Fresh Fruit Production Research Articles

Effectiveness Of Gamma Radiation Technology For Abating Postharvest Losses Of Banana (Musa Sapientum) By Targeting The Residential Microflora

Banana (Musa spp.), member of the family Musaceae, is the perennial herb mostly grown in the tropical areas situated at latitude 30° above and below the equator covering the warmer countries of the world. This regional belt has wide seasonal variability with respect to temperature and rainfall. In the international trade, Banana holds 22% share in world fresh fruit production and is ranked as second amongst the most important fruits after citrus. Gamma irradiation of pre climacteric bananas at optimal doses, which vary with the variety of banana, delays the ripening process. For Pakistan, radiation processing technology supports remarkable potential not only for local food securities but also for greater exports earnings in agriculture sector. Farmers could be stimulated for greater production of fragile fruits like banana when putrefaction could be prevented by appropriate preservation practices resulting in increased and balanced consumption.

Oviposition-deterrent effect of linalool - a compound of citrus essential oils - on female Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Linalool is a natural scent, found in essential oils (EOs) of several plants. It is widely used as a fragrant, also possessing toxic, oviposition-deterrent and repellent properties against many insect species. Ceratitis capitata (medfly) is one of the most notorious insect pests for international fresh fruit production. Despite the available information on the repellent effects of EOs on herbivorous insects, possible oviposition-deterrent effects of linalool against C. capitata remain unknown. We tested whether different linalool concentrations, application methods on fruit hosts and time since application elicited oviposition-deterrence on medfly, from bitter oranges, apples and nectarines, under constant laboratory conditions. We also tested possible repellent properties of linalool on adult medflies in field conditions. Females drilled fewer oviposition stings and deposited fewer eggs per fruit in all linalool-treated hosts. Spraying and topical-droplet application were the most efficient methods on bitter oranges, although spraying was the least effective method in apples. Bitter oranges and nectarines that were offered to females immediately post-exposure to linalool received more oviposition stings and eggs than those offered 3 days post-exposure to linalool solutions. Conversely, apples tested 3 days following linalool application received significantly more oviposition stings and eggs than those tested immediately and 1 day post-exposure. More adults in total, and more females, were captured in traps located on untreated-control than on linalool-treated trees, especially in citrus hosts. Linalool has a potential future use in environmentally friendly control strategies against C. capitata. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Pre and postharvest assessment of mango anthracnose incidence and severity in the north of Côte d’Ivoire

Mango is one of the most economically important fruit crop in the north of Côte d’Ivoire. However, its production and productivity are limited by various biotic and abiotic factors. Amongst fungal disease, mango anthracnose is recorded to be the most important disease in the northern districts. This study assessed the incidence and severity of pre- and post-harvest anthracnose to compare the level of orchard infestation in the seven mango producing districts in the north of Côte d’Ivoire. Anthracnose disease incidence and severity varied from locality to locality both in dry and rainy season. Disease intensity was higher in rainy season than dry season. In dry and rainy seasons, the highest disease incidence (19.08% and 32.25%) was recorded in Bèrèdougou and the least in Zèguèrè. Pre and post-harvest anthracnose correlated significantly indicating that infection initiated in field and remained latent until fruits repining. The disease was also more severe on fruits than leaves. On fruits disease incidence and severity were higher in Dianra village (90% and 100%) and Bèrèdougou (36% and 40%). The lowest disease incidence (7.5%) and severity (1.5%) on fruits were observed in Zèguèrè. This study showed that anthracnose disease is one the most important threat to production and marketing of fresh mango fruits in the north of Côte d’Ivoire.Keywords: Anthracnose, incidence, severity, mango, symptoms.

Efficient value chain as a factor for reducing losses and ensuring food security

The authors consider the situation in the field of losses formation in the production and circulation of fresh fruits and vegetables in the context of the effective value chain formation. Relevant aspects of research in this area were the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables in the formation of a healthy lifestyle, the lengthening and complication of supply chains associated with the expansion of sales markets and the presence of significant losses in this area. Features of fruit and vegetable production and commodity properties of fruits and vegetables, quality and safety requirements determine the need to build effective communication along a single chain, including the stages associated with the implementation of technological processes, the organization of product sales, and the stage of consumption. It is established that at each stage there are risks of food losses. The main conclusions of the authors include the presence of an integrated approach, mandatory consideration of the specifics of the product group under consideration, and compliance with the requirements of current international standards in the field of fresh fruits and vegetables circulation. The proposals include such areas as technological solutions for waste processing, use of the principles of charity and reverse logistics at the sale stage, and principles of responsibility for consumers.

