STUDIES REGARDING THE INFLUENCE OF THE PERIOD BETWEEN HARVESTING AND THE BEGINNING OF STORAGE UPON THE QUALITY OF SOME PEAR VARIETIES.

The 3-year research on Alexander Lucas and Santa Maria pear varieties followed the influence of the time interval from harvest to storage of the fruit on quality characteristics, weight loss, quality depreciation and storage length. The results showed that in both varieties harvested at the optimal time and put into storage 24 hours after harvest (V1), the quality characteristics, weight loss, quality deterioration and storage length were significantly higher (better) than for the variants in which the fruit was kept for 6 days (V2) and 12 days (V3) at 10-14 C before being put into the cooling room. Thus, the weight losses at the end of storage varied between 9.2-9.6% in V3 (fruit stored 12 days after harvest) compared to 6.4-7.2% in V1 (fruit put into storage after 12 hours), as the storage period was longer in V1. The qualitative losses at the end of storage ranged from 5-5.8% in fruit placed in the cooling room 24 hours after harvest, compared to 7.6-8.2% in fruit where storage in the cooling room was delayed by 12 days. The optimal storage period of the pear fruits, stored as soon as possible after harvesting, belonging between 90 days for the summer variety Santa Maria and 115 days for the winter variety Alexander Lucas, in cold storage room. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]