POSTHARVEST PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS OF PLUM

Plums are an economically and nutritionally important fruit crop that is primarily grown in the temperate regions of the world. They are consumed as fresh fruits or as processed products such as canned, deep-frozen, and dried fruits. Postharvest physiological disorders are a primary threat to the plum fruit industry, as they can cause huge economic losses. Such postharvest physiological disorders include shriveling, flesh reddening, over-ripeness, mealiness, flesh translucency, chilling injury, gel breakdown, and internal breakdown, which cause undesirable changes in the plum’s taste, color, and texture. These 384disorders are associated with genetic factors and environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ethylene. Given the significant impact of these postharvest physiological disorders on the plum fruit industry, a comprehensive understanding of these disorders is needed. This chapter describes the occurrence, importance, symptoms, and physiology of the most common postharvest physiological disorders of plums. Practical control measures that can be applied to prevent or minimize these postharvest physiological disorders and maintain the fruit’s quality are also presented.