Legal review of procurement authorization of the imported fresh food, fruit and vegetable

Fresh food products imported fruits and vegetables in circulation that do not meet the requirements in accordance with statutory regulations can endanger human safety because food security is not guaranteed. The existence of a marketing authorization and supervision of imported fresh fruit and vegetable food products is needed to maintain food security. The research method used is the normative legal research method that is the legal research method of literature with the method used to examine existing library materials related to the object examined by the regulatory approach (statue approach). The results showed that before the imported fresh fruits & vegetables food products were circulated, they had to go through several quarantine measures or inspections. After passing the test, they would get a distribution permit for fresh food products along with the registration number on the imported fruit & vegetable label. If the distribution permit for fresh food products is ignored by business actors, they will be subject to criminal and administrative sanctions. The purpose of supervision is to provide protection to consumers and prevent the circulation of imported fresh fruit and vegetable food products that can endanger consumers' health.
 
 Keywords: Distribution Permit; Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Products; Consumer Protection

Formation of technological and commodity qualities of sour cherry fruits in the conditions of the South of Russia

There are presented the results of comparative evaluation of sour cherry varieties of different ecological-geographical and genetic origin on the main biochemical parameters of fruits, condioning the taste of the fruit: dry substances, sugars, vitamins, anthocyanins. It was revealed the dynamics of content of biochemical parameters in fresh fruits depending on weather conditions of year, stresses of various type and biological peculiarities of cherry varieties. According to the obtained data in the conditions of southern horticulture (the Kuban zone of fruit growing of Krasnodar Territory) in the fruits of sour cherry varieties on average 14.5-17.0 % of dry substances, 6.4-8.4 % of sugars, 7.0-8.0 mg/100 g of vitamin C, 117.5-160.1 mg/100 g of substances with P-vitamin activity, 207.8-275.3 mg/100 g of anthocyanins accumulate. It was determined that fruits of sour cherry-sweet cherry hybrids and varieties of local breeding are characterized by higher content of biochemical parameters. It was established that the influence of a number of stresses – high positive temperatures, long periods of drought, surplus of rainfall during the period of fruits formation – causes an increase or decrease in content of some biochemical parameters, a decrease in weight, and deterioration in taste. It was determined that domestic varieties Kazachka, Kirina, Shalun`ya and Igrushka are distinguished by a high content of soluble solids (16.0-17.9 %) and carbohydrates (8.4-9.1 %). Cherry varieties Vstrecha, Alexa and Nord Star are characterized by an increased vitamin C content (8.3-9.7 mg/100); cherry varieties Kirina, Kazachka, Nefris, Vstrecha and the Shalun`ya – by a high content of anthocyans (247,0-333,8 mg/100) and P–vitamin activity (187.0-201.0 mg/100); varieties Alexa, Kirina, Shalun`ya and Igrushka are characterized by relatively large fruits (5.5-6.5 g). According to the optimal and harmonious combination of biochemical parameters, high taste (tasting score 4.6-4.8 points) and to the commodity qualities of fruits, sour cherry varieties Kirina, Alexa, Shalun`ya and Igrushka were recommended for laying raw plantings and production of fresh fruits and various types of processing in the conditions of southern horticulture.

Effect of Carbon Emission From Road Transportation When EEC Project Started in 2020

Diesel engines provide important fuel economy and durability advantages for large heavy-duty trucks, buses and another road transportation. On the other hand, they have the disadvantage of emitting significant amounts of Carbon dioxide (CO2). The main transportation of Thailand is land transportation by truck which causes air pollution. The reason for the study of this impact is that the researcher has anticipated the impact of air pollution caused by carbon emission from road transportation that will occur when the EEC (Eastern Economic Corridor) is launched. As the EEC development plan puts emphasis on industrial development especially fruit products with high potentiality in the EEC areas, it is essential to have the efficient logistics system to enhance the delivery to reach consumers quickly without changing the condition of the products. As a result, a large number of road transportation by truck resulted in the extensive emission of Carbon dioxide in the EEC areas. The study of the quantity of trucks using the highways in the EEC areas found that in 2019 the average number of trucks delivering products through highway route 7th between Bang Pakong and Nong-Ree is 42,000 trucks per day: 76.59 % of which are small diesel trucks and 23.41% are large diesel trucks (over 10 wheeler trucks). The study of the demand and supply of fruits that are anticipated to use the service in the EEC areas showed that the main economic fruits of the country are durian, pineapple, longan and mangoesteen. The study which summarized the forecast of the quantity of fresh fruit products and processed products in the target provinces showed that the quantify of the transportation grew by 5.509 % per year. The calculation of the data of health impact, the quantity of goods transportation in the Economic Fruit Corridor areas and the data of the impact from the study of medicine discovered that the area with the highest health impact is along highway route 7th between Bangpakong Nong-Ree. Exploration point is 45+400 the contamination of Carbon dioxide in the air is 84.73 ppm. because the average number of large trucks that use this area is as high as 6,828 trucks per day.

Exploratory Studies on Occurrence and Potential Benefits of High Fruit Yielding Reproductive Phenophasic Variants of Pithecellobium dulce in Augmenting Fruit Based Semi-arid Agro Forestry Systems

Background: Pithecellobium dulce is a multipurpose legume tree species of high ecological significance. Several reports indicate existence of huge genetic diversity within the natural population of the species. Various morphological parameters have been used to assess intra species genetic diversity, however, there is no report available so far on diversities in reproductive phenology of P. dulce of semi-arid or arid climate.
 Methods: The present paper is based on assessment of diversity in flowering phenophases through construction of phenological calendar incorporating temporally observable morpho-phenotypic descriptors for reproductive behaviour of individual trees comprising natural population of the species at designated study sites during a period of three years. The study was carried out during September, 2015 and March, 2019 at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. Data were periodically obtained and statistically analyzed.
 Results: Majority of trees of flowering stage (89.94%) exhibited normal or winter blooms in which flowering was initiated in almost synchronized manner during December; 10.05% of normal blooming trees inconsistently showed additional early or autumn blooms during either September or October or November; 2.58% of trees exhibited early blooms in which flowering was consistently initiated in the month of September in addition to normal blooms. The overall production and availability of fresh fruits in early-cum-normal episodic blooming trees were greater as compared to only normal blooming trees. Though, the numerical fruit productivity in winter blooms was superior to autumn, the pomometric characteristics were inferior in former in early-cum-normal episodic blooming trees.
 Conclusion: The methodology is a novel experimental approach to assess diversities in reproductive phenology of seed raised population of high value fruit bearing economically important tree species. The present work explores agronomically valuable variants of P. dulce and also reports causes of appearance of persistent fruits and sporadic in-situ germination of seeds. Based on above findings, the paper also makes evolutionary predictions that how a shift in flowering phenology of P. dulce as exhibited by the elite variants could have long-term implications for reshaping of future landscapes of semi-arid or arid climate. Conclusively, Winter to autumn phenophasic shift in flowering in P. dulce is economically productive, evolutionarily progressive, and environmentally well cued partial retrieval under semi-arid conditions. Moreover, the phenophasic variants could serve as candidate plus trees that deserve out of the season floral management and clonal propagation, thereby the species may get a fillip to status up gradation from minor fruits to major fruit category.

Assessment of nutritional status and disease activity level in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus patients at a tertiary care hospital

IntroductionNutritional status and unhealthy dietary habits may have an influence on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) course and activity. ObjectivesThis work aimed to determine the nutritional status and dietary intake of SLE patients and its relation to disease activity. Material and methodsSixty-five SLE patients were recruited from Kasr Alainy outpatient clinic from October 2017 to December 2017 in a cross-sectional study. Data were collected using a structured interview questionnaire including inquiry about the socioeconomic status, nutritional status using anthropometric measurements, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires (FFQ), and hemoglobin level measurement. Disease activity level was assessed using SLE disease activity index (SLE-DAI). ResultsThe median age of the enrolled female patients was 30.0 (24.0–37.0), with median disease duration of 3.0 years (1.0–9.0). BMI assessment revealed that more than three quarters of SLE patients were overweight and obese. The semi-quantitative FFQ revealed a decreased consumption of fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and other dairy products and an increased intake of fats and oils. Disease activity (SLE-DAI) correlated with increased BMI (r=0.299, p=0.016), body weight (r=0.276, p=0.026), and disease duration (r=0.246, p=0.049). ConclusionsInadequate nutrient intake and the high percentage of overweight and obesity among SLE patients with excessive consumption of lipids and low intake of fibers were revealed. Also, disease activity (SLE-DAI) correlated with increased BMI.

