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Postharvest Physiology and Technology of Horticultural Crops

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A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2022) | Viewed by 18030

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Daniela Farinelli

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Guest Editor

Department of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences (DSA3), University of Perugia, Via Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Interests: mechanical harvest; breeding and clonal selection of new varieties; abiotic stress; fruit growth; ripening indexes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Post-harvest losses in fruits and vegetables are very high. About 30% of fresh fruits and vegetables shrivel and decay, lowering their market value and consumer acceptability.

Improper handling during harvest and transportation storage cause physical damage due to tissue breakdown. Mechanical losses include bruising, cracking, cuts, and microbial, whereas physiological losses include changes in respiration, transpiration, pigments, organic acids, and flavor.

Loss occurs mainly after harvesting, but it starts first from the field, during harvest (both manual and mechanical), after harvest, in storage, and during transportation. Once fruit is harvested, postharvest handling practices cannot improve the quality attained in the field; they only can slow the rate at which deterioration occurs. Therefore, postharvest quality and shelf life of fruit produce are also determined before harvest and can be affected by plant–environment interactions. Moreover, cultivation systems, like high-density plantation, can affect the quality of fruit and affect its shelf-life.

This Special Issue “Postharvest Physiology and Technology of Horticultural Crops” intends to provide a multi-technique approach to explore fruit quality variability after harvest in relation to plant–environment interactions.

Dr. Daniela Farinelli
Guest Editor

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Fruit storage
Environment
Fruit damage and quality parameter
Genotypes
High-density orchard
Mechanical harvest
Preharvest practices
Postharvest practices

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 869 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Use of Portable Devices and an Innovative and Non-Destructive Index for In-Field Monitoring of Olive Fruit Ripeness

by Nicola Cinosi, Silvia Portarena, Leen Almadi, Annalisa Berrettini, Mariela Torres, Pierluigi Pierantozzi, Fabiola Villa, Andrea Galletti, Franco Famiani and Daniela Farinelli

Agriculture 2023, 13(1), 194; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13010194 - 12 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2145

Abstract

A new non-destructive index of absorbance difference (I_AD), calculated with different wavelengths as references, near the chlorophyll absorbance peak or that for anthocyanin, has been used to determine the fruit ripening of several fruit species using portable devices such as Standard DA-Meter^® and Kiwi-Meter^®. In this study, for the first time, the application of the I_AD was evaluated on single, intact olives of the Leccino cultivar, as a single non-destructive maturity index to follow ripening in the field, directly on the tree. The I_AD determined by both devices was found to be useful for monitoring the olive ripening, however, better performance was achieved with the Kiwi-Meter^®. In fact, the I_AD determined by this device was more effective at measuring all the studied olive ripening parameters in the calibration and validation datasets with acceptable accuracy. Specifically, better performance of the I_DA by Kiwi-Meter^® was observed in estimation of the color index (R² = 0.817, DRMSEC = 0.404 and RPIQ = 3.863 for calibration and R² = 0.752, DRMSECV = 0.574 and RPIQ = 3.244 for validation), confirming its potential for evaluating the degree of olive ripeness. This novel index has significant applicative possibilities, since it would allow rapid, on-site screening of the best harvesting time to improve the olive production in terms of both yield and quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Physiology and Technology of Horticultural Crops)

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12 pages, 1276 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Inoculation Improves Flower Yield and Postharvest Quality Component of Gerbera Grown under Different Salinity Levels

by Yahia A. Othman, Monther Tahat, Kholoud M. Alananbeh and Malik Al-Ajlouni

Agriculture 2022, 12(7), 978; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12070978 - 7 Jul 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1727

