Effects of white willow aqueous extract and cellophane coverage on disease infection and quality of apricot in storage

Apricot is one of the most important temperate fruits. Fast softening, diseases and pests’ infection, and declining fruit juiciness and freshness are the main apricot’s postharvest problems. In the current research, effects of white willow (Salix alba L.) aqueous extract with two concentrations 2 and 4 percent along with cellophane coverage were evaluated on disease infection and quality of apricot fruits cultivar “Shaahroodi” before storage, 7 and 14 days after storage at 4°C. Analysis of variances showed that interactions of treatments and storage period were significant for all traits except antioxidant activity. Results revealed that extending storage period, declined quality of fruits, but treating with willow extract and cellophane coverage more effectively conserved fruits quality and controlled fungal diseases. For most of traits, no difference was observed between 2 or 4 percent concentration of willow extract. Treatments with cellophane coverage conserved fruits quality better than those without cellophane however; using cellophane without application of willow extract could result in increasing disease incidence. Thus, according to the results, a complex treatment of both willow extract and cellophane film for storage processing of apricot is recommended.