Fruit Characteristics and Mineral Nutrient Concentrations Depending on Different Sizes of “Fuyu” Persimmon Fruits

Seong-Tae Choi,Ji-Young Son,Wan-Kyu Joung,Gwang-Hwan Ahn,Eun-Gyeong Kim,Yeo-Ok Park

doi:10.4236/as.2019.108076

Abstract

This study investigated the relationships between fruit size and other fruit quality components in “Fuyu” persimmon. The flower buds were thinned to leave one or two buds per bearing shoot in mid-May. All fruits were harvested on November 12 and they were divided into six size classes by fresh weight. The length/diameter (L/D) ratio and flesh firmness significantly decreased as fruit size increased. Large fruits had a redder skin color with more seeds than small ones. There was a strong negative relationship between fruit size and the L/D ratio (R2 = 0.741, p ≤ 0.01) and firmness (R2 = 0.604, p ≤ 0.01). Skin color and number of seeds per fruit were positively related to fruit size, especially skin color where the relationship was highly positive (R2 = 0.771, p ≤ 0.01). There was a weak, but non-significant positive relation between fruit size and soluble solids. P, K, and Ca concentrations significantly decreased with increasing fruit size. Highly negative relationships were found between fruit size and fruit P (R2 = 0.393, p ≤ 0.01), K (R2 = 0.446, p ≤ 0.01), and Ca (R2 = 0.417, p ≤ 0.01) concentrations. Fruit N and Mg concentrations were not affected by fruit size. It was concluded that fruit size is related to shape, coloration, flesh firmness, and number of seeds per fruit, affecting concentrations of some mineral nutrients in fruits.

Highlights

Fresh fruit from the late maturing persimmon cultivar “Fuyu” accounts for the largest portion of the total persimmon production in Korea
This study investigated the relationships between fruit size and other fruit quality components in “Fuyu” persimmon
The L/D ratio and flesh firmness significantly decreased as fruit size increased

Summary

Introduction

Fresh fruit from the late maturing persimmon cultivar “Fuyu” accounts for the largest portion of the total persimmon production in Korea. The production of medium-sized fruits, produced by maintaining high fruit loads, has gradually increased because producing large-sized fruits requires substantial labor inputs and medium size becomes more attractive to some consumers In export markets, such as Southeast Asia, small- or medium-sized fruits have become better acceptable to consumers due to their long self-life with low price. “Fuyu” growers harvest the fruits over a short period of time just before heavy frosts occur in early to mid-November, and they grade the fruit mainly by their size. These fruits are shipped to diverse markets or they are stored at low temperature. Other quality factors, such as skin color, firmness, and soluble solids, are mostly overlooked compared to fruit size

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion