Fruit Grading Research Articles

Land Suitability Criteria for Intensively Managed Cavendish Banana Crop in Way Kambas East Lampung, Indonesia

Increasing of “Keprok” Citrus Production in the Andisols of Karo by a Local Compound Fertilizers (E Tuherkih and Sukristiyonubowo): The improvement of “keprok” citrus production in term of quantity and quality depends on soil properties and fertilization. Many factors affected efectiveness and efficiency of fertilizers i.e. soil, climate, plant species, growth period of plant, plant productivity, and type and rate of fertilizers. Study on the effect of SUMUT-1 and SUMUT-2 compound fertilizers on keprok citrus production was carried out in Sukadame Village, Tanah Karo District from January to December 2008. The purpose of the research were to evaluate the effectiveness of new compound fertilizer SUMUT-1 and SUMUT-2 on leaf nutrient content, quality and quantity production of “keprok” citrus as well as to determine the optimum rate of SUMUT-1 dan SUMUT-2. Ten treatments were tested and arranged into a randomized completely block design with three replications. The fertilizer application rates of SUMUT 1 and SUMUT 2 were 400, 550, 700, dan 850 kg-1ha-1year-1, meanwhile dosages of fertilizer recomended application of NPK originated from single fertiliser namely urea, SP-36, and KCl and farmer practice were used as control. The results indicated that application of SUMUT-1 and SUMUT-2 were more effective than fertilizers coming from single NPK fertilizer with RAE value >100%. Furthermore, SUMUT-1 was better than SUMUT-2 in improving N, P, K contents in citrus leaf. The optimum application rate of SUMUT-1 was 700 kg-1ha-1year-1 reaching the citrus production of 36,29 Mg-1 ha-1 year-1 with fruit grade of about 51% AB and 49% CD. These matched with the SPO (Standard Procedure Operation) for citrus of about 20 Mg-1 ha-1 year-1.

Mobile Fruit Grading Robot (Part 1) Development of a Robotic System for Grading Sweet Peppers

Mobile Fruit Grading Robot (Part 1) Development of a Robotic System for Grading Sweet Peppers

A fuzzy regression approach to a hierarchical evaluation model for oil palm fruit grading

Measurement of quality is an important task in the evaluation of agricultural products and plays a pivotal role in agricultural production. The inspection process normally involves a visual examination according to the ripeness standards of crops, and this grading is subject to expert knowledge and interpretation. Therefore, the quality inspection process of fruits needs to be conducted properly to ensure that high-quality fruit bunches are selected for production. However, human subjective judgments during the evaluation make the fruit grading inexact. The objectives of this paper are to build a fuzzy hierarchical evaluation model that characterises the criteria of oil palm fruits to decide the fuzzy weights of these criteria based on a fuzzy regression model, and to help inspectors conduct a proper total evaluation. A numerical example is included to illustrate the computational process of the proposed model.

Sulfentrazone Carryover to Vegetables and Cotton

Sulfentrazone is commonly used for weed control in soybeans and tobacco, and vegetable crops and cotton are often rotated with soybeans and tobacco. Studies were conducted to evaluate the potential for sulfentrazone to carryover and injure several vegetable crops and cotton. Sulfentrazone was applied PRE to soybean at 0, 210, 420, and 840 g ai/ha before planting bell pepper, cabbage, cotton, cucumber, onion, snap bean, squash, sweet potato, tomato, and watermelon. Cotton, known to be susceptible to sulfentrazone carryover, was included as an indicator species. Cotton injury ranged from 14 to 18% with a 32% loss of yield in 1 of 2 yr when the labeled use rate of sulfentrazone (210 g/ha) was applied to the preceding crop. High use rates of sulfentrazone caused at least 50% injury with yield loss ranging from 36 to 100%. Bell pepper, snap bean, onion, tomato, and watermelon were injured < 18% by sulfentrazone at 840 g/ha. Squash was injured < 3% and < 36% by sulfentrazone at 210 and 840 g/ha, respectively. Yield of these crops was not affected regardless of sulfentrazone rate. Cabbage and cucumber were injured < 13% by sulfentrazone at 210 and 420 g/ha, and yields were not affected. Sulfentrazone at 840 g/ha injured cabbage up to 46% and reduced yield in 1 of 2 yr. Sulfentrazone injured cucumber up to 63% and reduced yield of No. 2 grade fruits. Sulfentrazone at 210 and 420 g/ha injured sweet potato < 6% and did not affect yield. Sulfentrazone at 840 g/ha injured sweet potato 14% and reduced total yield 26%. Our results suggest little to no adverse effect on bell pepper, cabbage, cucumber, onion, snap bean, squash, sweet potato, tomato, or watermelon from sulfentrazone applied at registered use rates during the preceding year.

