Summary: Superficial scald is one of the major postharvest issues for ‘d’Anjou’ pears. It appears after the fruit has ripened, making it difficult to detect in the packinghouse. Currently, postharvest line sprays or drenching with ethoxyquin is being used to control scald. In some cases, however, these treatments give rise to phytotoxicity, which is also a cause for fruit rejection. 1-MCP, in pears, could be become a very good alternative to ethoxyqin because of the ease of application, efficacy, and low residues. It has been used very successfully on apples, and we have shown that there is great promise for its use on pears.
