Harvest of Southern Highbush Blueberry with a Modified, Over-The-Row Mechanical Harvester: Use of Handheld Shakers and Soft Catch Surfaces

Fresh market southern highbush blueberries are typically hand-harvested which requires an extensive labor force over a relative short period of time. With rising production costs and labor availability issues, interest in mechanical harvesting options is increasing. In 2017, an over-the-row (OTR) harvester was modified to reduce purchase cost while making hand labor more efficient. The picking heads were removed and dual worker stations were added on each side of the unit. Handheld olive shakers were suspended at each station. Experimental catch plates were installed on one side of the OTR harvester and soft, inclined surfaces over the rigid conveyors on both sides. ‘Meadowlark’ and ‘Farthing’ blueberries were harvested with this system and compared to those manually harvested by a commercial harvest crew. Samples from each harvest method were then commercially cooled and mechanically harvested fruit were commercially packed to determine packout data. Fruit firmness, bruise severity and composition were determined after one day at room temperature (22 °C) and after seven and fourteen days of storage at 1 °C. Average packout was very high for mechanically harvested fruit, 87% for ‘Meadowlark’ and 91% for ‘Farthing’. Initial firmness of both cultivars was lower for mechanically harvested fruit (208 g/mm) than hand-harvested fruit (243 g/mm). Fruit from the three treatments softened during storage, and although ‘Meadowlark’ remained firmer than ‘Farthing’ during storage, there were no differences due to catch surfaces. Hand-harvested fruit had no severe bruising (>20% of cut surface area) at harvest, increasing to 2% after seven days, while mechanically harvested fruit from both fruit collection surfaces had 3% initial severe bruising that increased to 22% during storage. ‘Farthing’ had slightly higher soluble solids content and significantly higher total titratable acidity compared to ‘Meadowlark’. Additional modifications must be made to the next-generation OTR harvester to further reduce blueberry harvest and handling impacts.

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Postharvest Quality of Mechanically and Hand-harvested, Southern Highbush Blueberry Fruit for Fresh Market

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.23.4.437 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 437-441 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Steven A. Sargent ◽

Adrian D. Berry ◽

Jeffrey G. Williamson ◽

James W. Olmstead

Keyword(s):

Titratable Acidity ◽

Vaccinium Corymbosum ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Postharvest Quality ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Highbush Blueberry ◽

Fresh Market ◽

Highbush Blueberries ◽

Southern Highbush ◽

Solids Content

Three southern highbush blueberry cultivars (Vaccinium corymbosum hybrids) were mechanically harvested (MH) or hand-harvested (HH) and commercially packed before storage for 14 days at 1 °C in two successive years. MH fruit were softer, had lower ratings for overall appearance, and lost up to 20% more fresh weight than HH fruit after 14 days storage. MH ‘Meadowlark’ had fewer soft fruit (<35%) during storage than either ‘Sweetcrisp’ or ‘Farthing’; however, the latter two cultivars had lower incidences of shrivel and weight loss. Fruit in the 2010 season were more susceptible to bruising than those from the 2009 season; however, soluble solids content (SSC), total titratable acidity (TTA), and ascorbic acid concentration remained constant during storage and between seasons. ‘Meadowlark’ had the highest sugar to acid ratio (25.0). Successful implementation of MH of southern highbush blueberries for fresh market will only be commercially feasible if harvest impacts are further reduced.

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Postharvest Performance of Southern Highbush Blueberry Fruit

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.2.3.366 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 366-370 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gregory A. Lang ◽

Jiaxun Tao

Keyword(s):

Titratable Acidity ◽

Weight Percent ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Highbush Blueberry ◽

Fresh Weight ◽

Solids Concentration ◽

Early Ripening ◽

Highbush Blueberries ◽

Southern Highbush ◽

Retail Conditions

The postharvest performance of early ripening southern highbush blueberries `Sharpblue' and `Gulfcoast' was evaluated under storage and simulated retail conditions. In general, `Gulfcoast' fruit were 28% heavier than those of `Sharpblue', which had a higher percent soluble solids concentration (SSC) and lower titratable acidity (TA). Quality loss, as indexed by fresh weight, percent decayed fruit, or changes in SSC, pH, or TA, was insignificant in first-harvest fruit of either cultivar when kept in storage (2C) for up to 7 days. Transfer of fruit stored at 2C for 3 days to simulated retail conditions at 21C for 4 days significantly increased fresh weight loss and decay, but not beyond levels deemed unmarketable. Second-harvest fruit were smaller than first-harvest fruit, and those of `Sharpblue' fruit were more prone to decay. However, storage quality of both cultivars was acceptable through 11 days at 2C. Retail quality, as influenced by decay incidence, was acceptable after 3 days at 2C plus 4 days at 21C, but not after 3 days at 2C plus 8 days at 21C. Overall, fruits of these early ripening southern highbush blueberry cultivars performed well under postharvest conditions and are suitable for expanding production of premium fresh blueberries by growers in the Gulf coastal plains.