Improvement of mobile citrus fruit grading machine

A mobile grading machine was earlier developed to establish precision citrus fruit production. This machine could travel in citrus orchards and measure appearance and internal qualities of fruit harvested by humans on-site. In addition, it could record harvesting date and fruit locations. It consisted of a mobile mechanism, a differential global positioning system, a fruit conveyor system, two machine vision systems (one for fruit inspection, the other for trees monitoring), a sugar content measurement system using a near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer, and a personal computer for control and database. The color, size, and sugar content of each fruit and leaf color of each tree were measured by the machine vision devices and the NIR inspection system. As fruit features were extracted based on image analysis by the machine vision system, it was observed that the result of size had a correlation with actual citrus size and the result of color was accurately compared with human eyes. However, it was considered that the lighting device positions should be changed for higher quality images, because the edges of the fruit were dark due to radiation angles. This paper reports on moves of the lighting device position and to obtain lower light radiation angles so that the estimate of fruit size could get higher correlation with the actual fruit size. Furthermore, the earlier results of sugar content measurement had a low correlation with the actual brix values because the sensing head of NIR inspection system was pressed to each fruit from the top. The pressing direction was changed to from the side to obtain higher performance of the system. The improvements caused higher correlations of the sensor outputs to the fruit size and sugar content.

Impact of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria and Natural Enemies on <I>Myzus persicae</I> (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Infestations in Pepper

Management of green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), in bell pepper, Capsicum annuum L., was explored through a combination of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and endemic biological control in New York in 2006 and 2007. We hypothesized that by using PGPR-treated peppers 1) M. persicae infestations would be reduced via induced resistance, 2) natural enemies would be lured to plants through the elicitation of volatile organic compounds, and 3) yield amount and quality would be improved. Pepper seed was planted in soil containing the PGPR formulation BioYield or untreated soil. Plants were transplanted to field plots and then treated with an insecticide regimen designed to remove or conserve populations of natural enemies. Apterous aphids and natural enemies were counted weekly on plants and pepper fruit were harvested, graded and weighed three times. PGPR did not directly or indirectly reduce aphid densities in either year. In 2006, there were more natural enemies in PGPR-treated plots than untreated ones, but this was probably a density-dependent response to aphid densities rather than a response of natural enemies to volatiles from PGPR-treated plants. For the first harvest date in 2006, yield of all fruit grades, especially the premium Fancy Grade, was 1.7-2.3 times greater in PGPR-treated plots than in untreated plots. However, no differences in yield were observed for the other two harvest dates or overall yield in 2006; no differences in yield among treatments were detected in 2007. Our results suggest that PGPR will not significantly impact M. persicae infestations or natural enemy populations but could enhance yield and quality of pepper fruit in some years.

A Double Image Acquisition System with Visible and UV LEDs for Citrus Fruit

There are many types of citrus fruit grading machine with machine vision capability. While most of them sort fruit by size, shape and color, detection of fruit rot remains challenging because their colors are similar with normal parts. Objectives of this research were to investigate if fluorescence would be a good indicator of the fruit rot, and to develop an economical solution to add the rot inspection capability to an existing machine vision fruit inspection station. A machine vision system consisting of a pair of white and UV LED lighting devices and a color CCD camera was proposed for the orange fruit grading task. Since the time lag between the color and fluorescence image captures was short (14 ms), it was possible to inspect color, shape, size, and rot of a fruit on the move before it leaves an existing industrial inspection chamber.

Seasonal Population Dynamics of <I>Homalodisca vitripennis</I> (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in Sweet Orange Trees Maintained Under Continuous Deficit Irrigation