Assessment of nutritional status and disease activity level in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus patients at a tertiary care hospital

IntroductionNutritional status and unhealthy dietary habits may have an influence on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) course and activity. ObjectivesThis work aimed to determine the nutritional status and dietary intake of SLE patients and its relation to disease activity. Material and methodsSixty-five SLE patients were recruited from Kasr Alainy outpatient clinic from October 2017 to December 2017 in a cross-sectional study. Data were collected using a structured interview questionnaire including inquiry about the socioeconomic status, nutritional status using anthropometric measurements, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires (FFQ), and hemoglobin level measurement. Disease activity level was assessed using SLE disease activity index (SLE-DAI). ResultsThe median age of the enrolled female patients was 30.0 (24.0–37.0), with median disease duration of 3.0 years (1.0–9.0). BMI assessment revealed that more than three quarters of SLE patients were overweight and obese. The semi-quantitative FFQ revealed a decreased consumption of fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and other dairy products and an increased intake of fats and oils. Disease activity (SLE-DAI) correlated with increased BMI (r=0.299, p=0.016), body weight (r=0.276, p=0.026), and disease duration (r=0.246, p=0.049). ConclusionsInadequate nutrient intake and the high percentage of overweight and obesity among SLE patients with excessive consumption of lipids and low intake of fibers were revealed. Also, disease activity (SLE-DAI) correlated with increased BMI.

Effect of Carbon Emission from Road Transportation When EEC Project Started In 2020

Diesel engines provide important fuel economy and durability advantages for large heavy-duty trucks, buses and another road transportation. On the other hand, they have the disadvantage of emitting significant amounts of Carbon dioxide (CO2). The main transportation of Thailand is land transportation by truck which causes air pollution. The reason for the study of this impact is that the researcher has anticipated the impact of air pollution caused by carbon emission from road transportation that will occur when the EEC (Eastern Economic Corridor) is launched. As the EEC development plan puts emphasis on industrial development especially fruit products with high potentiality in the EEC areas, it is essential to have the efficient logistics system to enhance the delivery to reach consumers quickly without changing the condition of the products. As a result, a large number of road transportation by truck resulted in the extensive emission of Carbon dioxide in the EEC areas. The study of the quantity of trucks using the highways in the EEC areas found that in 2019 the average number of trucks delivering products through highway route 7thbetween Bang Pakong and Nong-Ree is 42,000 trucks per day: 76.59 % of which are small diesel trucks and 23.41% are large diesel trucks (over 10 wheeler trucks). The study of the demand and supply of fruits that are anticipated to use the service in the EEC areas showed that the main economic fruits of the country are durian, pineapple, longan and mangoesteen. The study which summarized the forecast of the quantity of fresh fruit products and processed products in the target provinces showed that the quantify of the transportation grew by 5.509 % per year. The calculation of the data of health impact, the quantity of goods transportation in the Economic Fruit Corridor areas and the data of the impact from the study of medicine discovered that the area with the highest health impact is along highway route 7th between Bangpakong Nong-Ree. Exploration point is 45+400 the contamination of Carbon dioxide in the air is 84.73 ppm. because the average number of large trucks that use this area is as high as 6,828 trucks per day. Keywords: Carbon Emissions, Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), EEC Carbon Emissions Map sustainability.

Characterization of Efficiency and Mechanisms of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Decontamination of Seeds for Sprout Production.

The consumption of fresh fruit and vegetable products has strongly increased during the past few decades. However, inherent to all minimally processed products is the short shelf life, and the risk of foodborne diseases, which have been increasingly related to such products in many parts of the world. Because of the favorable conditions for the growth of bacteria during the germination of seeds, sprouts are a frequent source for pathogenic bacteria, thus highlighting the need for seed decontamination to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Consequently, this study focused on cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) treatment of artificially inoculated seeds in a diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge to determine the inactivation efficiency for relevant foodborne pathogens and fungal spores. Plasma treatment of seeds resulted in a highly efficient reduction of microorganisms on the seed surface, while preserving the germination properties of seeds, at least for moderate treatment times. To characterize the mechanisms that contribute to microbial inactivation during plasma treatment, an experimental setup was developed to separate ultraviolet light (UV) and other plasma components. The combination of bacterial viability staining with confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to investigate the impact of ozone and other reactive species on the bacterial cells in comparison to UV. Further characterization of the effect of CAPP on bacterial cells by atomic force microscopy imaging of the same Escherichia coli cells before and after treatment revealed an increase in the surface roughness of treated E. coli cells and a decrease in the average height of the cells, which suggests physical damage to the cell envelope. In conclusion, CAPP shows potential for use as a decontamination technology in the production process of sprouts, which may contribute to food safety and prolonged shelf life of the product.

