Determining Fruit Maturity in Research and Industry Applications

The reasons for knowing the maturity of fruit center around controlling fruit quality after harvest. Farmers are usually concerned with trying to determine harvest date to fit their labor, storage, and marketing needs, whereas research scientists are typically trying to account for the effects of maturity as a variable in experiments. Specific goals for farmer and researcher will, in part, govern what maturity indices are used and what values are acceptable. Restrictions in time and equipment will also affect choice of maturity assessment methods. In some instances, internal or external characteristics might be more important. Because changes in a number of characteristics comprise ripening, there is no single criteria or method that can be termed “best.” However, for each situation, an optimal choice of criteria or method may exist. The logic and information necessary to reach those optimal choices, from the perspective of the researcher and the commercial horticulture operation, is presented and contrasted.

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Multiple season-long sprays of ethephon or NAA combined with calcium chloride on ‘Honeycrisp’ apples: I. Effect on bloom and fruit quality attributes

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.1139/cjps-2018-0196 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 99 (4) ◽

pp. 444-459

Author(s):

John A. Cline

Keyword(s):

Calcium Chloride ◽

Fruit Quality ◽

Quality Attributes ◽

Naphthaleneacetic Acid ◽

Fruit Firmness ◽

Biennial Bearing ◽

Fruit Drop ◽

Fruit Maturity ◽

Return Bloom ◽

Honeycrisp Apples

‘Honeycrisp’ apple trees are highly prone to biennial bearing and predisposed to bitter pit. The hypothesis that tank mix sprays of ethephon (ETH), naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC) combined with calcium chloride (CaCl2) can mitigate these production problems was tested in a 3-yr study. Mature ‘Honeycrisp’ trees were treated with either three or six summer applications of 150 mg L−1 ETH or 5 mg L−1 NAA, all tank-mixed with and without CaCl2, or two or five applications of 150 mg L−1 ACC (without CaCl2). Treatments were applied at 10-d intervals and initiated between 21 and 26 June. All treatments had little effect on enhancing return bloom of ‘Honeycrisp’. NAA, ETH, and CaCl2 all influenced fruit maturity and quality at harvest to varying degrees and across years. Fruit treated with NAA were firmer compared with untreated fruit in 2 out of 3 yr, whereas overall, fruit treated with six sprays of ETH had lower fruit firmness and were more mature. NAA had less influence on fruit quality attributes at harvest than did ETH, and decreased pre-harvest fruit drop (PFD). PFD increased with ETH in 1 out of 2 yr, whereas ACC and NAA both decreased PFD in 1 out of 2 yr. Overall, ETH and NAA, with or without CaCl2, had significant but inconsistent effects on fruit quality and maturity, all dependent on the year and number of applications. Adding CaCl2 decreased fruit firmness in 2 out of 3 yr.

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Smart fingertip sensor for food quality control: fruit maturity assessment with a magnetic device

Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials ◽

10.1016/j.jmmm.2021.168116 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 168116

Author(s):

Maria Carvalho ◽

Pedro Ribeiro ◽

Verónica Romão ◽

Susana Cardoso

Keyword(s):

Quality Control ◽

Food Quality ◽

Magnetic Device ◽

Food Quality Control ◽

Control Fruit ◽

Maturity Assessment ◽

Fruit Maturity

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INFLUENCE OF HARVEST DATE ON FRUIT QUALITY AND STORABILITY OF ‘BRAEBURN’ APPLES

Acta Horticulturae ◽

10.17660/actahortic.2001.553.60 ◽

2001 ◽

pp. 269-270

Author(s):

G. Lafer

Keyword(s):

Fruit Quality ◽

Harvest Date

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Determination of fruit maturity indices in apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) cv. New Castle.

Journal of Applied Horticulture ◽

10.37855/jah.2001.v03i02.13 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 03 (02) ◽

pp. 108-110

Author(s):

M.P. Singh ◽

D.C. Dimri ◽

M.C. Nautiyal

Keyword(s):

Prunus Armeniaca ◽

Maturity Indices ◽

Fruit Maturity ◽

Prunus Armeniaca L

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Effects of postharvest topping, autumn cincturing, and paclobutrazol on growth, yield, and fruit quality of the low chill nectarine cv. Sundowner in subtropical Australia

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea9930353 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 353 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

AP George ◽

RJ Nissen ◽

T Rassmussen

Keyword(s):