A 2-yr study was conducted in a citrus orchard (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck cultivar Valencia) to determine the influence of plant water stress on the population dynamics of glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar). Experimental treatments included irrigation at 100% of the crop evapotranspiration rate (ET(c)) and continuous deficit-irrigation regimens at 80 and 60% ET(c). Microclimate and plant conditions monitored included temperature and humidity in the tree canopy, leaf surface temperature, water potential, and fruit quality and yield. Glassy-winged sharpshooter population densities and activity were monitored weekly by a combination of visual inspections, beat net sampling, and trapping. Glassy-winged sharpshooter populations were negatively affected by severe plant water stress; however, population densities were not linearly related to decreasing water availability in plants. Citrus trees irrigated at 60% ET(c) had significantly warmer leaves, lower xylem water potential, and consequently hosted fewer glassy-winged sharpshooter eggs, nymphs, and adults than trees irrigated at 80% ET(c). Citrus trees irrigated at 100% ET(c) hosted similar numbers of glassy-winged sharpshooter stages as trees irrigated at 60% ET(c) and a lower number of glassy-winged sharpshooter nymphs than the 80% ET(c) treatment, specifically during the nymphal density peak in mid-April to early July. Irrigation treatments did not affect populations of monitored natural enemies. Although the adult glassy-winged sharpshooter population was reduced, on average, by 50% in trees under severe water stress, the total number of fruit and number of fruit across several fruit grade categories were significantly lower in the 60% ET(c) than in the 80 and 100% ET(c) irrigation treatments.

Abstract: P224 SEVERITY OF CORONARY ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND CARDIOPULMONARY BYPASS AFFECT STEM CELL TRAFFICKING FOLLOWING CARDIAC SURGERY

Fruits with the similar weight and uniform shape are in high demand in terms of marketing value. Therefore, an awareness of grading fruit based on weight is crucial. A part of this research was aimed to present some physical properties of three Iranian apricot cultivars (Shams, Nakhjavan, and Jahangiri). In addition, apricot mass was predicted by different physical characteristics with linear and nonlinear models as three different classifications: (1), single or multiple variable regressions of apricot dimensional characteristics. (2), single or multiple variable regressions of apricot projected areas and (3), estimating apricot mass based on its volume. All properties considered in the current study were found to be statistically significant at the 1% probability level. The highest and the lowest dimensional characteristics were found for Jahangiri and Nakhjavan cultivars, respectively. Sphericity values had significant difference among the tested cultivars. The latter property values were 0.971, 0.917, and 0.973 for Shams, Nakhjavan, and Jahangiri cultivars, respectively. Based on the results, the surface area of the Jahangiri cultivar was found to be 6458.35 mm2, followed by the Shams and Nakhjavan cultivars, which had a mean of 6115.36, and 4395.25 mm2, respectively. In this paper, the coefficients of static friction of the cultivars on three different surfaces are also reported. The results showed that mass modeling of apricot based on minor diameter and three projected areas are the most appropriate models in the first and the second classifications, respectively. In third classification, the best model was obtained on the basis of the actual volume as M = 0.997Vm + 0301, R2 = 0.98, R.S.E. = 1.711 with R2 = 0.98. It was concluded that the suitable grading system of apricot mass is based on minor diameter as nonlinear relation: M = 0.0019c2.693, R2 = 0.96, R.S.E. = 2.2.

Effects of different irrigation regimes applied during the final stage of rapid growth on an early maturing peach cultivar

Different irrigation regimes were performed on container-grown early-season peach trees (cv. Alexandra) during stage III of fruit growth. In the first experiment, three water treatments were applied: T1, control irrigation; T2, light water restriction; T3, high water restriction. In the second experiment, T4, a light water restriction, was compared to T5, the same total amount of water as T4 but with alternating periods of water withholding and subsequent re-irrigation. Compared to T1 and T2, leaf photosynthesis was limited under T3. Fruit yield and quality did not differ between T1 and T2, while fruit yield, average weight and percentage in the higher commercial grade decreased and total soluble solids (TSS) increased under T3, compared to T1 and T2. Comparing T5 to T4, yield, fruit firmness and average weight did not vary, but heterogeneousness of fruit diameter and TSS at the lower fruit grade tended to be higher. Peach sensitivity to brown rot was likely to decrease under T3 compared to T1 and T2. Peach water loss and brown rot incidence after contamination in conidial suspensions were enhanced under T5 compared to T4, implying that re-irrigation after water withholding should be avoided in order to limit brown rot incidence.

