Ripening, nutrition and postharvest physiology

Abstract

Peach fruits ripen rapidly and have a short postharvest life, usually limited to 3-4 weeks depending on storage conditions. They are climacteric fruit that ripen on the tree or after harvest if picked mature. Crop maturity at harvest strongly influences quality and shelflife. Determination of ideal harvest maturity is critical to maximise yield, fruit size and consumer acceptability. Generally, early-harvested fruits have good storability but they are of lower quality than late-harvested fruits, which have higher quality but shorter storage life