Early view

Ensieh Ghorbani, Maryam Boroujerdnia, Esmaeil Fallahi, Mozhgan Moghadam, Seyed Naser Mousavi

Abstract

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a fruit tree of great economic, cultural, and nutritional value in the Middle East and North Africa, with ‘Barhi’ being an important cultivar. At the Rutab stage, its fruits are highly susceptible to deterioration because of their high moisture and sugar content. This study evaluated the effects of preharvest foliar applications of salicylic acid (SA) and calcium chloride (CaCl₂) on the quality and storability of ‘Barhi’ dates during cold storage. SA (1 and 2 mM) and CaCl₂ (1.5% and 3%) were applied at the Khalal stage to 18-year-old palms under field conditions. Fruits were harvested at the Rutab stage and stored at 4 °C for six months, with quality attributes assessed monthly. Preharvest treatments affected several quality attributes during storage. CaCl₂ at 1.5% maintained higher moisture content but showed the highest weight loss after six months. SA treatments delayed acidity decline and promoted sugar stability. Notably, no souring was observed in fruits treated with 3% CaCl₂ throughout storage. Soluble solids content was not markedly affected by the treatments. Overall, CaCl₂ at 3% and SA at 1 mM showed favorable effects on fruit quality and reduced deterioration during refrigerated storage. These treatments may have potential as preharvest options for improving the storage performance of ‘Barhi’ Rutab dates at 4 °C.

Keywords

Phoenix dactylifera, preharvest treatment, fruit quality, cold storage, storage life

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