Progress 11/01/08 to 10/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Target audiences: Scientific community; University of Florida extension agents and specialists; Florida horticulture industry; international development community. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Four demonstration/lecture activities were made during the course of this project. The goal wasto present cooling theory, methods and measurement techniques to cool fresh fruits and vegetables to small growers who were entering the marketplace or who were desiring to expand sales to more distant markets, requiring better cooling. Reference materials and temperature/relative humidity sensors were provided to participating extension agents after the training. Follow-up visits were made to several growers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Oral presentations & demonstrations to interested grower and extension audiences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
PROJECT IMPACT: Florida growers of fruits and vegetables produce in excess of $3 billion annually, and it is estimated that as much as 80% of the crop is shipped outside of the state. Growers focus primarily on fresh market to take advantage of higher prices during their winter-season production window. Postharvest losses in the value chain from field to consumer can be significant if adequate precautions are not employed at each step of this chain. Results from the studies conducted during this five-year project will assist these growers to be more efficient and evaluate alternative methods and technologies that could help reduce losses while at the same time increase efficiency. 1) Development of an Integrated System to Reduce Harvest Costs, and to Rinse, Sanitize and Cool Fresh-Market Strawberries and Vegetable Crops Harvest Container Style Evaluations: Strawberries were commercially harvested in early morning into three distinct container types: 8 rigid clamshells in commercial, corrugated cartons (flats), 9 rigid plastic clamshells in returnable plastic containers (RPC) and fruit loosely packed in RPC. The fruit were subsequently transported to a central facility by a commercial vehicle and then evaluated in terms of freshness, decay severity and weight change. Results. Strawberries packed into clamshells lost 2.3% and 2.5% of the initial weight during the 3 day storage period for corrugated fiberboard and RPC, respectively. However, fruit packed loosely in RPC lost 2.6% of the initial weight during this same storage period. Results also indicated that clamshells offer some protection from mechanical injuries, particularly with berries located at lower layers within each flat. The rigidity of the RPC protection fruit on the bottom layer better than corrugated fiberboard cartons, and fruit on the bottom layer of the corragated carton had higher decay severity. Data also indicated that berries packed loosely in a flat and located at interior positions are exposed to additional stresses resulting in an increase in mechanical injury. Therefore, the use of clamshells offers some protection from these potentially damaging mechanical impacts. Hydrocooled strawberries were exposed to small amounts of water that pooled inside the flat base and underneath the base of the plastic clamshells during 14 days of storage; fruit on the bottom layer remained in direct contact with this water. Upon transfer to 20oC for 1 day, these fruit rapidly lost quality. Hydrocooling tests were conducted utilizing two clamshell configurations, the traditional style with a flat bottom and an alternate style in which the bottom was raised upward. Our hypothesis was that the curved bottom would drain more readily and keep the strawberries out of the water during storage. Tests indicated that both clamshell styles performed similarly for cooling rate and ability to allow water drainage. However, during storage for 5 days at 1oC+ 5 days at 5oCplus 1 day at 20oC; 34-36oF; 41oF; 68oF), fruit stored in the raised bottom container had significantly more bruising than those cooled and stored in the flat bottom clamshell. Cooling Method Evaluations:Commercially harvested strawberries were 7/8-cooled the same day by either forced-air or by immersion hydrocooling. Flats were forced-air-cooled with commercial cooling tunnels and required about 1 hour to reach 2 to 3 oC (36-38 oF), whereas individual clamshells were immersed in an ice water bath with chlorine (200 ppm) and required 15 minutes. Hydrocooled clamshells were allowed to briefly drain following the immersion treatment, then placed into RPC containers (9 each) and stored on separate pallets for 14 days at 1 °C.. Results. Freshness was