Fruit Bagging Research Articles

Postharvest ethephon degreening improves fruit color, flavor quality and increases antioxidant capacity in ‘Eureka’ lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.)

External color of citrus fruits is a key factor that affects consumer acceptability, and ethephon has been commonly used to the degreening of citrus fruits in the industry. In this study, the green-peeled ‘Eureka’ lemon fruits were treated with ethephon solution (1000 mg/L), and then stored at 20 °C (RH 85%) for 9 days. The fruit color, flavor and antioxidant capacity were investigated during the degreening process, and the qualities of ethephon-degreened fruits were compared to those of yellowish bagged fruits. The results showed that the postharvest ethephon treatment improved the external color, which was indicated by the increases in the citrus color index (CCI) and chroma (C*), and declines in hue angle (h°) and total chlorophylls. Titratable acidity (TA) was lower than that of bagged fruits after ethephon treatment. Soluble solids content (SSC), SSC/TA ratio and ascorbic acid were decreased slightly, but they were still higher than those of bagged fruits. Although individual organic acid and sugar fluctuated after ethephon treatment, no deleterious effects were observed. The taste-active amino acids increased slightly both in the fruit peel and pulp, and the volatile compounds in fruit peel were obviously increased about 1 time as compared to the untreated fresh fruits. Most interestingly, we found that the antioxidant capacity of the degreened fruits was increased by ethephon degreening treatment, and their DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP values of peels and/or pulps reached the highest at the end of storage. In corroboration this, our data also showed that the enhancement of antioxidant capacity was strongly associated with the increase of total phenolics (r>0.9). Taken together, our study shows that postharvest ethephon degreening treatment is an effective and economical approach to improve the peel color and potentially the internal quality of lemon fruits.

Fruit bagging for improving quality of rainy season guava under Punjab conditions

The rainy season crop of guava is severely infested by fruit fly and fetches lower economic returns. The farmers going in for rainy season crop have to use aggressive chemical measures, which may render serious health hazard to the consumers. In the present study, different bagging materials for guava fruits viz. non-woven bags of green, white, red and blue colour, leno bags, butter paper bags, perforated polythene bags and newspaper bags were put on immature green fruits at marble stage of development and evaluated for their efficacy to prevent fruit fly damage. The fruit size, weight, organoleptic rating and yield improved significantly in all the non-woven bagged fruits as compared to non-bagged fruits. The fruit bagging especially in non-woven bags eliminated the incidence of fruit fly infestation. Thus, 98–99 per cent fruits bagged in non-woven bags were healthy, free of fruit fly infestation and marketable while non-bagged fruits exhibited 100 per cent damage. Though, the effective yield obtained from blue and white non-woven bagged treatments was <12 kg but the white coloured bags proved to be the best in terms of fruit size, yield and quality. The benefit cost (B: C) ratio exhibited by newspaper bags was highest (2.11) because they were cheaper but were not very effective in controlling the fruit fly damage. The overall costs of the bagging treatments with non-woven white bags amounted to Rs 120 per 100 fruits which is affordable as the benefits are greater compared to non-bagged fruits which were unmarketable.

Impact of pre-harvest fruit bagging and improved postharvest practices in reducing losses and managing quality of mango in the value chain system

Pre-harvest fruit bagging and improved postharvest management practices (IPMP) were integrated in the mango value chain of Bangladesh to reduce losses and to manage fruit quality along the value chain. A popular and commercial mango cultivar 'Khirsapat' was used in this experiment. Fruit bagging, improved mango harvester, desapping tray and hot water treatment (HWT) plant were integrated in the IPMP. Traditional postharvest management practices (TPMP) existed in the value chain was used as control. Pre-harvest fruit bagging along with IPMP showed the best performance in respect of decay control, attractive skin colour development, good keeping quality and marketability of mangoes for ten days at retail outlets. Decay incidence caused by stem end rot and anthracnose reduced by 86.7% in bagged mangoes handled with IPMP compared to traditionally handled non-bagged mangoes. The integration of fruit bagging and IPMP resulted in 70% reduction of postharvest losses of mango in the value chain. Total soluble solids of mango was not affected due to bagging followed by IPMP, while titratable acidity and ascorbic acid contents slightly decreased at ripe stage compared to non-bagged control fruits. Pre-harvest fruit bagging along with or without IPMT did not affect the overall sensory qualities of mangoes cv. Khirsapat.

