02301naa a2200241 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200140006002400390007410000140011324501470012726000090027450000800028352014080036365300170177165300180178865300130180665300220181965300290184165300160187070000130188677301600189910595882022-02-24       2019    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a1462-03167 a10.1080/14620316.2019.15771852DOI1 aMANZI, M.  aFoliar applications of calcium do not impact on fruit and leaf nutrient concentration or quality of 'O?Neal' blueberry.h[electronic resource]  c2019  aArticle history: Accepted 21 January 2019 // Published online: 14 Feb 2019.  aABSTRACT. Calcium (Ca) has been considered a key element in maintaining fruit quality and extending the storage period of several fruits. The main blueberry (interspecific hybrids of Vaccinium corymbosum x V. darrowii) market for the Southern Hemisphere production involves a long transport between harvest and consumption. Foliar Ca sprays during the pre-harvest constitutes a common practice for improving Ca concentration [Ca] in fruits and therefore in alleviating the loss of firmness, dehydration and rot decay during postharvest. In this study, two formulations of Ca; Ca-nitrate [Ca(NO3)2] and chelate Ca-oxide (Ca-gluconate; Ca-Glu) were sprayed four times during pre-harvest of blueberry cv. O?Neal. [Ca] in the fruits was followed after each application and fruit quality parameters were determined at harvest and during 28 days of cold storage. Both formulations were ineffective in increasing [Ca] in the berries (or leaves) after any of the four applications. In fruits, [Ca] decreased from 0.32% at 25 days after full bloom (DAFB) to 0.11% Ca at harvest time. Other minerals such as magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), or nitrogen (N) remained unaffected by the treatments. Data shows that foliar pre-harvest applications of Ca, regardless of formula, were ineffective at increasing [Ca] or improving the quality of the fruit. © 2019 The Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology Trust  aCOLD STORAGE  aFERTILIZATION  aFIRMNESS  aNUTRIENT ANALYSIS  aPLATAFORMA AGROALIMENTOS  aPOSTHARVEST1 aLADO, J.  tJournal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 3 September 2019, Volume 94, Issue 5, Pages 676-684. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2019.1577185