generally lower with fruit located in the perimeter positions of the pallet regardless of the cooling method. It was determined from this analysis that clamshells located on the sidewall of a pallet, with at least one side exposed to the storage air, had increased rejection at 7+1 days. These results agree with the evaluation of freshness for whole clamshells as internally located berries were more protected from the storage air. However, this trend was reversed in the evaluation conducted at 14+1 days. At this last evaluation following a day at 20 °C (68 oF) to simulate time in a display case, less fruit was rejected from the perimeter positions because of drying; moisture was higher toward the center of each pallet, and by maintaining direct contact with water, the quality of moist berries began to rapidly decline, particularly with the hydrocooled fruit. Fruit located on the top layer of each pallet was also found to have diminished freshness compared to the lower layers by at least 3.9% and 4.6% for forced-air and hydrocooling, respectively. However, no significant differences in freshness between layers was observed for fruit evaluated on day 14+2 as the overall fruit quality was extremely poor for both cooling treatments. Similarly, rejected fruit below the level of marketability was found to be at least 5.0% and 16.3% greater at the top layer of the pallet for forced-air and hydrocooling, respectively. In both cooling treatments, clamshells at lower layers within the pallet were protected from the cool air of the storage environment and thus had less rejection. The overall percentage of rejected fruit was also found to be higher in the forced-air treatment as shown in Table 8. On days 7+1 and 14+1, more hydrocooled strawberries were marketable and firmer than those that were forced-air cooled, and hydrocooling was found to have minimal to no effect on the fruit quality during cold storage in terms of chemical analyses. 2) Fresh-Market Potato Quality Studies. Drip irrigation was evaluated as an alternative to conventional seepage irrigation to maximize water and fertilizer use efficiency, while maintaining yield and tuber quality. Potato varieties, ‘Fabula’ and ‘Red LaSoda’ were irrigated using surface drip (SD), sub-surface drip tape buried 10 cm below soil surface (SSD), or seepage (SP) irrigation. Tubers were harvested 1, 2 and 3 weeks after vine kill. Tuber marketable yield, internal and external quality was determined at harvest. The freshly harvested tubers were stored for 14 days at 10°C and 90-95% relative humidity. Tubers were analyzed every 7 days during storage for bruise susceptibility, moisture content, firmness, and vitamin C content. Similar yields were obtained for SP and SD ‘Fabula’ plants, with an average yield 25% higher than SSD, whereas in ‘Red LaSoda’, SP yields were significantly higher than both drip irrigation methods. A higher incidence of physiological disorders was also observed in SP tubers for both varieties. Freshly harvested ‘Fabula’ SP tubers were most susceptible to bruise injury, with a rating of 3.5, compared to an average rating of 4.8 for the drip methods (rating: 5 = no symptoms of bruising; 1 = extreme bruising). In ‘Red LaSoda’, SP tubers had an average vitamin C content of 36.1mg/100 g during storage, which was 25% and 34% higher than SD and SSD, respectively. Vitamin C was also affected by time of harvest; it increased with tuber harvest maturity in both varieties. The highest Vitamin C content was observed in tubers harvested 3 weeks after vine kill. No other differences in tuber compositional quality were observed among the irrigation methods. The data suggests that comparable yields and tuber quality can be obtained in ‘Fabula’ when SP is substituted by SD irrigation method.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Pereira, M.E.C., D.M. Tieman, S.A. Sargent, H.J. Klee and D.J. Huber. 2013. Volatile profiles of ripening West Indian and Guatemalan-West Indian avocado cultivars as affected by aqueous 1-methylcyclopropene. Postharvest Biology and Technology 80:37-46.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Pereira, M.E.C., S.A. Sargent, C.A. Sims, D.J. Huber, C.L. Moretti and J.H. Crane. 2013. Aqueous 1-MCP Extends Longevity and Does Not Affect Sensory Acceptability of Guatemalan-West Indian Hybrid Avocado. HortTechnology 23(4):468-473.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2011
Citation:
Jacomino, A.P., S.A. Sargent, A.D. Berry, and J.K. Brecht. 2011. Potential for Grading, Sanitizing, and Hydrocooling Fresh Strawberries. Proc. Florida State Hort. Soc. 124:221-226.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2011
Citation:
Makani, M.N., S.A. Sargent, D.J. Huber, and J.A. Bartz. 2011. Characterization and Management of Lenticel Disorders during Storage of Table Stock Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.). Proc. Florida State Hort. Soc. 124:194-196.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Carnelossi, M.A.G., S.A. Sargent and A.D. Berry. 2013. Influence of clamshell position and size on strawberry fruit cooling rate using forced-air cooling. Proc. Florida State Horticulture Society. 126:XXXX.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Makani, M. S.A. Sargent, L. Zotarelli, D.J. Huber, C.A. Sims, and J. Reyes-Cabrera. 2013 Postharvest quality of table stock potatoes in response to drip irrigation and harvest time. Proc. Florida State Horticulture Society. 126:XXXX.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Sargent, S.A., A.J. Bonicet, A. Teixeira, C. Akers and L. Hyppolite. 2012. Reducing Postharvest Losses from Harvest through Export of Haitian Mangos. World Congress of Food Science & Technology. Program abstracts. (www.iufost.org.br)
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Sargent, S.A., A.D. Berry, J.G. Williamson and J.W. Olmstead. 2013. Postharvest Quality of Mechanically and Hand-harvested, Southern Highbush Blueberry Fruit for Fresh Market. HortTechnology 23(4):437-441.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Sugri, I., S.A. Sargent, F. Kusi, A.D. Berry, R.A.L. Kanton and W. Pelletier. 2013. Improving Marketable Quality of Tomato: a Simulation of Shipping Conditions in Ghana. American Journal of Experimental Agriculture 3(2):392-402.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Schiavone, D.F., A.A. Teixeira, R.A. Bucklin and S.A. Sargent. 2013. Design and performance evaluation of a solar convection dryer for drying tropical fruit. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 29(3):391-401.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Pereira, M.E.C., S.A. Sargent, C.A. Sims, D.J. Huber, J.H. Crane and J.K. Brecht. XXXX. Ripening and sensory analysis of Guatemalan-West Indian hybrid avocado following ethylene pretreatment and/or exposure to gaseous or aqueous 1-methylcyclopropene. Postharvest Biology and Technology (in review)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Bonicet, A.J., S.A. Sargent and A. Teixeira. 2012. Adoption of Plastic Field Crates to Reduce Mechanical Injuries in Postharvest Handling of Haitian Mango. Proceedings Florida State Horticulture Society 125:260-263.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Nunes, M.C.N., A.M.M.B. Morais, J.K. Brecht, S.A. Sargent, J.A. Bartz, . R.A. Allen, J.H. Lee, D.M. Pires and J. Pittet-Moore. 2012. Occurrence of gray mold in stored strawberry fruit as affected by ripeness, temperature, and atmosphere. Proceedings Florida State Horticulture Society 125:287-294.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Sargent, S.A. 2013. New Applications of Temperature Management for Maintaining Postharvest Quality. IV Symposium for Postharvest of Fruits, Vegetables and Flowers. Ribeir�o Preto, SP, Brazil. May 12-16. Keynote address. (Abstract).
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2009
Citation:
Warren, O. 2009. Quality of Carambola Fruit (Averrhoa Carambola L.) as Affected by Harvest Maturity, Postharvest Wax Coating, Ethylene, and 1-Methylcyclopropene. M.S. Thesis. Horticultural Sciences Department. University of Florida, Gainesville. 137 pp.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Bonicet, A.J. 2013. Evaluation of Postharvest Losses and Potential New Methods for the Harvest, Transport and Temperature Management of Haitian Mangos Destined for Export Markets. M.S. Thesis. Horticultural Sciences Department. University of Florida, Gainesville. 83 pp.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2009
Citation:
Chiputula, J. 2009. Evaluating Mechanical Damage of Fresh Potato During Harvesting and Postharvest Handling. M.S. Thesis. Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering. University of Florida, Gainesville. 82 pp.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Brecht, M.A. 2012. Evaluating Vine-Kill Harvested Potatoes to Determine Effects of Harvest Wait Periods on Damage Resistance And To Detect Surface And Subsurface Damage With Spectral Measurement. M.S. Thesis. Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering. University of Florida, Gainesville. 203 pp.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Hyppolite, L. 2013. Economic Impact of Improved Harvest and Post-Harvest Practices on the Haitian Mango Industry. M.S. Thesis. Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering. University of Florida, Gainesville. 135 pp.