Impact of pre-harvest fruit bagging and improved postharvest practices in reducing losses and managing quality of mango in the value chain system

Impact of pre-harvest fruit bagging and improved postharvest practices in reducing losses and managing quality of mango in the value chain system

PERBAIKAN PENAMPILAN BUAH ABIU (Pouteria caimito Radlk.) MELALUI PEMBERONGSONGAN DAN APLIKASI PESTISIDA

Abiu is one of plant origin from Latin America, but it has been adapted and developed in Indonesia. Fruit defects are one of the main problem that decrease the performance quality of abiu. Fruit bagging combine with pesticides are expected to overcome tthe problem. This research aims to study the effect of many kinds of pesticide active compounds to abiu performance quality. This research was conducted at Desa Babakan Lebak, Kecamatan Kota Bogor Barat, and Post-harvest Laboratory of Agronomy and Horticulture, Bogor Agricultural University. The experimental design used was Random Complete Block Design one factor, with 10 replications. This research was consisted of five treatments as a single factor, those were bagging + profenofos 500EC (P1); bagging + Mankozeb 80WP and Streptomicyn sulfat 20WP (P2); bagging + propinep 70WP (P3), bagging without pesticides (P4), and control (P5). Result of this research indicated that treatment of bagging in combination with pesticide active compounds has significant effect on fruit appereance, especially in the fruit smoothnes. The best treatment is the combination of bagging with the addition of mankozeb and streptomycin sulfate pesticide active compounds, which can improve fruit smoothness 26% better than control. The treatment of pesticide active compounds didn’t have significan effectt on the diameter, softness, weight, volume, TSS, TTA, and vitamine C variables.

High Humidity and Age-Dependent Fruit Susceptibility Promote Development of Trichothecium Black Spot on Apple.

Fruit bagging is a widely used orchard practice in China. Trichothecium black spot (TBS) is a disease highly associated with the fruit bagging. In this study, we characterized in vitro factors affecting the causal agent, Trichothecium roseum, and TBS development and infection histology on field-bagged apple fruit in situ. Under in vitro conditions, conidial germination required exogenous nutrients, and the germination rate was significantly promoted by high humidity, a condition mimicking the bag microenvironment. Germ tubes penetrated fruit via natural openings including stomata, lenticels, and surface cracks. To determine the chronology of infection by T. roseum, 'Fuji' fruit were inoculated in the field at different developmental stages. The earliest infection occurred 60 days after full bloom (dafb), and disease incidence increased as fruit maturity advanced. At harvest time (165 dafb), lesions on more recently inoculated fruit (105 dafb, 150 dafb) were larger than lesions from fruit inoculated on earlier dates. Histological observation showed that infection of younger fruit elicited stronger host lignification responses restricting lesion development. Taken together, our results support the hypothesis that high humidity in sealed bags and increased susceptibility associated with advancing fruit maturity are key factors promoting T. roseum infection and TBS symptom development on bagged apple fruit.

