Assessment of air temperature at time of harvest on scuff mark susceptibility of early-optimum ‘Cape Rose’ pears

Scuff marks are a problem related to the harvest and postharvest handling of pears, which appears during post-storage. It is suggested that ‘Cape Rose’ pears are more sensitive to scuff marks when harvested at higher day temperatures, but this has not yet been tested.  The aim of this trial will therefore be to ascertain if air temperature at the time of harvest and harvest maturity is linked to fruit scuff mark susceptibility.

Cape Rose’ pears were harvested at three harvest maturities. At each harvest day, fruit were sampled 3 times during the day namely, early morning, early afternoon, and late afternoon. Fruit were scuffed directly after harvest. Fruit was also scuffed 1 day after harvest at room temperature to simulate a packhouse condition. Scuff mark incidence were severity was assessed as well as fruit quality.

Fruit with a softer firmness, more yellow skin ground colour and higher TSS at harvest and after storage were correlated with a higher scuff mark incidence after storage. Fruit harvested 1-week prior to commercial harvest had a negative association with the incidence of scuff marks after storage. The scuff mark severity of fruit was generally higher for fruit that had scuff mark induction 1 day after harvest (packhouse simulation).

The time of day at which fruit are harvested did not have an effect on the development of scuff marks after storage. Fruit harvested at an earlier maturity with a higher firmness and greener colour had a lower susceptibility to scuff marks development during storage. Good handling of fruit at the packhouse is important to reduce the severity of scuff marks after storage.

To reduce the incidence of scuff marks after storage on ‘Cape Rose’ pears, harvest fruit at an earlier rather than later maturity, regardless of the time of harvest, and optimise handling of fruit in the packhouse.