Abstract: In Shanxi Province,with local caves and natural cold weather,without mechanical refrigeration,a suitable environment with an annual mean temperature lower than 5℃ and a maximum monthly mean temperature lower than 8℃ for fruit storage can be obtained.This technique has been widely adopted in Shanxi Province.In this study,different temperature levels for Yantai,Taian,Sanmenxia,Xingcheng,Xihua and Shijiazhuang with various structures and different management methods were predicted.Results show that with proper cave structure and careful management,a suitable environment in the cave with annual mean temperature lower than 7℃ and an autumn maximum monthly temperature lower than 12℃ could be obtained to satisfy the basic requirements for fruit preservation.

Key words: Fruit storage, Local cave, Hot environment