Assessment of training needs on crop production for farmers in some selected areas of Bangladesh

The study attempts to determine the training needs of the farmers emphasizing nine selected major thematic areas. Under each major component, specific and relevant training needs item were collected and systematically incorporated into an interview schedule and administered in terms of frequency of training imparted. Four districts were purposively selected for the study and a total of eighty farmers were randomly selected from four districts. Primary data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study revealed that more male was involved in farming and 45% farmers were middle age category (30-39 years). Majority of the farmers completed primary level of education compared to other categories and family size of more than half (60 %) of the respondents was three. Majority number of respondents (57%) had more than 10 years farming experience. A small number of farmers (8.75%) had owned agricultural land and 45% had land between 0.50- 1 hectare. More than 75% of annual gross income of 57.50% farmers came from agricultural activities. More than half (55%) of the respondents collected information on crop and its varieties by own attempt while about 34% was informed from seed seller or dealer. Farmers in Chattogram district had first priority to get training on integrated pest and diseases management, production of bio control agents and bio pesticides, marketing and transportation. Water management, integrated pest and disease management, vermi-compost production, marketing and transportation ranked first in Khagrachori district. The areas of priority for training in Rajshahi district were production and management technology, processing and value addition, marketing and transportation, integrated pest and disease management, water management and vermi-compost production. Training on integrated pest and disease management, bio-control of pests and diseases, production of bio control agents and bio pesticides, production of off-season vegetables, vermi-compost production, marketing and transportation were most emphasized by the respondents in Rangpur district. Respondents defined identification of adulterated fertilizer, insecticide and pesticide application, disease and insects of mango varieties and fruit bagging system of mango as very good type of training. The study concluded that there is an urgent need to design regular training programs in identified thematic areas to fulfill the knowledge gap among the farmers of Bangladesh.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 43(4): 669-690, December 2018

Evaluation of Fruit Bagging as a Pest Management Option for Direct Pests of Apple.

Bagging fruit with plastic, paper, and two-layer commercial bags was evaluated for control of insect pests and diseases in an experimental apple orchard planted with ‘Red Delicious’ trees. Results from fruit damage evaluations at harvest showed that bagging significantly reduced fruit damage from direct apple pests compared with non-bagged control plots, and generally provided similar levels of fruit protection when compared with a conventional pesticide spray program. Of the three bagging materials evaluated, plastic bags provided numerically higher levels of fruit protection from insect pests, and two-layer commercial bags provided numerically higher levels of fruit protection from fruit diseases. Fruit quality as measured by percentage Brix was higher in non-bagged control plots than all other treatment plots. Fruit quality as measured by fruit diameter was not significantly different among treatments. Plastic and two-layer commercial bags generally required less time to secure around apple fruit than paper bags. The proportion of bags that remained on fruit until harvest ranged from 0.54–0.71 (commercial bags), 0.64–0.82 (plastic bags), and 0.32–0.60 (paper bags), depending on the year.

Design of a new fruit tree bagging machine

Fruit tree bagging technology is a fruit protection technology that can reduce the amount of pesticides and reduce pests and diseases. However, the current fruit tree bagging is generally done manually, with low production efficiency, high labor intensity, and long bagging cycle. In order to solve these problems, a new type of fruit tree bagging machine was designed to assist manual work and improve production efficiency. The design fully considers the growth characteristics of different fruits. The fruit bag commonly used in the market is used as a model, and the spatial layout of the bagging machine is adjusted according to the steps and actions of the artificial bagging and the design of each functional unit and size. In order to improve the production efficiency of fruit farmers and reduce labor intensity.

Effect of preharvest fruit bagging on fruit quality characteristics and incidence of fruit physiopathies in fully irrigated and water stressed pomegranate trees

BackgroundThis report studied the response of pomegranate fruit under full irrigation (FI) and water stress conditions to bagging with externally glossy, single‐layer, cellulosic paper bags, open at the bottom, from the end of fruit thinning to harvest time.ResultsBagging decreased fruit size and the maturity index, and increased antioxidant activity in FI conditions. Moreover, fruit bagging substantially reduced the incidence of peel sunburn in both irrigation conditions.ConclusionThe delay in fruit growth and ripening as a result of pomegranate fruit bagging is outweighed by the very important commercial benefit in terms of the reduced incidence of peel sunburn and the increase in fruit antioxidant activity. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Transcriptional Regulation by DNA Methyltransferase Inhibitor 5-Aza-2'-Deoxycytidine Enhancing Red Pigmentation in Bagged "Granny Smith" Apples (Malus domestica).

