CPPU SPRAYS ALTER BLUEBERRY (VACCINIUM CORYMBOSUM L. 'DUKE') FRUIT QUALITY AT HARVEST AND ITS BEHAVIOR IN POSTHARVEST

2014 ◽  
pp. 189-193
Author(s):  
J.B. Retamales ◽  
R. Godoy ◽  
C. Moggia ◽  
G.A. Lobos ◽  
S. Romero
2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás E. Lobos ◽  
Jorge B. Retamales ◽  
Samuel Ortega-Farías ◽  
Eric J. Hanson ◽  
Rafael López-Olivari ◽  
...  

Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 245
Author(s):  
Yixin Cai ◽  
Fumiomi Takeda ◽  
Brian Foote ◽  
Lisa Wasko DeVetter

Machine harvesting blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) alleviates labor costs and shortages but can reduce fruit quality. Installation of softer catching surfaces inside modified over-the-row harvesters (modified OTR) and adjusting harvest intervals may improve fruit quality and packout. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of harvest interval on fruit quality of fresh market northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) harvested using a modified OTR. ‘Liberty’ blueberry bushes were harvested by hand or using a modified OTR at 3-, 10-, and 14-day intervals in 2019 and at 7-, 11-, and 14-day intervals in 2020. Hand-harvested ‘Liberty’ had greater packout and firmness than machine-harvested fruit. Machine harvesting at the 3-day interval in 2019, and the 14-day interval in 2020 reduced packout from 70–80% to 60% and 54%, respectively. In 2019, machine harvesting at a 3-day interval overall resulted in fruit with greater firmness, higher titratable acidity (TA), and lower total soluble solids (TSS) and SS/TA, compared to other harvest intervals. In 2020, the 7-day machine-harvest interval had a greater TA and lower TSS/TA, compared to the 11- and 14-day intervals. Overall, modified OTR machine-harvest intervals can be extended to 10–11 days for fresh market northern highbush cultivars such as ‘Liberty’ grown in northwest Washington.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaysankar De ◽  
Aswathy Sreedharan ◽  
You Li ◽  
Alan Gutierrez ◽  
Jeffrey K. Brecht ◽  
...  

Cooling procedures used by blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) growers often may include delays up to 24 hours that can damage the fruit through rough handling and adverse temperatures, thereby potentially compromising quality and, subsequently, safety. The objectives of this experiment were to compare forced-air cooling (FAC) compared to hydrocooling without sanitizer (HW) and hydrocooling with sanitizer (HS) regarding the quality and shelf life of southern highbush blueberry [SHB (Vaccinium corymbosum)] and to determine the efficacy of these treatments for reducing Salmonella in SHB. Freshly harvested SHB that were inoculated with a five-serovar cocktail of rifampin-resistant Salmonella were rapidly chilled by FAC or hydrocooling (HW and HS) using a laboratory model system. FAC did not show any significant reduction (P > 0.05) in Salmonella or in the effects on the microbiological quality of blueberries. HW and HS reduced Salmonella by ≈2 and >4 log cfu/g SHB, respectively, on day 0. These postharvest treatments were also evaluated for their ability to help maintain fruit quality throughout a storage period of 21 days at 1 °C. Hydrocooling (both HS and HW) provided more rapid cooling than FAC. Hydrocooled blueberries showed significant weight gain (P < 0.05), whereas FAC resulted in a slight, but insignificant (P > 0.05), reduction in final weight. The results of hydrocooling, both HS and HW, shown in this study could help to extend the shelf life while maintaining or increasing the microbiological quality of fresh market blueberries. Information obtained by this study can be used for developing the best temperature management practices to maintain the postharvest safety and quality of blueberries.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 389
Author(s):  
Yang Fang ◽  
Jeffrey Williamson ◽  
Rebecca Darnell ◽  
Yuncong Li ◽  
Guodong Liu

The commercial blueberry industry in Florida has expanded significantly in both acreage and value in the past several years. The southern highbush blueberry (SHB, Vaccinium corymbosum L. interspecific hybrid) is the major blueberry type grown in Florida. The nitrogen (N) demand of young SHB differs from the northern highbush blueberry (NHB, V. corymbosum L.) and from mature blueberry plants. The objective of this study was to optimize fertigated N rates for the growth and yield of young SHB plants. One-year-old ‘Emerald’ and ‘Farthing’ plants were fertilized with 32N-0P-0K through drip irrigation at annual rates of 0, 42, 84, 168, and 336 kg N ha−1. Soil nitrate levels at multiple depths were measured along with leaf nutrient concentration, percent canopy ground cover, fruit yield and fruit quality. The results indicated that N rates had no significant effect on leaf nutrient concentrations. Greater N rates advanced bloom and harvest, increased percentage of ground cover (an indicator of canopy size), fruit yield and berry numbers per plant, but decreased mean berry diameter and weight. The soil nitrate results from both ‘Emerald’ and ‘Farthing’ revealed that the 336 kg N ha−1 treatment had a significantly greater risk for nitrate leaching than the lower N treatments in spring. The effect of N rates on fruit quality varied with cultivar and harvest season. The linear plateau regression of fruit yield and N rates indicated that the maximum yield reached at the annual N fertigation rate of 222 kg ha−1 for ‘Emerald’ and 206 kg ha−1 for ‘Farthing’.


