Effects of preharvest, harvest and postharvest factors on the quality of pear (cv. `Rochaʹ) stored under controlled atmosphere conditions Original Research Article

Pears (cv. `Rochaʹ) grown at two locations and picked up at various times during the harvest season were assessed for firmness and colour, following 9 mo of storage under air or under controlled atmosphere conditions. A second-order polynomial was able to accurately fit the effect of time of harvest on pearʹs quality, in an essentially empirical modelling effort; the best estimates of the parameters therein depend on the growing location, as well as on the atmosphere gas composition prevailing during storage.