Effects of preharvest, harvest and postharvest factors on the quality of pear (cv. 'Rocha') stored under controlled atmosphere conditions

Pears (cv. 'Rocha') grown at two locations and picked up at various times during the harvest season were assessed for firmness and colour, following 9 mo of storage under air or under controlled atmosphere conditions. A second-order polynomial was able to accurately fit the effect of time of harvest on pear's quality, in an essentially empirical modelling effort; the best estimates of the parameters therein depend on the growing location, as well as on the atmosphere gas composition prevailing during storage.