1A2-B15 カンキツ生産の情報化のための移動型選果機の試作

1A2-B15 カンキツ生産の情報化のための移動型選果機の試作

Influence of Plant Density and Cultivar on Mini Triploid Watermelon Yield and Fruit Quality

Mini triploid (seedless) watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) are a growing segment of the U.S. watermelon market due to their small, one-serving size. Although mini triploid watermelons were first released and commercially grown about 6 years ago, little information is available for optimum planting densities that are needed to achieve the greatest percentage of marketable fruit in the 3- to 8-lb range. In 2006 and 2007, the fruit grade distribution response to six plant densities (2489, 3111, 4149, 6223, 8297, and 12,446 plants/acre) of four mini watermelon cultivars (Betsy, Petite Treat, Valdoria, and Vanessa) was measured at the Southern Illinois University Horticulture Research Center in Carbondale. ‘SP-1’ was used as the in-row pollenizer at 25% of the total planting. Although all cultivars responded similarly to the plant densities evaluated, ‘Vanessa’ provided the greatest fruit number and weight per acre, and percentage of fruit in the mini grade, compared with the other cultivars. Marketable mini triploid watermelon yield dramatically increased with closer in-row spacings. At lower plant densities (wider in-row spacings), a greater proportion of icebox-sized fruit (>8 lb) was produced, and the amount of marketable, mini-sized fruit (3–8 lb) declined. The grade distribution of mini triploid watermelon numbers and weights were the greatest at the highest plant density evaluated [0.5 ft in-row spacing (12,446 plants/acre)], with about 80% of the total yield in the mini grade. The greatest net revenues were also obtained at this high density. This study indicated that it is critical for producers of mini triploid watermelons to recognize the dramatic impact that plant density has on marketable fruit yield (3–8 lb). Growers of mini triploid watermelons will see a drastic improvement in revenues with closer in-row spacings compared with the approximate 2 ft in-row spacings currently used (about 4000 plants/acre). The increased cost of higher plant densities are more than offset by the greater return on investment.

Influence of Plant Density and Cultivar on Mini Triploid Watermelon Yield and Fruit Quality

Mini triploid (seedless) watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) are a growing segment of the U.S. watermelon market due to their small, one-serving size. Although mini triploid watermelons were first released and commercially grown about 6 years ago, little information is available for optimum planting densities that are needed to achieve the greatest percentage of marketable fruit in the 3- to 8-lb range. In 2006 and 2007, the fruit grade distribution response to six plant densities (2489, 3111, 4149, 6223, 8297, and 12,446 plants/acre) of four mini watermelon cultivars (Betsy, Petite Treat, Valdoria, and Vanessa) was measured at the Southern Illinois University Horticulture Research Center in Carbondale. ‘SP-1’ was used as the in-row pollenizer at 25% of the total planting. Although all cultivars responded similarly to the plant densities evaluated, ‘Vanessa’ provided the greatest fruit number and weight per acre, and percentage of fruit in the mini grade, compared with the other cultivars. Marketable mini triploid watermelon yield dramatically increased with closer in-row spacings. At lower plant densities (wider in-row spacings), a greater proportion of icebox-sized fruit (>8 lb) was produced, and the amount of marketable, mini-sized fruit (3–8 lb) declined. The grade distribution of mini triploid watermelon numbers and weights were the greatest at the highest plant density evaluated [0.5 ft in-row spacing (12,446 plants/acre)], with about 80% of the total yield in the mini grade. The greatest net revenues were also obtained at this high density. This study indicated that it is critical for producers of mini triploid watermelons to recognize the dramatic impact that plant density has on marketable fruit yield (3–8 lb). Growers of mini triploid watermelons will see a drastic improvement in revenues with closer in-row spacings compared with the approximate 2 ft in-row spacings currently used (about 4000 plants/acre). The increased cost of higher plant densities are more than offset by the greater return on investment.

Robotization in fruit grading system

A grading robot system, which automatically provides fruits from containers and inspects all sides of the fruits was developed. The robot system consists of two fruit providing robots and a grading robot. Both robots had 3 DOF Cartesian coordinate manipulators, and 12 suction pads as end-effectors for transporting fruits. The grading robot had 12 color TV cameras, and 28 lighting devices as a machine vision system. The grading robot sucked 12 fruits up at a time and 12 bottom images of all the fruits were acquired during the manipulator moving from a halfway stage to carriers on a conveyor line. Before releasing the fruits to the carriers, 4 side images of each fruit were acquired by rotating the suction pads for 270°. The stroke of the manipulators was about 1.2 m and it took about 4.3 s to move back to the initial position that meant that this robot could grade three fruits per second. This grading robot system made following effects: (1) Labor substitution, (2) Objective grading operation without human subjective judgment, (3) Data accumulation on fruit grading for traceability and farming guidance to producer.