Explaining Recent Firm Growth in Dutch Horticulture

SummaryDutch horticultural firms have expanded rapidly in recent decades, both in terms of their production area as well as in number of employees. In particular in the production of fresh fruits and vegetables, a number of very large horticultural firms emerged with often more than 100 employees, operating on tens of hectares of greenhouses. A standard explanation for firm growth is that firms want to benefit from economies of scale, where the increased scale of production would ensure lower average (fixed) production costs. This article however shows that cost reduction due to economies of scale is not the main driver behind the growth in horticultural firm size. In fact, our empirical evaluation shows that larger horticultural firms face higher average production costs compared to smaller firms. However, these higher production costs are compensated by the on average higher and more stable output prices obtained by larger firms. This positive effect of firm size on firm revenues therefore provides a different rationale for the recent growth in average size of Dutch horticultural firms. As a result, our findings demonstrate that revenue‐related aspects are becoming more important in understanding firm growth of primary producers in the horticultural sector.

INTEGRAL QUALITY OF FRESH TOMATO IN STORAGE CONDITIONS

Preservation of the quality of fresh products for companies engaged in the implementation of fresh fruit and vegetable products is an important task in managing supply chains in both transport and warehouse logistics. This work presents an estimate of the loss of quality of fresh tomato under the influence of various temperature regimes using an integral quality parameter. Integral quality parameter index consists of deviations of biochemical parameters (vitamin C, acidity, glucose and the sum of sugars) at the recommended storage temperature (plus 8°C) from the values of these the same indicators at temperatures different from it; the frequency of the participation of the indicators in the correlation dependences between the indices and the highest degree of correlation, estimated from the value of the Pearson coefficient. Using the QFD methodology, the relationship of consumer requirements with technical requirements for the quality of fresh tomato has been determined, and the parameters that have the greatest impact on quality have been established. Approbation of the parameter “integral quality” was carried out on the basis of the data of the experiment conducted in the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution North Caucasian Regional Research Institute of Horticulture and Viticulture (Krasnodar), on the influence of temperature regimes on the quality of tomato “Torbash” in the process of storage. The proposed model of quality forecasting can be recommended to companies selling fresh tomatoes, carrying out logistic activities in the supply chains of this vegetable production, and can also serve as a basis for assessing the quality of other fruit and vegetable products.

Postharvest Treatments with GRAS Salts to Control Fresh Fruit Decay

Control of postharvest diseases of fresh fruits has relied for many years on the continuous use of conventional chemical fungicides. However, nonpolluting alternatives are increasingly needed because of human health and environmental issues related to the generation of chemical residues. Low-toxicity chemicals classified as food preservatives or as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) compounds have known and very low toxicological effects on mammals and minimal impact on the environment. Among them, inorganic or organic salts such as carbonates, sorbates, benzoates, silicates, etc., show significant advantages for potential commercial use, such as their availability, low cost, and general high solubility in water. Typically, these substances are first evaluated in vitro against target pathogens that cause important postharvest diseases. Selected salts and concentrations are then assayed as aqueous solutions in in vivo tests with target fresh fruit. Laboratory and small-scale experiments are conducted with fruit artificially inoculated with pathogens, whereas naturally infected fruit are used for large-scale, semicommercial, or commercial trials. Another approach that is increasingly gaining importance is evaluating GRAS salts as antifungal ingredients of novel synthetic edible coatings. These coatings could replace the fungicide-amended commercial waxes applied to many fruit commodities and could be used for organic or “zero-residue” fresh fruit production systems.

Coping with precarity: subsistence, labor, and community politics among farmworkers in northern Mexico

This article examines the precarious lives of indigenous migrant laborers in Baja California employed in the production of fresh fruits and vegetables for consumer markets in the United States. Neoliberal agrarian policies have rendered farmworkers a structurally vulnerable labor force with limited rights and benefits compared to workers in other employment sectors. To counteract government-sanctioned unions and other detrimental state policies, farmworkers have developed a multilayered agenda of individual and collective strategies for resistance, as well as labor mobilizations for independent unions. Their political struggle requires an analysis that avoids reducing them to the unidimensional category of labor and captures the close integration and synergy between labor and community organizing by which they seek to advance the full range of their rights as workers and citizens.

Effect of Plasma Exposure Time on the Polyphenolic Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Fresh-Cut Apples

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has shown good potentiality for the decontamination and stabilization of fresh fruit and vegetable products; however, information about its effect on nutritional quality is still scarce. The aim of this research was to evaluate the impact of a form of indirect treatment known as Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) on apple slices—more specifically, the polyphenolic profile and antioxidant activity of fresh-cut Pink Lady apples. Atmospheric plasma was generated using air as feed gas, and directed to apple slices for up to 30 min. The effect of plasma treatment on physico-chemical parameters was mainly observed as a slight acidification of the tissue and reduction of browning after an extended period of exposure. The samples’ phenolic profile was significantly affected after 10 min of treatment, both in quantitative (an approximately 20% increase) and qualitative terms, while with increasing exposure time a progressive decrease of all polyphenol classes was observed. The antioxidant activity, evaluated by different in-vitro methods, followed a similar trend, increasing after 10 min of processing and then decreasing. Results highlighted how plasma exposure promotes a metabolic response of the fresh tissue, and the importance of carefully controlling the exposure time in order to minimize the loss of nutritional properties.

Applying Electronic Nose Based on Odour Classification and Identification Technology in Detecting the Shelf Life of Fresh Fruits

The purpose of this study is to improve the market competitiveness and food safety of fresh fruit products. To this end, the methods of literature analysis, comparative analysis and experimental detection were adopted and the electronic nose (e-nose) technology based on odour classification and identification was introduced to study the non-destructive testing (NDT) method for the shelf life of fresh fruits. Besides, according to the optimized e-nose sensor array, the support vector machine (SVM), BP neural network model and the chlorophyll prediction model for the shelf life detection of fresh fruits were established respectively to make spinach freshness grade discrimination and chlorophyll quantitative prediction by taking the spinach as example. Finally, the experimental results show that the e-nose technology based on odour classification and identification can better realize the shelf life detection of fresh fruit.

Heterogeneous salinity in the root system of bell pepper in greenhouse

ABSTRACT The split-root technique was used as a strategy to reduce saline stress on pepper. A completely randomized design with six treatments and four replicates was used. The treatments consisted of six saline water application strategies (T1 - salinized nutrient solution (S1 = 1.4 dS m-1) during the whole cycle; T2 - salinized nutrient solution (S2 = 4.5 dS m-1) throughout the cycle, T3 - S1 and S2 throughout the cycle, using two emitters and without splitting the root system, T4 - S1 and S2, using two emitters and splitting the root system by a plastic film, T5 - S1 and S2, using two emitters and splitting the root system, alternating the solutions every 15 days, T6 - S1 and S2, using two emitters and without splitting the root system, alternating the solutions every 15 days). Five fruit harvests were performed, and the plants were harvested at 85 days after initiation of treatments and evaluated for the following variables: leaf number, leaf area, plant height, stem diameter, shoot dry matter (stem + leaves + fruits), root dry matter, number of fruits, fresh fruit weight and fruit production per plant. Most of the variables were reduced by the salinity of irrigation water. The highest fruit yields were obtained using low-salinity water, with the mixture of non-saline and saline waters, and alternating biweekly when the root system was split, demonstrating the viability of these three techniques.

Microbiological Parameters in the Primary Production of Berries: A Pilot Study.

The primary production of fresh soft fruits was considered to be a suspected critical point for the contamination of frozen berries that were responsible for the large 2013–2014 Hepatitis A virus (HAV) outbreak in Europe. In this study, an Italian berries’ production area was studied for its agro-technical characteristics, and the fresh fruits were analyzed for the presence of enteric viruses (HAV and Norovirus (NoV) genogroup I and genogroup II (GGI and GGII)), the enumeration of hygienic quality parameters, and the prevalence of bacterial pathogens. A total of 50 producers were sampled, who specialized in the exclusive or shared cultivation of berries. Escherichia coli was detected in two blackberry samples, whereas HAV and Norovirus were not detected. The samples were negative for Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). The farms’ attributes were not associated with positive samples, apart from the presence of E. coli and the aerobic mesophilic bacteria for blackberry that were statistically correlated. In blueberries, the high aerobic mesophilic count could likely be associated with the resistance of the outer layer to handling. However, the two pathogens (Salmonella spp. and STEC) and the targeted viruses (HAV, NoV GGI and GGII) were not detected, highlighting the low risk of foodborne pathogens and viral contamination at the primary production stage of the berry food chain in the area considered in this pilot study.