Cultivar and maturity affect postharvest quality of fruit from erect blackberries

Fruit at three stages of ripeness were harvested from four erect blackberry (Rubus spp,) cultivars, 'Navaho', 'Choctaw', 'Cheyenne', and 'Shawnee', for 2 years to evaluate fresh-market shelf life during 7 days of storage at 2C, 95% relative humidity, Ethylene production was highest from dull black fruit and varied widely among cultivars, ranging from 7.3 to 51.1 pmol . kg(-1). s(-1) for 'Navaho' and 'Choctaw' fruit, respectively, Weight loss ranged from 0.8% ('Shawnee') to 3.3% ('Navaho') after storage, Mottled (50% black) fruit of all cultivars were higher in fruit firmness and titratable acidity and had lower soluble solids and anthocyanin concentrations than fruit at other stages of maturity, Cultivars did not differ in total anthocyanin concentration, but dull black fruit had a higher anthocyanin concentration than shiny black fruit, Dull black 'Choctaw', 'Shawnee', and 'Cheyenne' fruit were softer and had more leakage and decay than shiny black fruit, Both shiny and dull black 'Navaho' fruit had less leakage than fruit of other cultivars, All cultivars at the shiny black stage were considered marketable after 7 days at 2C because fruit were firm with little decay or leakage, However, red discoloration appeared more frequently on shiny black than on dull black fruit, Mottled fruit of erect cultivars should not be harvested, while shiny black fruit of 'Cheyenne', 'Shawnee', and 'Choctaw' might be suited for regional markets, Either shiny black or dull black 'Navaho' fruit could be shipped to distant markets.