Jim Mattheis Many factors influence how SmartFresh (1-methylcyclopropene) works, which means that there are several potential tools that packers can use that will result in more predictable ripening of pears at different points in the season, says Dr. Jim Mattheis, postharvest physiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Wenatchee, Washington. How pears respond to an MCP treatment depends on: maturity of the fruit at harvest, the interval between harvest and treatment, the MCP concentration, the temperature of the fruit when treated, storage conditions, storage duration, and poststorage ­conditions. Mattheis has done research on the effects of temperature during storage […]