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Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: 1) Activities. Experiments conducted: a) Continuation of project to determine the incidence and cause of lenticel darkening in fresh-market potato. Continuation of study to correlate mechanical damage to fresh-market potato and impact severity; b) Initiation of study to determine the effects of hydrocooling as an alternative to forced-air cooling on strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) fruit quality. c) Initiation of new project to reduce harvest and postharvest losses in Haitian-grown mangos. 2) Events. Project results were presented at one regional meeting for potato grower/packers, one local meeting for vegetable growers, two state, regional and local meetings on development of food safety programs, and postharvest handling updates to blueberry and vegetable growers representing more than 800 individuals; four research presentations were made at the annual meetings of the American Society for Horticultural Science and the Florida State Horticulture Society annual meeting. 3) Services. A visiting scientist continued a 1-year sabbatical leave in my laboratory; numerous evaluations and consultations were made via telephone, email and on-site visits to fields and packing facilities around the state; three county faculty, twelve graduate students and 17 Brazilian growers and extension agents and 11 Brazilian and Mozambican researchers received training in a five-day postharvest field trip. 4) Products. Several PowerPoint presentations were developed for use by county extension faculty related to food safety and postharvest handling of blueberry, potato and vegetables. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS: Partner organizations: USDA/ARS U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Ft. Pierce, FL.; Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services; Florida Blueberry Growers Assn.; Florida Tomato Committee; Florida Strawberry Growers Assn.; Southern Florida Potato Growers Exchange; Embrapa Vegetables National Research Center, Brasilia DF, Brazil. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
a) The effect of storage conditions on the development of lenticel disorders was evaluated for two potato cultivars. Tubers were harvested at maturity, 3 weeks after vine kill. Tubers were stored for 12 days at 10C or 20C, and low (65%) or high (95%) relative humidity. The highest incidence of the enlarged lenticel disorder was observed in tubers from both cultivars stored under high RH. Enlarged lenticels on `Red LaSoda' stretched diagonally into oval shapes, while those on `Fabula' remained round. The halo disorder occurred at 20C/low relative humidity in both cultivars, with halos appearing as dark areas surrounding the lenticel aperture. The critical time for the development of the enlarged lenticel disorder was 3 days into storage. b) Initial experiments were conducted to compare strawberry cooling methods and sanitation. Freshly harvested strawberries (`Strawberry Festival', `Radiance' and `Treasure') were studied in a total of 8 experiments by comparing the effects of hydrocooling and forced-air-cooling on subsequent postharvest quality. Immersion hydrocooling with chlorine (200 ppm) of the hinged "clamshell" container required about 13 min to 7/8 cooling, whereas forced-air-cooling required about 1 hour. There was no effect of the treatments on decay, firmness, freshness or bruising during subsequent storage at 5C for 14 days. Hydrocooled fruit retained more weight (2 to 5%) and showed less colony forming units for fungi and bacteria than forced-air cooled fruit. The hydrocooling also removed sand and other small particles adhering to the fruits. c) Preliminary experiments were outlined in preparation for studies to be conducted in Haiti in mid-2011. Mangos were to be transported by mule either in traditional woven sacks or using plastic crates supported by a pack frame and mechanical damages quantified.
Publications
- Demir, N., A.C.O. Ferraz, S.A. Sargent and M.O. Balaban. 2011. Classification of impacted blueberries during storage using an electronic nose. J. Science of Food & Agriculture 91:1722-1727.
- Berry, A.D. and S.A. Sargent. 2011. Cashew apple and nut (Anacardium occidentale). In, Yahia, E. and J.K. Brecht (Eds.), Biology & Technology of Tropical and Sub-Tropical Fruits. Woodhead Publishing Ltd., Cambridge, UK. In press.
- Warren, O. and S.A. Sargent. 2011. Carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.). In, Yahia, E. and J.K. Brecht (Eds.), Biology & Technology of Tropical and Sub-Tropical Fruits. Woodhead Publishing Ltd., Cambridge, UK. In press.
- Santos, B.M., T.P. Salame-Donoso, C.K. Chandler and S.A. Sargent. 2010. Protected Culture for Vegetable and Small Fruit Crops: High Tunnels for Strawberry Production in Florida. EDIS Publ. HS1162. University of Florida/IFAS, Gainesville. 8 pp.
- Sargent, S.A. and J.K. Brecht. 2010. Pushing perishability. Florida Grower. December.
