Effectiveness of a short hyperbaric treatment to control postharvest decay of sweet cherries and table grapes

The effectiveness of short hyperbaric treatments to control postharvest decay of sweet cherries (Prunus avium L., cv Ferrovia) and table grapes (Vitis vinifera L., cv Italia) was investigated. Sweet cherries and table grape berries were exposed to the pressure of 1140 mmHg (1.5 atm) for 4 and 24 h, respectively, in 64 L gas-proof tanks. Fruit kept at ambient pressure (near 760 mmHg, 1.0 atm) served as a control. Postharvest rots of sweet cherries arose from naturally occurring infections, whereas table grape berries were artificially wounded, exposed to the hyperbaric treatment, then the wounds inoculated with 20 μL of a Botrytis cinerea conidial suspension (5 × 10⁴ spores mL⁻¹). Sweet cherries were stored at 0 ± 1 °C for 14 d, followed by 7 d at 20 ± 1 °C. Table grapes berries were kept at 20 ± 1 °C for 3 d. On sweet cherries, hyperbaric treatment reduced the incidence of brown rot, grey mould, and blue mould, with respect to the control. Similarly, on treated table grapes a significant reduction of lesion diameter and percentage of B. cinerea infected berries was observed. Induced resistance was likely to be responsible for the observed decay reduction. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the effectiveness of short hyperbaric treatments in controlling postharvest decay of sweet cherries and table grapes.