The red color of apples (Malus domestica) is an attractive trait for consumers. The green skinned “Granny Smith” cultivar develops red pigmentation after bagging treatment. DNA methylation plays an important role in various developmental processes in plants. To explore the possible functions of DNA methylation in the pigmentation of bagged “Granny Smith” apples, we first analyzed the anthocyanin content of fruit skin following treatment with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC). The results revealed an increase in anthocyanin content in bagged fruits following 5-aza-dC treatment, while no anthocyanins were detected in unbagged fruits. In addition, 8482 differentially expressed genes between 5-aza-dC-treated and control groups were identified in bagged fruits by RNA sequencing, including genes encoding transcription factors, enzymes related to anthocyanin accumulation, and methylases. Changes in the expression of these genes may be responsible for 5-aza-dC-induced red pigmentation in bagged fruits of “Granny Smith”. The findings provide novel evidence for the involvement of DNA methylation in the red pigmentation of non-red-skinned apples.

The effects of fruit bagging on residue behavior and dietary risk for four pesticides in apple

In this study, the effects of fruit bagging on residue behavior and dietary risk for four pesticides (abamectin, imidacloprid, carbendazim and difenoconazole) in apple were investigated. The dissipation behavior of four pesticides were assessed after spraying on three occasions with the first spray at 2 months before harvest and the subsequent sprays at 10-day intervals at recommended doses of 5.4, 45, 135 and 975 g. a.i.ha−1, respectively. The dissipation experiment results demonstrated that apple fruit bagging reduced the initial deposits of four pesticides from 72.2% to 95.3%, prolonged the half-lives from 50.4% to 81.1%. The ultimate residues of abamectin, imidacloprid, carbendazim, and difenoconazole in bagged apple were far below the residues of unbagged apple. The dietary risks of four pesticides were assessed according to the ultimate residues and acceptable daily intakes (ADIs). The hazard quotient (HQ) were 0.013% to 43.415% for different pesticides. Fruit bagging reduced the HQ of four pesticides from 29.7% to 94.8%. Fruit bagging reduced the dietary risk of four pesticides in apple.

Evaluation of the Fruit Bag Property (II) : Property of Pear Bag Paper Used for Domestic Environment

Evaluation of the Fruit Bag Property (II) : Property of Pear Bag Paper Used for Domestic Environment

Three physical barriers with obvious effects on Carposina sasakii selection behavior to two dominant jujube tree volatiles

AbstractThe peach fruit moth (PFM), Carposina sasakii Matsumura (Lepidoptera: Carposinidae), a severe pest of Ziziphus jujuba Miller fruit trees (jujube, Rhamnaceae) mainly grown in China, has increasingly hindered the development of the jujube industry in recent years. In order to provide a theoretical basis for a physical obstruction method, we evaluated the effect of three commonly sold physical barriers on PFM host‐searching behavior. Two principal volatiles generated by the jujube tree, α‐farnesene and cis‐3‐hexenyl acetate (leaf acetate), were used as references to detect electroantennography (EAG) response values of 2‐, 4‐, and 6‐day‐old PFM adults. The results indicated different EAG responses toward α‐farnesene and leaf acetate between different ages of PFM, and males responded differently than females. The EAG responses were stronger in 4‐day‐old males to leaf acetate and in 2‐day‐old females to α‐farnesene. The two‐choice behavioral Y‐tube olfactometer assay confirmed that PFM was strongly attracted to α‐farnesene and leaf acetate. We determined the EAG and behavioral responses of PFM after spraying three kinds of physical barriers: Liquid Film Fruit Bag, High Lipid Film, and Jujube Protection No. 1. We obtained strong inhibitory effects on PFM attraction to both volatile lures using these barriers, including negative taxis by both females and males to Liquid Film Fruit Bag and Jujube Protection No. 1. We can infer that Liquid Film Fruit Bag is the most promising potential physical barrier for PFM control, with Jujube Protection No. 1 ranking as second‐best.

