine, offering a wide range of cultivars covering the producing period from May to September. In 2020, a total of 10.200 ha for flat peach and 481 ha for flat nectarine together produced 263.651 t (20% of the total peach production) (MAPAMA, 2022). To guarantee adaptation to local growing conditions (Font i Forcada et al., 2021a), several national breeding programs started to develop new flat peach and flat nectarine cultivars. One of these breeding programs is the ASF-IRTA breeding program, which is located at Gimenells (Lleida) in the Ebro Valley (northeastern Spain), which is a major region of peach production in Spain (Batlle et al., 2012; Cantín et al., 2017). It was started in 2004, with the objective of developing new cultivars adapted to chilling between 1000 and 1500 chill units or between 42 and 75 chill portions and warm conditions similar to the Mediterranean area (32 °C mean daily summer temperature and 300–400 mm of annual rainfall). It aimed to produce high-quality fruits, both at harvest and after cold storage, with the ultimate goal of satisfying consumers (Font i Forcada et al., 2021a, 2021b). As a result of this collaborative effort, the ASF-IRTA scion peach breeding program has already released the SUBLOR (one flat yellow-fleshed peach), SUBLIM (six flat white-fleshed peach), and PERLA (two flat white-fleshed nectarine) series. These nine new flat peach and nectarine cultivars produce highly attractive yellow-fleshed or white-fleshed fruits with high coverage of red skin, a balanced or acid flavor, sweet taste, and good flesh firmness. The harvesting calendar of these series will be progressively completed with new future releases.

The influence of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on quality attributes and shelf life performance of 'Friar' plums (Prunus salicina) was studied. Plums were stored at 0°C and 85% relative humidity for a 60-day period in five different box liners (LifeSpan L316, FF-602, FF-504, 2.0% vented area perforated, and Hefty liner) and untreated (control). Flesh firmness, soluble solids concentration, titratable acidity, and pH were unaffected by the box liners. Fruit skin color changes were repressed on plums packed in box liners that modified gas levels and weight loss was reduced by the use of any of the box liners. Plums packed without box liners (bulk-packed) had ≈6% weight loss. High carbon dioxide (CO2) and low oxygen (O2) levels were measured in boxes with MAP box liners (LifeSpan L316, FF-602, and FF-504). Percentage of healthy fruit was unaffected by any of the treatments during the ripening period (shelf life) after 45 days of cold storage. However, after 60 days of cold storage, fruit from the MAP box liners with higher CO2 and lower O2 levels had a higher incidence of chilling injury (CI) symptoms, evident as flesh translucency, gel breakdown, and >off flavor> than fruit from the other treatments. Overall, results indicate that the use of MAP box liners is recommended to improve market life of 'Friar' plums up to 45 days cold storage. However, the use of box liners without gas control capability may lead to CI symptoms in fruit cold-stored for longer periods., We acknowledge financial support from Kool Kountry and Sun World. Ms. Celia M. Cantín was supported by a FPU fellowship from Spanish MEC (Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia).