Postharvest treatments and shipping conditions for reducing fruit drop in cut sarcandra glabra branches

Abstract

In Japan, cut sarcandra glabra branches with fruit are used as a new year's decoration, but frequent fruit drop reduces ornamental value. This study investigated the effects of the harvest season, postharvest treatments, and shipping conditions on the fruit drop of branches, in order to propose a suitable postharvest handling method for the shipment of cut .S, glabra branches. Ethylene treatments accelerated fruit drop, especially in cut branches on which the pericarp turned red early in the growing season. Silver thiosulfate complex (STS), an ethylene action inhibitor, was effective in reducing fruit drop regardless of ethylene treatments. However, treatment with 1-methylcyclopropene (l-MCP), another ethylene action inhibitor, increased the cumulative percentage of dropped fruit after seven days with or without ethylene treatment. A synthetic auxin, 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), had an effect similar to that of STS, but NAA tended to accelerate leaf abscission.