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Reuse of sand, crushed sugarcane and peanut hull-based substrates for cherry tomato cultivation

Scientia Agricola ◽

10.1590/s0103-90162007000600011 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 64 (6) ◽

pp. 630-635 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Carolina Fernandes ◽

José Eduardo Corá ◽

Leila Trevizan Braz

Keyword(s):

Titratable Acidity ◽

Production Costs ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Good Growth ◽

Cherry Tomato ◽

Average Yield ◽

Growth Season ◽

Yield And Quality ◽

Total Titratable Acidity ◽

Peanut Hull

The reuse of substrates for more than one growing season is an alternative to reduce production costs. The objective of this work was to evaluate the yield and quality fruits of the cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) grown in reused substrates. The experimental design was a complete randomized block, with a factorial array of 7 × 2 (seven substrates and two growth periods), with four replications. The seven substrates consisted of different combinations of sand (S), crushed sugarcane (CS) and peanut hull (PH). The substrates used were: S1 = S; S2 = [(2/3 S) + (1/3 CS)]; S3 = [(2/3 S) + (1/3 PH)]; S4 = [(2/3 S) + (1/6 CS) + (1/6 PH)]; S5 = [(1/2 S) + (1/2 CS)]; S6 = [(1/2 S) + (1/2 PH)] and S7 = [(1/3 S) + (1/3 CS) + (1/3 PH)]. These substrates were tested as new (one growth season), and reused (two sequentially growth seasons). The cherry tomato average yield was 9.07 kg m-2 when growth on the new substrates, and 8.44 kg m-2 when growth on the reused ones. The fruit quality was not affected by the reutilization of the substrates. The average values were 6.5 ºBrix for total soluble solids; 0.6 g for citric acid per 100 g for total titratable acidity and 4.2 for pH. A substrate consisting of equal parts of the three components can be recommended as a good growth medium for cherry tomato. All the substrates tested can be efficiently reused, at least once.

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Effects of Machine-Harvest Interval on Fruit Quality of Fresh Market Northern Highbush Blueberry

Horticulturae ◽

10.3390/horticulturae7080245 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (8) ◽

pp. 245

Author(s):

Yixin Cai ◽

Fumiomi Takeda ◽

Brian Foote ◽

Lisa Wasko DeVetter

Keyword(s):

Fruit Quality ◽

Titratable Acidity ◽

Vaccinium Corymbosum ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Highbush Blueberry ◽

Labor Costs ◽

Fresh Market ◽

Harvest Intervals ◽

Northern Highbush Blueberry

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.

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Influence of Irradiance and Period of Exposure on Fruit Set of French-American Hybrid Grapes

Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science ◽

10.21273/jashs.126.3.283 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 126 (3) ◽

pp. 283-290 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

D.C. Ferree ◽

S.J. McArtney ◽

D.M. Scurlock

Keyword(s):

Fruit Set ◽

Saturation Index ◽

Titratable Acidity ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Light Regimes ◽

Leaf Chlorophyll ◽

Solids Concentration ◽

Short Period ◽

Hue Angle

Vines of container grown `DeChaunac', `Vidal blanc', `Seyval blanc' and `Chambourcin' grapes were subjected to 5 days of 80% shade at prebloom, bloom or 2 and 4 weeks after bloom. Fruit set, cluster weight, berries per cluster and juice components [soluble solids concentration (SSC), pH and titratable acidity] of `DeChaunac' and `Vidal blanc' were not affected by a short period of intensive shade. `Chambourcin' was sensitive to a shade period near the time of bloom for most of the aforementioned factors, while `Seyval blanc' was intermediate in sensitivity. Shot (green, hard, and undersized) berries of `Chambourcin' and `Seyval blanc' were increased by a 5-day period of shade 2 or 4 weeks after bloom. In a second study, container-grown `Chambourcin' on 3309C (V. riparia × V. rupestris) with one or two clusters and `Vidal blanc' with one cluster were subjected to the following light regimes beginning at bloom for 5 weeks: supplemental light, ambient greenhouse light and 30%, 50% or 80% shade. Yield, fruit set, specific leaf weight (leaf dry weight/leaf area), saturation index, and total leaf chlorophyll increased linearly with increasing irradiance. `Chambourcin' juice pH, SSC, leaf chlorophyll a/b ratio, cluster color development and hue angle decreased as irradiance increased, likely related to crop reduction. Responses in `Vidal blanc' followed similar trends, but differences were not as great. Results demonstrate that light is an important determining factor in fruit set of French-American hybrid grapes and fruit set of some cultivars are sensitive to short periods of intense shade.