Modification of production systems for year-round marketing

The fruit production in the tropics offers a greater scope to modify a plant's flowering and fruiting cycles than in temperate areas. Changing the normal seasonal flowering cycle offers growers considerable economic advantages, by enhancing the ability to market tropical fruit in the off-season. A grower can cycle different blocks of trees to provide continuous employment for workers, schedule production to avoid the peak periods when gluts occur and often the price is less than the production costs, and can accept orders to deliver fruit at a future date. The practices used to modify the timing of flowering also offers the opportunity to improve product quality and reduced cull losses when coupled with practices such as fruit thinning and bagging. Cold temperatures and photoperiodism determine flower induction in temperate, and subtropical growing areas. The cold season in the subtropics often leads mango, for example, to have only one flowering cycle per year, whereas in the tropics, it might flower two to three times per year. The phenology of many tropical fruit crops and some temperate crops when grown in the tropics can be modified by production practices such as the fertilization and irrigation, pruning and chemical treatments. However, differences occur in the varietal responses to these modified practices. The classic example of a change in the seasonal timing of flowering is pineapple, after it was observed that smoke induced off-season flowering in this photoperiodic species. Water stress and fertilization timing frequently play a significant role in modifying seasonal flowering patterns in tropical species, as does girdling, shading, roots pruning and chemical treatments to stimulate and inhibit growth. Plant growth regulators and inhibitors are used to hasten the completion of the natural phenological vegetative and root growth phases and prepare the tree for flowering. The modification of the natural phenological cycles has raised concerns by some orchardists and researchers that the tree's useful life might be reduced. The reduction in a tree's productive life due to cycling can incur additional expenses to replant and wait for the new planting to mature and produce fruit. It would be necessary to balance the cost of replanting, if needed, with the advantages from cycling trees to achieve higher fruit prices. Examples of crops where flowering and fruiting cycles have been modified, include; carambola, durian, grape, guava, longan, mango, pineapple, rambutan, sweetsop and wax apple. The potential also exists to tailor production practices in other tropical fruit crops to allow year-round marketing of high quality tropical fruit.

Reddening disorder of ‘Honey Gold’ mango fruit, preharvest bagging and postharvest lighting

The mango cultivar 'Honey Gold' (HG) was developed in Queensland, Australia. Ripe defect-free HG fruit are characterized by bright yellow skin with red blush on their sun-exposed shoulders. HG mangoes are mostly grown from the Northern Territory down though Queensland into northern New South Wales (nNSW). As with many mango cultivars, HG suffers from a range of skin disorders. However, HG mango fruit grown in nNSW almost uniquely express a blotchy 'skin reddening' disorder that detracts from their visual appeal. The non-uniform reddening, which can encompass 'red lenticels', appears to be a host defense response. Causal agents of the reddening disorder are currently elusive. There may be a range of pre- and postharvest abiotic and/or biotic stresses, and they could be additive. A number of physical and chemical treatments were applied pre- or postharvest with a view to either suppress (i.e., prevent) or enhance (i.e., mask) uneven skin reddening. The physical treatments included preharvest fruit bagging and post-harvest exposure to different wavelengths of light. These physical treatments are considered in this paper. The chemical treatments included known modulators of host defense and ethylene responses. Those treatments are not reported in this short paper. However, among the full suite of treatments tested, one only notably influenced skin reddening. In this case, postharvest exposure to blue light increased reddening. Future research with HG will build on this initially promising finding.

