QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF 'BING' AND 'RAINIER' SWEET CHERRIES TREATED WITH GIBBERELLIC ACID, FOLLOWING FUMIGATION WITH METHYL BROMIDE

Methyl bromide (MeBr) fumigation did not significantly influence weight loss, fruit color or soluble solids of either ‘Bing’ or ‘Rainier’ sweet cherries. MeBr increased pitting and reduced objective and subjective stem color of both cultivars. There was a slight advantage in quality (bruising, pitting and stem color) for the 48g/m³ at 12°C over the 64g/m³ at 6°C MeBr treatment. As fumigation temperature increased, bruising and pitting increased and stem color decreased. Use of gibberellic acid resulted in increased firmness for ‘Bing’ cherries and superior fruit and stem color with less pitting for both ‘Bing’ and ‘Rainier’ cherries.