Abstract

High salinity levels of irrigated water and the accumulation of salt over time in the soil is a major concern worldwide, including in Jordan. The objective of this two-year study was to assess the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation on the physiology, yield, and flower quality of gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii cvs. Beaudine and Palm Beach) under different salinity levels (0.0, 20.0 and 40.0 mM-NaCl). The study was arranged in a randomized complete block design with five replicates. During the experimental period (2018–2019), chlorophyll content index (SPAD), leaf gas exchange (photosynthesis, Pn; stomatal conductance, gs; transpiration, E), flower yield, flower quality (pedicel length and diameter, number of days to flowering, flower diameter, and vase life), root sporulation, and colonization were measured. Irrigation with saline water (20 and 40 mM-NaCl) significantly increased salt accumulation in soil. The mean soil electrical conductivity (EC) after two growing seasons for the 20 mM-NaCl treatment was 2.9 dS m⁻¹ and 4.4 dS m⁻¹ for the 40 mM. High salinity level (40 mM-NaCl) reduced root AMF sporulation by 53–62% and colonization by 12–25% across cultivars. Interestingly, root colonization was higher than 50% across salinity level and in both cultivars. Saline water at 40 mM-NaCl significantly reduced SPAD, Pn, gs, E, flower yield, and quality component, especially vase life. Interestingly, leaf chlorophyll content index from AMF-inoculated plants was significantly higher than uninoculated ones across cultivars at the second growing season. In addition, inoculation with AMF significantly increased yield in both ‘Beaudine’ (34–40%) and ‘Palm Beach’ (42–44%) cultivars and across the study period, 2018 to 2019. In addition, AMF increased vase life in ‘Beaudine’ by 19% to 28% and in ‘Palm Beach’ by 21% to 22%. Overall, our results revealed that gerbera growers can increase their flower yield and postharvest flower quality component (vase life) under saline conditions (soil EC < 4.4 dS m⁻¹) by inoculating the seedlings with AMF. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Physiology and Technology of Horticultural Crops)

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6 pages, 590 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

The Effect of 8-Hydroxyquinoline Sulphate and Gibberellic Acid on Postharvest Viola odorata L. Leaf Longevity

by Maria P. Ulczycka-Walorska and Agnieszka Krzymińska

Agriculture 2022, 12(2), 247; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12020247 - 9 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1468

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the postharvest longevity of cut leaves of Viola odorata and determine their usefulness as a florist green. The research also involved the study of the influence of chemical compounds used as plant preservatives on the longevity of leaves of V. odorata. The leaf stalks of V. odorata were soaked in water or conditioned in a 200 mg·dm⁻³ solution of 8–hydroxyquinoline sulphate, or a 50 or 100 mg·dm⁻³ solution of gibberellic acid. After one day, the leaves were kept in water or 200 mg·dm⁻³ of 8–hydroxyquinoline sulphate. The leaves of V. odorata had a longevity of about 31 days in water. Both the conditioning in gibberellic acid and 8–hydroxyquinoline sulphate and the maintenance in 8–hydroxyquinoline sulphate reduced the vase life of cut V. odorata leaves. The application of conditioners resulted in a significantly greater reduction of the leaf mass. The Soil Plant Analysis Development value of the leaves was best affected by conditioning them in 100 mg·dm⁻³ gibberellic acid followed by keeping them in water. Cut leaves of V. odorata with water treatment may be used as a florist green. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Physiology and Technology of Horticultural Crops)

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13 pages, 3244 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimation of the Cooling Rate of Six Olive Cultivars Using Thermal Imaging

by Eddy Plasquy, José M. Garcia, Maria C. Florido and Rafael R. Sola-Guirado

Agriculture 2021, 11(2), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11020164 - 17 Feb 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2907