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Potential for Increasing Southern Highbush Blueberry Flavor Acceptance by Breeding for Major Volatile Components

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.48.7.835 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 48 (7) ◽

pp. 835-843 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Jessica L. Gilbert ◽

Michael L. Schwieterman ◽

Thomas A. Colquhoun ◽

David G. Clark ◽

James W. Olmstead

Keyword(s):

Volatile Compounds ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Titratable Acidity ◽

Vaccinium Corymbosum ◽

Harvest Date ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽

Volatile Components ◽

Highbush Blueberry ◽

Southern Highbush

Previously, when selecting for flavor in the University of Florida southern highbush blueberry (SHB, Vaccinium corymbosum L. hybrids) breeding program, sugar/acid ratios and breeder preference were the only factors considered. A more precise method of evaluating flavor would include volatile compounds that may also contribute to the flavor experience. Therefore, volatile profiles of five SHB cultivars (Farthing, FL01-173, Scintilla, Star, and Sweetcrisp) were compared using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. All cultivars were harvested on four separate dates within the harvest season, and fruit from each cultivar were also harvested at four developmental stages on the first harvest date. Among the cultivars, soluble solids content and volatile production tended to increase with fruit maturity, whereas titratable acidity decreased. All volatile components were more variable than measures of sugars and acids during the harvest season. Many of the volatiles present varied significantly between harvest dates, resulting in significant genotype × environment interactions during the harvest season. A closer examination of linalool, trans-2-hexenol, trans-2-hexenal, hexanal, and 1-penten-3-ol, five volatile compounds commonly associated with blueberry flavor, showed cultivar, developmental stage, and harvest date differences for each volatile. ‘Star’ experienced the least variation through the harvest period.

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Identifying Marketable Attributes of Fresh-market Blackberries through Consumer Sensory Evaluations

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci15483-20 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 56 (1) ◽

pp. 30-35

Author(s):

Renee T. Threlfall ◽

John R. Clark ◽

Aubrey N. Dunteman ◽

Margaret L. Worthington

Keyword(s):

Cold Storage ◽

Titratable Acidity ◽

Sensory Attributes ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

University Of Arkansas ◽

Fresh Market ◽

Visual Evaluation ◽

Sensory Study ◽

Physical Composition ◽

Sensory Evaluations

Breeding and release of new fresh-market blackberries (Rubus subgenus Rubus Watson) is vital for competitive markets to address evolving changes and production challenges. Physical, composition, and sensory attributes of six University of Arkansas (UA) System Division of Agriculture blackberry cultivars (Caddo, Natchez, Osage, Ouachita, Ponca, and Prime-Ark® Traveler) were evaluated to identify marketable attributes. The consumer sensory study (n = 81) had two elements: a visual evaluation of displayed blackberries and an appearance, tasting, and firmness evaluation of the six cultivars using a 9-point verbal hedonic liking scale and a 5-point just about right (JAR) scale. Consumers preferred large blackberries when presented with individual berries of varying sizes and clamshells filled with equal weights of small or large blackberries. The largest of the six cultivars, Natchez and Caddo, were scored favorably for size and shape. Consumers also preferred clamshells with little to no red drupelet reversion, a postharvest disorder where black drupelets on the blackberry turn red during or after cold storage. Consumers did not detect differences in the appearance or firmness of the cultivars and rated the firmness of all cultivars favorably on the JAR scale. The physical and composition attributes of the six cultivars were within commercially acceptable ranges (soluble solids = 9% to 10%, pH = 3.1–3.8, titratable acidity = 0.6% to 1.4%, and berry weight = 6–10 g). ‘Ponca’, ‘Osage’, ‘Caddo’, and ‘Natchez’ were all rated highly for sweetness, sourness, overall flavor, and overall impression. ‘Ponca’ was rated high for sweetness, overall flavor, and overall impression and had 10.4% soluble solids, 0.82% titratable acidity, and a 12.8 soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio. The identification of these marketability attributes of fresh-market blackberries will provide information to advance breeding efforts for fruit with commercial potential.

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444 Changes in Quality and Maturity of Late-season Peaches (cvs. O'Henry and Nos 21) during Maturation and Ripening

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.34.3.521a ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 521A-521

Author(s):

G.H. Reginato ◽

L.E. Luchsinger

Keyword(s):

Prunus Persica ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Titratable Acidity ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Fresh Weight ◽

Flesh Color ◽

Commercial Harvest ◽

Maturity Indices ◽

Harvest Maturity

Our objectives were to characterize the quality and maturity changes of peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch.] fruit cvs. O'Henry and Nos 21 during maturation and ripening and to identify harvest maturity indices by relating nondestructive and destructive variables. After fruit set, 400 fruit of similar diameter and tree position were tagged to follow maturation and ripening on the tree. During commercial harvest, 48 fruit were ramdomly harvested every 4 to 6 days. Ethylene evolution rate (EER) at 20 °C, fresh weight, and peel ground and cover color (L*, a*, b*, C* and Hue value) were measured to all 48 fruit. Flesh color, firmness at several fruit points, soluble solids (SS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), and SS/TA ratio were measured only to 24 fruit, and the rest were held for up to 7 days at 20 °C as a ripening period to measure the same characteristics previously mentioned. Pearson correlation coefficients were determined between variables to explore possible harvest maturity indices. The most significant changes occurred in EER and ground color (a* value) for both varieties and fresh weight only for cv. O'Henry. For `O'Henry' peaches the highest correlation (P < 0.001) was obtained between EER-suture firmness (r = -0.61). For cv. Nos 21 the highest correlation was between EER-shoulder firmness (r = -0.69). It was also found that fruit softening occurred mainly in the fruit shoulder for both cultivars. Therefore, no harvest maturity indices could be established for these cultivars.

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(264) Progress in Developing Non-melting-flesh Peaches for Fresh-market Use

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.41.4.1049b ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 1049B-1049

Author(s):

Thomas Beckman ◽

Gerard Krewer ◽

Jose Chaparro ◽

Wayne Sherman

Keyword(s):

Titratable Acidity ◽

Fruit Shape ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Mature Stage ◽

Eating Quality ◽

Fresh Market ◽

University Of Florida ◽

University Of Georgia ◽

Melting Characteristic ◽

Regional Project

The primary purpose of the three-way cooperative regional project involving the USDA, University of Georgia, and University of Florida, is to develop improved fresh-market peach cultivars for use in the moderate-chill areas of the southeastern United States. Since 1995, this project has concentrated on the development of non-melting flesh materials as an alternative to conventional melting-type cultivars. It is our belief that the slower softening, non-melting characteristic will allow growers to pick fruit several days later at a more mature stage, thus improving eating quality without sacrificing shipping ability. To date, this program has released three non-melting peach cultivars and is poised to release several more. Through our postharvest evaluations we have been able to demonstrate that these new releases and selections have equal, if not superior, firmness compared to current commercial melting-type cultivars, in combination with higher soluble solids and soluble solids/titratable acidity ratios. Compared to current commercial melting-type cultivars, the new non-melting releases and selections display superior red skin blush, fruit shape, and cropping ability. Moreover, they are of comparable size and have a significantly reduced incidence of split and shattered pits.

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(199) Effect of Harvest Maturity on Quality of Pear Salad

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.41.4.1051b ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 1051B-1051

Author(s):

Jinhe Bai ◽

Kristi Barckley ◽

John Manthey

Keyword(s):

Sensory Evaluation ◽

Phenolic Content ◽

Titratable Acidity ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Commercial Harvest ◽

Cutting Surface ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Solids Content ◽

Harvest Maturity

Pear texture is similar to that of apple—firm and crispy—and is one of the potential alternatives to apple. However, at a crispy stage the taste is flat. Improving the taste of pears is considered the key to the success of pear salad. This study evaluated the effect of harvest maturity on the quality of pear salad. Fruit were harvested at commercial maturity or 1 month delayed. After 2 and 5 months (1 and 4 months for delayed harvested fruit) of storage at –1 °C, fruit were sliced (eight to 10 wedges per fruit), treated with an anti-browning dip, packaged in zip-lock bags (10 pieces per bag), and stored at 1 °C for up to 21 days. Delayed harvested fruit were larger in size (≈12.5% increase in weight), had lower flesh firmness (≈5 N decrease), lower titratable acidity content (≈20% decrease), and a lower phenolic content (≈45% decrease in pulp). There was no significant difference in soluble solids content. After 2 months of storage, ethylene production and respiration rate were initially lower in delayed harvested fruit in either the intact fruit or cut slices, but tended to similar after 7 days in storage. Sensory evaluation results show that about 80% of the panel preferred delayed-harvested fruit over commercial harvest, especially in terms of visual quality (71% to 92%), sweetness (75% to 93%), taste (69% to 92%), texture of skin (61% to 92%), texture of flesh (53% to 92%), and overall quality (73% to 92%) during 21 days of storage at 1 °C. After 5 months of storage, cutting surface was dry-looking in delayed harvested fruit. However, sensory evaluation showed panels still preferred the delayed-harvested fruit. The results indicate that salad quality of pears can be improved by delaying harvest.

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