Dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) is a prominent technology used worldwide for long-term apple storage. In Washington, the adoption of DCA technologies to manage low oxygen levels is limited, partly because the benefits are not clearly demonstrated for some major cultivars, such as ‘Honeycrisp’ and new varieties like ‘WA 38’. The response of ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Gala’, and ‘WA 38’ apples to lower oxygen levels was monitored monthly until 8 months of storage (1oC or 3oC) through chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) and respiratory quotient (RQ) by a stepwise decrease in O2 levels at each time point during 2023/2024 season. Ethanol and acetaldehyde concentrations were obtained from fruit juice before and after the lower oxygen limit (LOL) determinations. ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘Gala’ apple cultivars showed differences in LOLs determined through CF or RQ. CF LOL for ‘Honeycrisp’ was approximately 0.3-0.2 kPa O2 compared to 0.1 kPa O2 for ‘Gala’ while RQ response occurred at 0.1 kPa O2 level in both cultivars. ‘WA 38’ apples displayed inconsistent CF responses at 0.3 and 0.4 kPa oxygen levels. Ethanol concentration increased after low oxygen stress irrespective of the cultivar. During the first month of storage and after the low oxygen stress, ‘Honeycrisp’ apples accumulated (in average) 120 ppm of ethanol, ‘Gala’ 2.92 ppm, and ‘WA 38’ 4.24 ppm. Towards the end of storage, the ethanol concentration showed an increase for ‘Gala’ (25 ppm), which was not observed for the other two cultivars. Small amounts of acetaldehyde were accumulated only in ‘Honeycrisp’ apples. This study highlights the different responses of apple cultivars to low oxygen stress during the lower oxygen limit (LOL) determination, with ‘Honeycrisp’ being the most sensitive one among the cultivars tested. Further seasons are needed to confirm these results and include the seasonal-dependent responses in each cultivar.