Fruit Quality ◽

Seasonal Pattern ◽

Growth Yield ◽

Tree Size ◽

Yield Efficiency ◽

Fruit Maturity ◽

Canopy Volume ◽

Effect On Yield ◽

Subtropical Australia

Combinations of 3 methods of controlling tree size (use of the growth retardant paclobutrazol, postharvest topping, and autumn cincturing) were evaluated for their effects on growth, yield, and fruit quality of the low chill nectarine cv. Sundowner in subtropical Australia. Compared with controls over 3 seasons, paclobutrazol used alone reduced tree size by 34-52%, with further reductions when combined with light and severe postharvest topping (by 5-25 and 58-71%, respectively). Yield efficiency (as measured by yield per unit canopy volume) was significantly improved by paclobutrazol and was doubled when paclobutrazol was combined with severe postharvest topping. Although this combination reduced time associated with pruning, thinning, and harvesting, it had the disadvantage of delaying flowering and, consequently, fruit maturity in the subsequent harvest season. Light postharvest topping and autumn cincturing used with paclobutrazol had little effect on yield efficiency, fruit quality, or harvest period. The seasonal pattern of starch reserves for twigs was similar for all treatments, with starch levels falling to a minimum during the early harvest period. Measurements of starch in the major tree organs showed that at very low harvest increments (<10) there was little or no depletion of starch from the twigs and leaves, but as harvest increments increased (range 10-40), there was increasing starch depletion, in order of priority, from the roots, trunks, and limbs.

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Fruit canopy positioning affects fruit calcium and potassium concentrations, disorder incidence, and fruit quality for ‘Honeycrisp’ apple

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.1139/cjps-2019-0017 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 99 (5) ◽

pp. 761-771 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lee Kalcsits ◽

James Mattheis ◽

Luca Giordani ◽

Michelle Reid ◽

Katie Mullin

Keyword(s):

Fruit Quality ◽

Apple Orchard ◽

High Density ◽

Nutrient Distribution ◽

Long Term Storage ◽

Fruit Maturity ◽

Canopy Position ◽

Bitter Pit ◽

Colour Development ◽

Soft Scald

One advantage of high-density apple orchard systems is homogeneity in fruit maturity and quality. However, even in modern orchard systems, variation in fruit quality occurs. ‘Honeycrisp’ apple is susceptible to numerous disorders including bitter pit, soft scald, and poor colour development. Heterogeneity in fruit quality and nutrient distribution can lead to variation in fruit storability. Here, we tested the effect of within-canopy position on fruit calcium and potassium concentrations, quality, and disorder development for fruit across nine representative high-density orchards. Calcium concentrations were greater in the upper part of the canopy compared with the lower part. Potassium was more evenly distributed within the canopy. Calcium concentrations and potassium-to-calcium ratios were significantly correlated with mean bitter pit incidence, which was between 20% and 30% in the lower half of the tree and <15% in the upper half. Fruit quality was significantly affected by the position in the canopy and was not constrained to only colour, but also other quality metrics such as dry matter, size, and firmness. Additionally, the internal ethylene concentrations (IECs) of fruit in the upper canopy were approximately 50% of the IECs for fruit from the lower canopy. With an increased emphasis on uniformity and predictability of fruit for long-term storage, these results underscore the importance of understanding variation within the canopy. Even for high-density systems, significant variation in fruit quality can occur and fruit from the upper canopy has lower disorder incidence and higher fruit quality than fruit from the lower canopy.

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Rootstock Effect on Physico-Chemical and Nutritional Quality of Mandarin ‘Clemenules’ during the Harvest Season

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10091350 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1350 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Julia Morales ◽

Almudena Bermejo ◽

Pilar Navarro ◽

Alejandra Salvador

Keyword(s):

Acid Content ◽

Nutritional Quality ◽

Color Change ◽

Quality Parameters ◽

Maturity Indices ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

Fruit Maturity ◽

Different Seasons ◽

Citric Acid Content

This study reports the influence of eight rootstocks (‘Carrizo’ (CC), ‘C-35’ (C35) ‘Cleopatra’ (CL), ‘Volkameriana’ (VK), ‘Macrophylla’ (M), ‘Forner-Alcaide 5’ (FA5), ‘Forner-Alcaide 13’ (FA13) and ‘Forner-Alcaide V17’ (V17)) on the physico-chemical and nutritional quality of ‘Clemenules’ mandarins at three harvest times during two seasons. Fruit quality parameters were influenced by rootstocks, and this effect was mostly harvest time -dependent. External color was overall influenced by rootstocks upon the first harvest. FA13 and C35 induced a breakthrough in color change, while V17 brought about the greatest color increase. CL and V17 initially delayed the fruit maturity index. In the last harvest, while CL had one of the highest maturity indices, V17 exhibited the lowest as acidity was maintained as harvest advanced. The CC and M fruit had the highest and lowest sucrose content, respectively. The highest glucose and fructose contents in fruit were induced by V17, FA5 and CC. The highest citric acid content was displayed by V17 in all the harvests. The FA13, C35 and VK fruit exhibited the highest malic acid content. The effect that rootstock exert on ascorbic acid and flavonoid content depends on the studied season. The results reveal the importance of conducting studies during different seasons to obtain robust results.

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