Abstract
1. Cucumber fruits were conditioned at 18°C for 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9 days before cold storage at 5°C. The chilling injury and the respiratory rate of the fruits were apparently reduced by pre-storage conditioning for more than 6 days, although senescence of the fruits was enhanced.
2. Pre-storage warming for 24h at 36 to 40°C, but not lower than 30°C, considerably reduced the chilling injury and the respiratory rate of the cucumber fruits during subsequent storage at 5°C.
3. Cucumber fruits harvested in different seasons were given pre- and interposed warming at 37°C for 24h before or during their cold storage at 1°C. The interposed warming was given after 1 to 3 days in cold storage. These treatments greatly reduced the chilling injury. However, in the fruits harvested in July, the prewarming was more effective than the interposed warming, and the effectiveness decreased as the time of application was delayed. The reverse was the case for the fruits harvested in March. Pre- and interposed warming were equally effective in the fruits havested in October.
When warming treatments were applied to the fruits stored at 1°C, subsequent respiratory rates were considerably decreased.
4. Pre- and interposed warming at 37°C for 24h reduced electrolyte leakage from the flesh sections of cucumber fruits during the cold storage at 1 and 5°C.
