Scientia Agropecuaria 12(2): 239-247 (2021) Ramírez-Rodas et al. -239- RESEARCH ARTICLE Postharvest storage of three chayote (Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw.) varieties Yeimy Ramírez-Rodas 1 ; Lourdes Arévalo-Galarza 1,* ; Jorge Cadena-Iñiguez 2 ; Adriana Delgado-Alvarado 3 ; Lucero Ruiz-Posadas 1 ; Marcos Soto-Hernández 1 1 Colegio de Postgraduados, km. 36.5 carretera México - Texcoco, Montecillo, Texcoco, Estado de México. C.P. 56230. Mexico. 2 Colegio de Postgraduados, Iturbide No. 73, Salinas de Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí. C. P. 78600. Mexico. 3 Colegio de Postgraduados, km. 125.5 Boulevard Forjadores de Puebla, C.P. 72760, Puebla, Puebla. Mexico. * Corresponding author: larevalo@colpos.mx (L. Arévalo-Galarza). Received: 9 December 2020. Accepted: 16 May 2021. Published: 1 June 2021. Abstract The consumer demand for chayote (Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw.) fruits has increased in recent years, virens levis being the most important variety, although other chayote varieties are gaining importance such as nigrum xalapensis and n. spinosum. However, the postharvest behavior of these varieties is different, so it is important to evaluate the factors that limit the shelf life of each variety. Therefore, in this study, fruits of each variety from the Mexican National Germplasm Bank of Sechium edule were used. The following fruit quality variables were evaluated: weight loss, humidity (%), color, chlorophyll, titratable acidity, total soluble solids (TSS), total sugars, and stomatal characteristics. In addition, the storage potential of each variety was evaluated for two weeks at different temperatures, 7°, 13° (85% RH) and 24 °C (60% RH), with the application of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). The variables evaluated were viviparism, disease severity, weight loss, dehydration and chilling injury (CI). The fruits of n. xalapensis and n. spinosum have a higher content of chlorophylls and carotenoids, but similar contents of TSS, acidity and total sugars than v. levis fruits. The use of 1-MCP reduced viviparism in all varieties, and the severity of blisters was higher in v. levis. The fruits of the three varieties presented severe CI when stored at 7 °C but the most susceptible to dehydration and diseases severity is n. spinosum. Keywords: 1-methylcyclopropene; blisters; nigrum spinosum; nigrum xalapensis; virens levis; viviparism. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.17268/sci.agropecu.2021.027 Cite this article: Ramírez-Rodas, Y., Arévalo-Galarza, L., Cadena-Iñiguez, J., Delgado-Alvarado, A., Ruiz-Posadas, L., & Soto-Hernández, M. (2021). Postharvest storage of three chayote (Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw.) varieties. Scientia Agropecuaria, 12(2), 239-247. 1. Introduction Chayote (Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw.) is a species native to Middle America cultivated since pre-Columbian times, and it is a vegetable with wide biological diversity from Mexico to Panama. The genus Sechium P. Br. belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, within this genus there are ten species, of which eight are wild: S. chinantlense, S. compositum, S. hintonii, S. mexicanum, S. panamensis, S. pittieri, S. talamancensis, S. venosum and S. villosum and two are cultivated, S. tacaco and S. edule (Barrera-Guzmán et al., 2021). Twelve varietal groups (var.) in common use are known in the S. edule, which are albus minor, albus dulcis, albus levis, albus spinosum, nigrum minor, nigrum conus, nigrum levis, nigrum xalapensis, nigrum spinosum, nigrum maxima, amarus sylvestris and virens levis which vary in size, shape, color, flavor, consistency and presence of thorns (Cadena-Iñiguez et al., 2007). In the international market, the top exporter and importer of chayote fruits is Mexico and United States respectively (Tridge, 2020). However, in recent years the demand for two varieties, n. xalapensis and n. spinosum, for the export market has increased. The fruits of the variety v. levis are light green with a slight basal cleft, light green mesocarp with a neutral flavor and fiber adhering to the mesocarp, with a size between 9.30 to 18.30 cm long and 6.0 to 11.40 cm wide. The fruits of n. xalapensis are dark with a very marked basal cleft, and the size ranges from 5.5 to 26.6 cm in length and 4.4 to 18 cm in width. The fruits of n. spinosum are dark green, with high density of spines, very marked basal cleft, light green to dark green mesocarp, with a neutral to moderately sweet flavor with fiber attached to the mesocarp, and with size between 5.8 to 17.1 cm long and 5.0 to 12.2 cm wide (Cadena-Iñiguez et al., 2008). The factors that limit the postharvest life of chayote fruits are viviparism, diseases, dehydration, and chilling injury (CI) (Aung et al., 1996; Cadena-Iñiguez et al., 2006). Viviparism is the germination of the seed within the fruit, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias Universidad Nacional de Trujillo Scientia Agropecuaria Web page: http://revistas.unitru.edu.pe/index.php/scientiaagrop SCIENTIA AGROPECUARIA