Fuente: ISHS (International Society for Horticultural Science) Post date: Monday 1 December 2025
Author:
ISHS Secretariat

Sadat Amankona is a Ph.D. candidate in the postharvest systems lab at Washington State University – Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center. His research focuses on using non-chemical strategies to optimize the storage of organic apples in the Pacific Northwest.
There has been a surge in the demand for organic apples in the USA with Washington State supplying over 90% of them. ‘Gala’ and ‘Honeycrisp’ apples are currently the top two cultivars. Despite the year-round demand for organic apples, storage challenges continue to impact fruit quality due to prohibitions on the use of synthetic chemicals. Dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) storage is emerging as a promising chemical-free alternative to optimize fruit quality and minimize physiological disorders.
In this study, the main objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of DCA based on the respiratory quotient (RQ) compared to controlled atmosphere (CA) and regular atmosphere (RA) storage for organic ‘Gala’ and ‘Honeycrisp’ apples for two consecutive years (2022-2024). Fruit samples were stored for up to 9 months and an additional 2 or 4 weeks in regular air to mimic transit and presentation on the retail shelf. Fruit quality parameters [firmness and titratable acidity (TA)], and physiological disorders were evaluated after 7 days at 20°C.
Overall, the results showed cultivar-specific responses. For ‘Gala’, DCA fruit was both firmer (≥3 lb) and the TA was higher (≥0.2% malic acid), outperforming CA and RA. For ‘Honeycrisp’, firmness was not significantly different across treatments, but DCA showed better TA retention, particularly in year 2 (2023/24). DCA also reduced internal browning and shriveling disorders in ‘Gala’. However, Honeycrisp’ showed a greater incidence of bitter pit while soft scald remained below 5% in all treatments.
These findings suggest that DCA is a viable postharvest treatment for optimizing the storage and quality of organic apples, although its effectiveness appears to be cultivar-dependent and benefits ‘Gala’ more than ‘Honeycrisp’. Further research is necessary to assess the consistency of the impact of DCA for fruit produced under varying seasons and environmental conditions.
Sadat Amankona won the ISHS Young Minds Award for the best poster presentation at the XIV International Controlled and Modified Atmosphere Research Conference in USA in May 2025.
Contact: Sadat Amankona, Washington State University, Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, 1100 N. Western Avenue, Wenatchee, Washington, 98801, USA, e-mail: sadat.amankona@wsu.edu or sadatsavvy@gmail.com
The article is available in Chronica Horticulturae.Tags: appleCategories: Young Minds Award Winners