Consequences of NAA, BA and GA3 treatment in early fruit development phase on postharvest properties of apricot cv. NS4

The effects of plant growth regulators (PGRs) including representative compounds from the group of cytokinins, auxins and gibberellins, on fruit quality and postharvest properties during 15 days of cold storage and 3 days of shelf life were compared. Apricots, cv. NS4, were treated with 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA; 10 and 20 mg L–1), 6-benzyladenine (BA; 50 and 100 mg L–1) and gibberellin (GA3; 200 mg L–1) 14 and 21 days after full bloom. Application of PGRs resulted in increase of ash, total soluble solids and decrease of water content in fruit, while the color of fruits was characterized with lighter skin and with more intensive color changes during postharvest period. BA decreased the content of majority of cations, while higher dosage of this compound resulted in the lowest fruit firmness. Application of NAA and GA3 increased of Ca and Mg content and resulted in the most expressed water loss. Titrable acidity and pH were not affected by any applied treatments.