Effect of Postharvest Treatments of Spermidine and Putrescine on Postharvest Quality of  Hayward Kiwifruit

To study the effects of postharvest treatments of spermidine and putrescine on storage quality of ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit, the present research was performed. In November 2010, fruits were hand picked from Fajr Orchardist Corporation in Sari and transported to postharvest physiology laboratory. Fruits were dipped for 4 minutes in either spermidine or putrescine solutions (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mM), and distilled water being used as control. The design of the experiment was a complete randomized one of 4 replicates in each treatment. Following a two month period of storage (at 5°C and 90±5% relative humidity), results showed that postharvest treatments of spermidine and putrescine can beneficially affect qualitative characteristics of ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit and for each treatment, the degree of effectiveness depends on polyamine utilized and the concentration applied. In comparison with control, treated fruits benefitted from lower weight loss and TSS, higher total acidity, vitamin C, and fruit firmness. As regards pH, there were no significant differences observed between treated and control fruits. In total, spermidine at its 1.5 mM concentration was the most suitable treatment in maintenance of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of kiwifruit.