Australian Stonefruit Grower Magazine Issue 2 August 2016 | Page 40

Research DETERMINING THE SAMPLING JAR VOLUME This is done by weighing the total amount of water required to fill both base and lid of the chamber. This should only need to be done once for each chamber. While the totals will be similar for most of the chosen chambers sometimes there are differences large enough to alter the results so it is important to do this for every chamber used. EQUIPMENT: 1. a balance or set of scales, accurate to 0.1 g is preferred 2. worksheet STEPS: 1. Record the chamber and lid labels. 2. Separate lid from base of chamber. 3. Place base and lid on the balance and record the weight. 4. Remove the lid, pour water into the base until is completely full (to the brim); try to avoid any spillage onto the scales as this will add to weight. Replace the lid upside down on top of the base (still containing water) and fill the lid with water. 5. Record the total weight (base and lid). 6. Repeat from step 1 for all remaining chambers. Download Jar volume recording sheets 7. Record this value for the specific chamber and keep this information for reporting with the sample information each time the chambers are used. See video: How to determine the volume of the sampling jar Acknowledgement The procedure was developed as part of the project SF15001 “Comparing Stonefruit ripening, quality and volatile composition” which is funded by Horticulture Additional information At the time of writing, the cost of the ethylene analysis per cultivar is estimated at $1,250 including supply of syringe, needles and pre-evacuated vials but not the chambers. Innovation Australia Limited using the summerfruit levy and funds from the Australian Government with co-investment from the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. The DA-Meter can be sourced through Summerfruit Australia Limited. Growers or organisations interested in the identification 40 The full downloadable protocol with explanatory videos of maturity classes should contact Dr Dario Stefanelli can be also found on the Horticulture Industry Network ([email protected]) or Mrs Christine website http://www.hin.com.au/projects/stonefruit- Frisina ([email protected]) at AgriBio field-laboratory/da-meter/ethylene-sampling- building, 5 Ring Road, Bundoora, VIC 3083. protocols/_nocache Australian Stonefruit Grower | august 2016 summerfruit.com.au