Farid Moradinezhad - Department of Horticultural Sciences, College of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran
Mehdi Khayyat - Department of Horticultural Sciences, College of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

We examined the effectiveness of intermittent warming (IW), hot water (HW), salicylic acid (SA), and calcium chloride (CaCl2) on the postharvest life of pomegranate fruit cv. ‘Shishe- Kab’ and extending fruit shelf life during cold storage (3°C). Fruit were subjected to cycles of 1 d at 17 ± 1°C every 6 d of storage at 3°C under IW conditions. Pre-storage treatments were HW (50°C) for 3 min, SA (2mmol L-1), or a combination of SA (2 mmol L-1) and CaCl2 (2%) solutions for 3 min at 20°C. Weight loss was not affected by HW or chemical treatments, but firmness decreased significantly in HW-treated fruit when they were subjected to IW. The lowest quantity of unmarketable fruit was observed in fruit treated with a combination of SA and CaCl2, regardless of whether stored in cold storage (CS) or exposed to IW. Regardless of HW and chemical treatments, IW significantly albeit slightly increased shelf life and reduced fruit decay compared with the control. However, the longest fruit shelf life (19 wk) was obtained with a combination of HW, SA, and CaCl2 compared with the control (11 wk), especially under long-term cold storage

chemical treatment, chilling injury, postharvest, shelf life