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Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: OUTPUTS: 1) Activities. Experiments conducted: a) Completed investigation of the efficacy of an aqueous formulation of 1-methylcyclopropene applied postharvest to several avocado varieties (Persea americana Mill.) and effects on ripening and quality; b) Completion of project to determine potential of mechanical harvest of southern highbush blueberry varieties (Vaccinium spp. hybrids); c) Continuation of project to determine the incidence and cause of lenticel darkening in fresh-market potato. Continuation of study to correlate mechanical damage to fresh-market potato and impact severity; d) Initiation of study to determine the effects of hydrocooling as an alternative to forced-air cooling on strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) fruit quality. 2) Events. Project results were presented at two statewide meetings for blueberry growers, one regional meeting for potato grower/packers, two local meetings for vegetable growers, eight state, regional and local meetings on development of food safety programs, representing more than 600 individuals; four research presentations were made at the annual meetings of the American Society for Horticultural Science and the Florida State Horticulture Society annual meeting. 3) Services. A visiting scientist began a 1-year sabbatical leave in my laboratory; numerous evaluations and consultations were made via telephone, email and on-site visits to fields and packing facilities around the state; 24 state and county extension faculty members visited key Florida growers, packers and shippers to learn about current and future trends for fresh produce; three county faculty, twelve graduate students and 32 Brazilian growers and researchers received training in a five-day postharvest field trip. 4) Products. Several PowerPoint presentations were developed for use by county extension faculty related to food safety and postharvest handling of blueberry, potato and vegetables. PARTICIPANTS: Partner organizations: USDA/ARS Subtropical Products Laboratory, Winterhaven, FL.; Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services; Florida Blueberry Growers Assn.; Florida Tomato Committee; Florida Strawberry Growers Assn.; Southern Florida Potato Growers Exchange; Embrapa Vegetables National Research Center, Brasilia DF, Brazil; see Outputs section. TARGET AUDIENCES: See Outputs section. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: See Output Section. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
a) A single postharvest immersion in aqueous 1-MCP (75 or 150 micro g/L for 1 min) effectively extended shelf-life of Guatemalan-West Indian avocado (Persea americana Mill.) hybrids from 20%-100%. Concentrations above 225 micro g/L and 2-min immersion treatments delayed ripening but increased fruit shriveling and decay severity. A 4-day treatment of mid-ripe fruit with ethylene at 100 micro L/L promoted complete recovery from ripening asynchrony (not directly related to polygalacturonase activity). Total volatile emissions from untreated avocado pulp cubes decreased during ripening. Sesquiterpenes were predominant in mature-green and mid-ripe fruit; alkanes were a major group in 'Booth 7' and 'Monroe' at all ripeness stages. b) 'Sweetcrisp' blueberry had the highest and 'Meadowlark' had the lowest percentage of immature fruit removed by mechanical harvesting. Generally, more immature berries were removed by mechanical harvest at the first harvest. There were more soft fruit from plants of 'Meadowlark' and 'Farthing' that were mechanically harvested. Fruit detachment force (FDF) for all measurements ranged from 1 to 3 N. For Harvest 1, 'Meadowlark' and 'Farthing' fruit at blue stage were more easily removed from the bush than those at green stage. 'Sweetcrisp' and 'Farthing' blueberries had the best overall performance of three cultivars mechanically harvested and they maintained the highest quality during 14 days of storage with minimal shrivel. The greatest challenge to mechanical harvest is the increase in the number of soft fruit during storage. During storage hand-harvested fruit remained firmer than mechanically harvested fruit for all cultivars and harvest times. c) Potato tubers ('Fabula'; 'Red Lasoda') were harvested at four different times, from pre-vine kill, to 3 weeks after chemical vine kill. The uncured tubers were stored for 12 d at 10C or 20C, and low (65%) or high (95%) RH (10L, 10H, 20L, 20H), simulating commercial conditions. Incidence and severity of lenticel disorders varied according to cultivar. Wet soil conditions increased the incidence of proliferated lenticels before harvest. In storage, non-vine killed tubers were more susceptible to the enlarged lenticel disorder, and had a higher degree of quantitative and qualitative losses. Incidence of the lenticel disorders was minimized for tubers harvested two weeks after vine kill. To avoid severe incidence of enlarged lenticels, and minimize weight and moisture loss, 'Fabula' tubers should be stored at 10H, and 'Red LaSoda' at 10L. Freshly harvested 'Fabula' and 'Red Lasoda' were dropped up to 120 cm to assess incidence and severity of physical damage. Data is currently being analyzed. d) Review of the literature was begun related to strawberry cooling and sanitation in preparation for conducting cooling tests in the next fiscal year.
Publications
- 4. Santos, B.M., T.P. Salame-Donoso, C.K. Chandler and S.A. Sargent. 2010. Protected Culture for Vegetable and Small Fruit Crops: High Tunnels for Strawberry Production in Florida. EDIS Publ. HS1162. University of Florida/IFAS, Gainesville. 8 pp.
- 5. Sargent, S.A. and J.K. Brecht. 2010. Pushing perishability. Florida Grower. December.
- 6. Olmstead, J.W., J.G. Williamson, S.A. Sargent, A.D. Berry and K.M. Blaker. 2010. Blueberry Variety Selections for Mechanical Harvesting and Fresh Pack. Progress report to Florida Blueberry Growers Association. October. 13 pp.