The effect of bagging on ascorbate in Pyrus fruit

ABSTRACTHere, the L-ascorbic acid (AsA) content as well as activities of enzymes and genes in AsA biosynthesis were investigated in bagged and unbagged fruit of Pyrus pyrifolia ‘Cuiguan’ during on-tree development. The contents of AsA/dehydroascorbate (DHA) and glutathione (γ-glutamyl-L-cysteinylglycine, GSH)/oxidised glutathione (GSSG) couples, the enzyme activities of L-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (GLDH; EC 1.3.2.3), L-galactose dehydrogenase (GalDH; EC 1.1.1.117), ascorbate peroxidase (APX; EC 1.11.1.11), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR; EC 1.6.5.4), glutathione-dependent dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR; EC 1.8.5.1) and glutathione reductase (GR; EC 1.6.4.2), and the relative expression levels of GLDH and DHAR genes were highest at 20 days after full bloom (DAFB) and then decreased to their minimum at harvest. When the fruit were grown in the dark induced by bagging, the ascorbate contents, enzyme activities and gene expression amounts had a statistical decline compared to the control in the most sampling dates. However, although L-AsA metabolism was affected and the use of light transmitting fruit bags may be preferable, the drop in vitamin C was not really significant in a dietary sense.

Efficacy of management approaches against cucurbit fruit fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae coquillett) of bitter gourd

Field and laboratory studies were carried out to find out the extent of fruit fly infestation at different fruiting stages of bitter gourd as well as to determine the efficacy of some pesticidal and other control approaches applied either separately or in combination. The pesticidal efficacy of three commonly used insecticides such as secufon, malathion, karate and karanja oil as botanicals with the concentrations of 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75% and 1.00% respectively was determined against the larvae of cucurbit fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae in the laboratory based on mortality at different time intervals. All the pesticides caused maximum mortality at 72 h with 1.00% concentration. The level of fruit fly infestation at different fruiting stages of bitter gourd ranged from 8.91% to 88.19%, 9.24% to 94.89% and 5.01% to 89.27% at early, mid and late fruiting stage, respectively. Soil treatment with furadan @ 10kgha-1 + bagging of fruits showed significantly lowest infestation (9.46%) which was ten times lower than that of untreated control (91.43%). The other control approaches viz., sex pheromone, bait trap with secufon + cucurbit chop, bait trap consisted of secufon + banana chop reduced fruit fly infestation to a significant level. The highest number (83.67) of flies trapped at mid fruiting stage of bitter gourd was recorded in sex pheromone trap while the ratio of male and female flies ranged from 1.13 to 1.24 in the trapped individuals.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 42(4): 757-766, December 2017

Influence of Bagging on Color, Anthocyanin and Anthocyanin Biosynthetic Genes in Peel of Red Colored Mango Cv. ‘Lily’

Sunlight influences many morphological, biochemical and molecular changes in fruits and the most important is color change associated with the development of pigments. The exposure to sunlight influences the anthocyanin content of the fruit peel. With the aim to understand the influence of bagging of fruits on the mango peel color, anthocyanin and expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes, an experiment was conducted by covering fruits of red colored cv. ‘Lily’ with muslin cloth. The observations were recorded for fruits of control (non-bagged) and fruits developing in shade. In bagged fruits, the color of peel changed towards lightness and yellowness. The reduction in anthocyanin was observed up to 17 times in bagged and shaded fruits. We also observed the down-regulation of all anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in fruits under bagged and shaded conditions. This study reports the influence of bagging and shade on anthocyanin biosynthetic genes and subsequent change in the color of fruit peel.

The Effect of Different Bags on Chlorophyll and Carotenoids in the Peel of Chinhuang Mango

The effect of different fruit bags on the content of chlorophyll and carotenoids in the fruit peel of Chinhuang mango during normal storage and after-ripening process was studied. The results showed that the content of chlorophyll and carotenoid in the bag was significantly lower than that of the control fruit. The skin color of the white paper bag fruit and the no bagged bag fruit was green during the green ripening process, while the outer yellow inner black paper bag fruit showed a yellow green halo. When ripe, the control fruit is yellowish green and orange red. The white paper bag fruit is greenish orange yellow, and the outside yellow inside black composite paper bag fruit is golden yellow.