Foliar treatments of winter-ripening apple fruits with a preparation based on 1-MCP

Abstract. The purpose of the research is determining the effectiveness of a new growth regulator based on 1-MCP in controlling the rate of ripening and shaping the quality of fruits and yields. Methods. A study to determine the effectiveness of a new drug based on 1-MCP (HarvistFresh) was carried out in 2022–2023 on a late-ripening apple variety (Dzheromini) growing on farms in the Krasnodar region. Treatment with HarvistFresh, which is a liquid suspension composition, was carried out 10 days before apples ripened. The drug is intended to control the biochemical processes of apple ripening at the cellular level, allowing you to regulate the processes of starch hydrolysis, apple ripening, and at a later date for harvesting unripe fruits, increase their weight, color, and reduce shedding. Scientific novelty. The research is to substantiate the timing of pre-harvest processing of fruits and the technological parameters of the use of a new domestic drug that makes it possible to control the ripening processes of apple fruits at the cellular level. Results. The technical result of the proposed solution is a reduction in fruit shedding during the pre-harvest period, as well as an expansion of the “harvest window”. The use of a drug based on 1-MCP before the onset of harvest ripeness of the fruit, which inhibits the intensity of ethylene release, made it possible, by increasing the timing of the supply of nutrients to the fruit, to improve their color with a greater accumulation of anthocyanins. As a result of the use of treatments with HarvistFresh, the quality indicators of apple fruits have been improved: pulp hardness is 9.3–12.0 % more, vitamins are 6.3–8.7 % more, dry matter and sugar content is 9.6–11.0 % less, which is favorable for storing apples for long-term storage.