Scald-Cold: Joint Austrian-Italian consortium in the Euregio project for the comprehensive dissection of the superficial scald in apples

After harvest, apples are stored at low temperature to slow down the ripening physiological processes. This strategy can, however, also promote the development of superficial scald, a chilling injury-related disorder showing brown-discoloured areas on the fruit skin, totally compromising its marketability. To examine thoroughly the underlying physiological mechanisms and genetic control of superficial scald, the “Scald-Cold” project, a three-year Interegional Project Network, was granted by the European Region Tyrol, South Tyrol and Trentino (EGTC). The project is centred on a comprehensive approach, integrating into a joint effort different scientific disciplines, ranging from genetics and transcriptomics to NIR spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging, together with the employment of distinct postharvest storage technologies distinguished by a specific regime of low oxygen. The core of this project aims to disclose novel regulatory processes of this disorder, providing new series of tools important for both the scientific and technical communities interested in apple breeding and postharvest. The “Scald-Cold” project will identify new molecular markers suitable for the selection of new apple varieties genetically resistant to superficial scald, while developing tools for an early detection of this phenomenon.