HortScience ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 382-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda J. Vance ◽  
Patrick Jones ◽  
Bernadine C. Strik

Foliar calcium (Ca) products are applied by many berry growers to enhance fruit quality and shelf life without evidence that these applications increase fruit Ca or impact fruit characteristics when applied at rates recommended on the product label. The objectives of this study were to determine if fruit or leaf Ca increases when several formulations of liquid Ca products are applied to developing fruit, and to assess any resulting changes in fresh market quality of berries. Products were applied in strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa L., ‘Hood’ and ‘Albion’), raspberry (Rubus idaeus L., ‘Tulameen’ and ‘Vintage’), blackberry (Rubus L. subgenus Rubus, Watson, ‘Obsidian’ and ‘Triple Crown’), and blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L., ‘Spartan’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Draper’, and ‘Legacy’). Calcium formulations tested were Ca chloride (CaCl2), CaCl2 + boron, Ca silicate, Ca chelate, and Ca acetate, which were compared with a water-only control. The rates used for each product were within ranges specified on the label and supplied equal amounts of Ca per ha for each treatment; the Ca concentration varied from 0.05% to 0.3% depending on the cultivar and the volume of water required for good coverage. All products were applied with a backpack sprayer, except in a separate trial where a backpack and electrostatic sprayer were compared in ‘Draper’ and ‘Legacy’. Treatment applications were started at the early green fruit stage and were repeated three or four times, depending on duration of berry development and cultivar. Fruit were harvested into commercial clamshells 4 days to ≈4 weeks after the final application of Ca from an early harvest at commercial ripeness. Data collected included berry weight, rating of fruit appearance and flavor, firmness, skin toughness, total soluble solids (TSS), and weight loss and nesting (collapse of fruit) during storage (evaluated at ≈5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-days postharvest). Fruit and leaves were sampled at harvest to determine Ca concentration. There was no evidence of spotting or off-flavors due to Ca applications. Compared with the control, none of the Ca treatments or method of application changed leaf or fruit Ca concentration, fruit quality, firmness, or shelf life in any crop or cultivar tested.


HortScience ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid F. Almutairi ◽  
David R. Bryla ◽  
Bernadine C. Strik

Drought and mandatory water restrictions are limiting the availability of irrigation water in many important blueberry growing regions, such as Oregon, Washington, and California. New strategies are needed to maintain yield and fruit quality with less water. To address the issue, three potential options for reducing water use, including deficit irrigation, irrigation cutoffs, and crop thinning, were evaluated for 2 years in a mature planting of northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. ‘Elliott’). Treatments consisted of no thinning and 50% crop removal in combination with either full irrigation at 100% of estimated crop evapotranspiration (ETc), deficit irrigation at 50% ETc (applied for the entire growing season), or full irrigation with irrigation cutoff for 4–6 weeks during early (early- to late-green fruit) or late (fruit coloring to harvest) stages of fruit development. Stem water potential was similar with full and deficit irrigation but, regardless of crop thinning, declined by 0.5–0.6 MPa when irrigation was cutoff early and by >2.0 MPa when irrigation was cutoff late. In one or both years, the fruiting season was advanced with either deficit irrigation or late cutoff, whereas cutting off irrigation early delayed the season. Yield was unaffected by deficit irrigation in plants with a full crop load but was reduced by an average of 35% when irrigation was cutoff late each year. Cutting off irrigation early likewise reduced yield, but only in the 2nd year when the plants were not thinned; however, early cutoff also reduced fruit soluble solids and berry weight by 7% to 24% compared with full irrigation. Cutting off irrigation late produced the smallest and firmest fruit with the highest soluble solids and total acidity among the treatments, as well as the slowest rate of fruit loss in cold storage. Deficit irrigation had the least effect on fruit quality and, based on these results, appears to be the most viable option for maintaining yield with less water in northern highbush blueberry. Relative to full irrigation, the practice reduced water use by 2.5 ML·ha−1 per season.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taishan Li ◽  
Hisayo Yamane ◽  
Ryutaro Tao

AbstractUltraviolet-B (UV-B) light (280–315 nm) is an important environmental signal that regulates plant development and photomorphogenesis, while also affecting the flavonoid pathway, including anthocyanin biosynthesis. Regarding the effects of UV-B radiation on fruits, the effects of a short-term or postharvest irradiation on fruit quality have been well-documented, but the effects of a long-term preharvest UV-B irradiation on fruit growth and coloration remain unclear. Thus, in this study, we investigated the effects of a long-term treatment involving an environmentally relevant UV-B dose on highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) fruit. The preharvest UV-B treatment quickly promoted fruit growth and sugar accumulation, which is not commonly observed in other fruit tree species. The UV-B exposure also accelerated fruit ripening and coloration. The dual-luciferase assay proved that in blueberries, expression of VcUFGT encoding anthocyanin biosynthesis key enzyme, is positively and negatively regulated by VcMYBA1 and VcMYBC2, respectively. Throughout the fruit development stage, the UV-B treatment up-regulated VcMYBPA1 expression, which increased VcUFGT expression via VcMYBA1. In the green fruit stage, the UV-B treatment increased HY5 encoding UV receptor, which up-regulates VcMYBPA1 and down-regulates VcMYBC2, thereby promotes the accumulation of anthocyanins. On the other hand, excessive anthocyanin synthesis was inhibited by increased VcMYBC2 levels in mature fruits when exposed to UV-B light through HY5-independent pathway. In conclusion, anthocyanin-related MYB activators and repressor may coordinately balance the accumulation of anthocyanins in blueberry fruits, with UV-B treatments possibly influencing their effects in a stage-specific manner. The potential utility of preharvest UV-B treatments for improving blueberry fruit quality is discussed herein.


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