Effects of 1-MCP on tomato fruit ripening have been well studied, but much less attention has been given to its effects on vine quality. In a series of experiments, 0.5 or 1 µL L-1 1-MCP was applied to tomato clusters when the least mature fruit on the vine was mature green (MG), breaker (BR) or light red (LR). The clusters were stored at 12oC for 18 days. Overall fruit quality remained high in the MG, BR and LR fruit clusters for 18, 9, and 6 days, respectively. Quality of the 1-MCP-treated BR stage fruit did not decline until after 12 days, while little effect of 1-MCP was found for the LR fruit. Cluster weight was not affected by 1-MCP treatment. However, visual appearance of the vine tissues was greatly affected by 1-MCP. Loss of vine quality was lowest in the MG vines without 1-MCP treatment. However, the highest quality ratings were found in 1-MCP treated vines, regardless of fruit maturity. Retention of vine quality by 1-MCP was closely associated with reduced water loss from the vine tissues. These results confirm that 1-MCP can delay ripening of tomato fruit, but also highlight that the benefits of 1-MCP may be through better visual appearance of the cluster vines.
