Postharvest Biology and Technology 34 (2004) 29–37 Integration of curing treatments with degreening to control the main postharvest diseases of clementine mandarins Pilar Plaza a,∗ , Ana Sanbruno a , Josep Usall a , Neus Lamarca a , Rosario Torres a , Joan Pons b , Immaculada Viñas a a Postharvest Unit, CeRTA, Centre UdL-IRTA, 177 Rovira Roure Avenue, 25198 Lleida, Catalonia, Spain b Estació Experimental de l’Ebre. IRTA, Amposta, Catalonia, Spain Received 18 August 2003; accepted 21 March 2004 Abstract The practical integration of curing treatments with degreening was evaluated on ‘Clemenules’ mandarins harvested at two maturity stages. Fruit were inoculated with Penicillium digitatum, P. italicum or Geotrichum candidum before: (1) degreening at 20 ◦ C and 90% RH, with 5–10 l ml -1 of ethylene (standard degreening); (2) curing and degreening at 33 ◦ C for the first 65 h of the degreening process; or (3) degreening at 40 ◦ C for the first 24 h of the degreening process. Control fruit were kept at 20 ◦ C without exogenous ethylene exposure. Fruit quality was also evaluated during degreening and the subsequent marketing periods at 20 ◦ C for 7 days. Seven days after inoculation, both degreening treatments using curing conditions successfully controlled green and blue mold decay, regardless of harvest date. Sour rot was significantly reduced by the degreening treatment at 40 ◦ C for the first 24 h on late harvested fruit. On early and late harvested fruit, commercially acceptable color (color index, CI ≥ 6) was achieved 1 and 3 days later, respectively, on fruit degreened at 40 ◦ C for the first 24 h when compared to the standard degreened fruit. Greater softening and lower acidity were observed on late harvested fruit degreened at 40 ◦ C for the first 24 h compared to standard degreened fruit after a marketing period. Soluble solids did not differ among the treatments. A curing treatment at 40 ◦ C for 24 h could be integrated with the current degreening process to control green and blue mold decay without deleterious effects on fruit market quality of early season mandarins. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Heat treatments; Color development; Penicillium digitatum; P. italicum; Geotrichum candidum; Citrus fruit 1. Introduction Penicillium digitatum Sacc. (the green mold fungus) and P. italicum Wehmer (the blue mold fungus) are the main wound pathogens of citrus fruit, causing the most common and most devastating postharvest dis- ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +34-973-702648; fax: +34-973-238301. E-mail address: pilar.plaza@irta.es (P. Plaza). eases. Geotrichum candidum Link ex Pers (the sour rot fungus) is usually of less importance although it is particularly important after prolonged wet seasons (Barkai-Golan, 2001). Curing citrus fruit to control postharvest decay is at- tractive commercially because it provides effective ac- tion against P. digitatum, does not select fungicide re- sistant biotypes of these pathogens, and does not leave objectionable fungicide residues (Stange and Eckert, 1994). Recent studies by Plaza et al. (2003b) demon- 0925-5214/$ – see front matter © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.postharvbio.2004.03.012