- Berry, A.D. and S.A. Sargent. 2010. Effect of postharvest application of 1-MCP on basil shoot quality during storage at chilling temperature. Annual meeting Florida State Horticulture Society. Paper HP20.
- Sargent, S.A., A.D. Berry, M.E.C. Pereira and D.J. Huber. 2010. Potential of 1-methylcyclopropene to delay ripening and extend quality of avocado fruit during refrigerated storage. Annual meeting Florida State Horticulture Society. Paper HP21.
- 1. Berry, A.D. and S.A. Sargent. 2011. Cashew apple and nut (Anacardium occidentale). In, Yahia, E. and J.K. Brecht (Eds.), Biology & Technology of Tropical and Sub-Tropical Fruits. Woodhead Publishing Ltd., Cambridge, UK. In press.
- 2. Warren, O. and S.A. Sargent. 2011. Carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.). In, Yahia, E. and J.K. Brecht (Eds.), Biology & Technology of Tropical and Sub-Tropical Fruits. Woodhead Publishing Ltd., Cambridge, UK. In press.
- 3. Moretti, C.L., L.M. Mattos, A.G. Calbo and S.A. Sargent. 2010. Climate changes and potential impacts on postharvest quality of fruit and vegetable crops: A review. Food Research International 43:1824-1832.
- Cantliffe, D.J., N.L. Shaw, Q.N. Vinh, S.A. Sargent, A. Berry and X. Zhao. 2010. Rootstocks Improve Fruit Yield and Quality of Greenhouse-produced Determinate and Indeterminate Tomato Cultivars. Annual meeting Florida State Horticulture Society. Paper V4. Berry.
- Cantliffe, D.J., N.L. Shaw, S.A. Sargent, C. Simms, A. Berry, E. Lon Kan, L. Puentes and J.W. Scott. 2009. UF�s �Tasti-Lee� tomato competes with indeterminate, greenhouse cultivars for yield, fruit quality, and sensory analysis when produced hydroponically. Proc. Florida State Hort. Soc. 122:275�280.
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Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: 1) Activities. Experiments conducted: a) Continuation of investigation of the efficacy of an aqueous formulation of 1-methylcyclopropene applied postharvest to several avocado varietiess (Persea americana Mill.) and effects on ripening and quality; b) Initiation to determine the incidence and cause of lenticel darkening in fresh-market potato. c) Initiation of study correlating mechanical damage to fresh-market potato and impact severity; d) Initiation of project to determine potential of mechanical harvest of southern highbush blueberry varieties (Vaccinium spp. hybrids); e) Completion of effects of postharvest application of 1-MCP on carambola (Averrhoa carambola) fruit ripening. 2) Events. Project results were presented at two statewide meetings for blueberry growers, one regional meeting for potato grower/packers, two local meetings for vegetable growers, twelve state, regional and local meetings on development of food safety programs, representing more than 600 individuals; two research presentations were made at the Florida State Horticulture Society annual meeting. 3)Services. Two managers from vegetable operations received hands-on training on postharvest quality in my laboratory; numerous evaluations and consultations were made via telephone, email and on-site visits to fields and packing facilities; More than ten county faculty, twelve graduate students and 8 Brazilian growers and researchers received training in a five-day postharvest field trip. Eighteen Brazilian extension agents received training in U.S. extension programming and vegetable production/handling in a second 5-day field trip. 4) Products. Several PowerPoint presentations were developed for use by county extension faculty related to food safety and postharvest handling of blueberry, potato and vegetables. PARTICIPANTS: Partner organizations: USDA/ARS Subtropical Products Laboratory, Winterhaven, FL.; Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services; Florida Blueberry Growers Assn.; Florida Tomato Committee; Southern Florida Potato Growers Exchange; Embrapa Vegetables National Research Center, Brasilia DF, Brazil; EMATER Federal District extension agency, Brasilia, Brazil; Chungnam University; Chungnam South Korea. Training: see Outputs section. TARGET AUDIENCES: See Outputs section. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Knowledge. a) Efficacy of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) in cv. Monroe avocados (Persea americana Mill.). Fruit were harvested at mature-green stage and treated through immersion in an aqueous formulation of 1-MCP [(225, 450 or 900 micro-g/L a.i. for 1 or 2 min at 20C or exposure to gaseous 1-MCP (900 nano-L/L for 12 h at 20C)]. Fruit were considered commercially ripe upon reaching 10-20 N firmness at the equator. Control fruit softened in 14 d; aqueous 1-MCP treatments delayed ripening 12 to 16 d. Peak rates of control fruit were 124 and 299 microL/kg/h for CO2 and C2H4, resp; 1-MCP treatments reduced these resp. rates by 16%-40% and 26%-44%. Fruit immersed in aqueous 1-MCP at 900 micro-g/L for 1 min or in 225, 450 or 900 micro-g/L for 2 min remained firm for 28 d but with severe decay. Ripening asynchrony (stem end firmer than blossom end) of aqueous-treated fruit increased with increased immersion time and 1-MCP concentration. Cv. Monroe avocado should be treated with aqueous 1-MCP <225 micro-g/L for <1 min when stored at 20 C to minimize weight loss, decay and ripening asynchrony. b) Cv. Arkin carambola has potential to be harvested later than the 1/4 yellow stage to exploit its natural sweetness. In this study Arkin carambola harvested at the 1/2 yellow color stage had a higher sugar-to-acid ratio (20.3) than at the 1/4 yellow stage (15.9). Orange harvested fruit had over-ripe aroma volatiles (ethanol and norisoprenoids). Wax application may delay weight loss and color development, but may cause tissue browning, off-flavors and prevent the outer fins from turning yellow. Exogenous ethylene application (100 ppm) did not promote uniform color development and with 48 h exposure at 20C, increased surface pitting/browning during 14-d storage at 5C. Aqu. 1-MCP treatment at 200 micro-g/L for 1 min maintained firmness in fruit harvested at 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4 yellow 3 d longer than control fruit. The 1-MCP treatment did not affect composition, but suppressed total volatile production and prevented the outer edges of the fins from turning yellow. 1-MCP treatment + ethylene treatment exacerbated surface pitting/browning and over-ripe flavor. The cost of a 1-MCP treatment was $0.25 to $3.50 per box and and would increase cost <$0.40/fruit at retail. Carambolas could be harvested at the 1/2 yellow stage, treated with 1-MCP and have comparable shelf life to untreated fruit harvested at 1/4 yellow stage. c)Yukon Gold and Fabula cvs. were sampled at: the top and bottom of the regular wagon, bottom of inverted V supported wagon, after dumping, before and after grading on the packing line. Major mechanical damage was skinning caused during harvest and dumping; external shatter, cuts, internal shatter and black spot. The inverted V wagon reduced skinning but increased external shatter and black spot. Yukon Gold was more resistant to skinning than Fabula. Hand-dug tubers were dropped on the distal end from 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 cm. Cv. Fabula was more resistant to external shatter, internal shatter and black spot (>90 cm) than cv. Yukon Gold (>30 cm). Shatter and black spot damage were associated with low and high water content, respectively, for Yukon Gold.
Publications
- Sargent, S.A. and D.N. Maynard. 2009. Postharvest biology and technology of cucurbits. Chapter 6. In, Janick, J. (ed.), Horticultural Reviews 35:315-354.
- Berry, A.D. and S.A. Sargent. 2009. Real-time microsensor measurement of internal oxygen partial pressure in tomato fruit under hypoxic conditions. Postharvest Biology and Technology 52:240-242.
- Ferreira, M.D., S.A. Sargent, J.K. Brecht and C.K. Chandler. 2009. Strawberry Bruising Sensitivity Depends on the Type of Force Applied, Cooling Method and Pulp Temperature. HortScience 44(7):1953-1956.
- Sargent, S.A. and D.D. Treadwell. 2009. Guide for Maintaining Quality During Harvest and Handling of Organic Vegetables and Melons. EDIS Publication HS1148. Horticultural Sciences Dept. University of Florida/IFAS, Gainesville. 7 pp.
- Sargent, S.A., P.M. Lyrene, A.J. Fox and A.D. Berry. 2009. Effect Of Harvest Maturity And Canopy Cover On Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) Fruit Quality. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. (In press).
- Marcio Eduardo Canto Pereira, Steven A. Sargent and Adrian D. Berry. 2009. Use Of An Electronic Nose To Classify Avocado Pulp By Maturity Stage. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. (In press).
- Bartz, J.A., S.A. Sargent and M. Mahovic. 2009. Identifying and Controlling Postharvest Tomato Diseases in Florida. (Revision). In Press. Horticultural Sciences Dept., University of Florida/IFAS. EDIS. (In press)
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