Effects of abscisic acid (ABA) (300 mg/L at color break and after color break) on the improvement of Malus ×domestica ‘Brookfield’ and Prunus avium ‘Lala Star’ fruit quality parameters were studied. The time of application, (color break) was assessed with the DA-Meter in apple and with the vis/NIR spectroscopy and the Cherry-Meter in cherry. The ripening and quality traits of the fruits were monitored throughout the growing season until harvest to evaluate the effect of ABA applications.
Basing on the Index of Absorbance Difference (IAD) and some improved quality parameters, it was found that ABA promoted the ripening of apple and cherry fruits. The most distinguished effect were the flesh firmness reduction in apple confirmed by the up-regulation of polygalacturonase 1 (PG1) gene and the color enhancement of cherry fruits.