Abstract

Bringing the olive harvest period forward leads to storing fruit in field temperatures that risk jeopardizing its quality. Knowledge about the bio-thermal characteristics of olives is crucial when considering their cooling, although published research on the subject is limited. In this work, the cooling rate of the fruit of six olive cultivars has been empirically determined by measuring the evolution of their low temperature under controlled conditions by thermal imaging. Based on these data, the cooling time needed to cool the fruit to 22 °C was estimated, considering the biometric characteristics of the individual fruit, a field temperature from 26 to 42 °C, and a room cooling temperature from −8 to −20 °C. The results showed differences among the cultivars and the need to further investigate the specific heat requirements for small varieties and the impact of the conduction factor on the heavier ones. The simulation suggests that between 2 min (for the light Arbequina and Koroneiki cultivars) and 5 min (for the heavier Verdial and Gordal cultivars) suffice to cool the fruit to the desired temperature with a room temperature of −16 °C. These results show the feasibility of developing technological solutions for cooling olives before their industrial processing with industrial applications such as cooling tunnels on individual fruit. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Physiology and Technology of Horticultural Crops)

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14 pages, 3002 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimation of Starch Hydrolysis in Sweet Potato (Beni Haruka) Based on Storage Period Using Nondestructive Near-Infrared Spectrometry

by Da-Song Kim, Moon-Hee Choi and Hyun-Jae Shin

Agriculture 2021, 11(2), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11020135 - 6 Feb 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5543

Abstract

Sweet potatoes are a substantial source of nutrition and can be added to processed foods in the form of paste. The moisture and starch contents of these potatoes affect the physicochemical properties of sweet potato paste. In this study, the changes in the moisture, starch, and α-amylase content of sweet potatoes were measured for eight weeks after harvest. Using nondestructive near-infrared analyses and chemometric models, the moisture and starch contents were predicted. The partial least squares (PLS) method was used for prediction, while linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was used for discrimination. To increase the accuracy of the model, the near-infrared spectrum was preprocessed using the Savitzky–Golay derivative (S–G), standard normal variate (SNV), and multiplicative scattering correction methods. When applying PLS to the moisture content, the best calibration model accuracy was obtained using the S–G preprocessed spectrum. Furthermore, the best calibration model accuracy for starch content was obtained using the SNV preprocessed spectrum. The moisture and starch contents were categorized into five classes for LDA, with results indicating that the internal quality of sweet potatoes can be predicted and classified using chemometric models through nondestructive detection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Physiology and Technology of Horticultural Crops)

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Review

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14 pages, 16589 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Role of Cytokinins and Gibberellins on Post-Harvest Longevity of Florists’ Greens

by Beata Janowska and Roman Andrzejak

Agriculture 2022, 12(9), 1375; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12091375 - 2 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1639

Abstract

Florists’ greens are a very important element of floral compositions, and their vase life must match that of the flowers, hence this review presents the results of research that has been conducted over the years in order to improve the post-harvest longevity of species that are grown for florists’ greens using growth regulators from groups of gibberellins (GAs) and cytokinins (CKs). Florists’ greens include foliage, the leafy and non-leafy stems of herbaceous plants, trees, bushes, and phylloclades. The post-harvest longevity of florists’ greens is influenced by genetics. Also strongly affected by the growing conditions and the conditions of the transport of the florists’ greens and the conditions when supplying them to markets are also significant. Moreover, florists’ greens are not supplied with growth regulators, which play a critical role in their ageing process. The CKs and GAs are considered to be inhibitors of ageing; however, unfortunately, their content in plant tissues decreases during the progressive ageing process, while the amount of regulators that accelerate ageing increases. International research is focusing on the use of growth regulators in the post-harvest treatment of florists’ greens. Their effectiveness has been shown to depend on the species, the cultivar, the concentration, and the method of application, therefore, there is no ready-made recipe that can be used for all species. The growth regulators from the CK and GA groups are used to condition the florists’ greens. Few studies to date point to the possibility of using topolines (Ts) and ionic liquids in order to extend the post-harvest longevity of florists’ greens. The standard cut flower medium containing 2% sucrose and hydroxyquinoline esters—sulphate or citrate (8HQS and 8HQC)—at a concentration of 200 mg·dm⁻³, which is used to conditioning, does not have a positive effect on florists’ greens of most species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Physiology and Technology of Horticultural Crops)

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