Effect of mulching and fertilization on the quality of strawberries

A large part of the research carried out with strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) has been with the aim of gaining higher yields. At the same time postharvest losses are remarkable. Therefore the need for research with the aim of increasing quality is rising. The aim of the present research was to study the influence of mulch (plastic and straw), fertilization and the age of plants (two, three and four years) on the quality of strawberry fruits. Experiments were carried out with cultivar Bounty during 2000–2002 at the Estonian Agricultural University. Results showed that fertilization had a positive effect on the yield of first grade fruits with both mulches. With plastic mulch, fertilization had a positive influence on vitamin C content. With straw mulch, fertilization decreased fruit damage. None of the experimental factors had an impact on the content of soluble solids. We concluded that injecting fertilizer solution into the soil under plastic mulch is an effective and inexpensive way to avoid a decrease in fruit size in the third year of production. Vitamin C content was negatively influenced by plant age, and in the three-year-old plantation, smaller fruits contained more vitamin C than larger fruits.;

Shape-based methodology for multivariate discrimination among Italian hazelnut cultivars

Cultivar discrimination during on-line quality selection is required by high quality food industries. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential use and efficacy of shape-based techniques in order to discriminate among four traditional Italian cultivars (Tonda di Giffoni, San Giovanni, Mortarella and Tonda Romana). Tonda di Giffoni and Tonda Romana are very similar having a spherical shape, while the other two cultivars are elongated. Color RGB images of about 400 hazelnuts were analysed with a morphological method based on the elliptic Fourier approximation to closed contours in a two-dimensional plane. This method was applied on the three outlines obtained by the polar, lateral and random plane positioning view of in-shell and unblanched kernel. The coefficients of the harmonic equations were analysed via Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (PLSDA) multivariate classification and mean outline for each group was graphically extracted. Results show higher percentage of correct classification for the lateral view (from 77.5% to 98.8% in the independent test). Also the random positioning view, in particular for in-shell kernels between the two rounded cultivars and between the two oblong cultivars, showed good classification results (respectively, 95.1 and 97.6). This preliminary study demonstrates the potential of modern multivariate techniques using shape-based methods on digital images to achieve high efficiency performance in fruit grading and classification.

Models for predicting the mass of apricot fruits by geometrical attributes (cv. Shams, Nakhjavan, and Jahangiri)

Fruits with the similar weight and uniform shape are in high demand in terms of marketing value. Therefore, an awareness of grading fruit based on weight is crucial. A part of this research was aimed to present some physical properties of three Iranian apricot cultivars (Shams, Nakhjavan, and Jahangiri). In addition, apricot mass was predicted by different physical characteristics with linear and nonlinear models as three different classifications: (1), single or multiple variable regressions of apricot dimensional characteristics. (2), single or multiple variable regressions of apricot projected areas and (3), estimating apricot mass based on its volume. All properties considered in the current study were found to be statistically significant at the 1% probability level. The highest and the lowest dimensional characteristics were found for Jahangiri and Nakhjavan cultivars, respectively. Sphericity values had significant difference among the tested cultivars. The latter property values were 0.971, 0.917, and 0.973 for Shams, Nakhjavan, and Jahangiri cultivars, respectively. Based on the results, the surface area of the Jahangiri cultivar was found to be 6458.35 mm 2, followed by the Shams and Nakhjavan cultivars, which had a mean of 6115.36, and 4395.25 mm 2, respectively. In this paper, the coefficients of static friction of the cultivars on three different surfaces are also reported. The results showed that mass modeling of apricot based on minor diameter and three projected areas are the most appropriate models in the first and the second classifications, respectively. In third classification, the best model was obtained on the basis of the actual volume as M = 0.997 V m + 0301, R 2 = 0.98, R.S.E. = 1.711 with R 2 = 0.98. It was concluded that the suitable grading system of apricot mass is based on minor diameter as nonlinear relation: M = 0.0019 c 2.693, R 2 = 0.96, R.S.E. = 2.2.

The kind of pollination and ability to parthenocarpy of pepino (Solanum muricatum Ait.)

Abstract The objective of the research was to assess a grade of parthenocarpic fruit and fruitsetting following cross-pollination and self-pollination in pepino plants (Solanum muricatum Ait.). An experiment with six pepino clones of different origin was set up in glasshouse conditions. Experimental clones were subjected to the following treatments: self-pollination, cross-pollination, and emasculation without any control. The tested clones of pepino were self-pollinated, capable of cross pollination and facultative parthenocarpic. The differences between clones in their ability to parthenocarpic fruit formation were observed. The ripening period of pepino fruits and their weight depended on a clone.

Irrigation Strategies for Greenhouse Tomato Production on Rockwool

To address the concern that irrigation provides sufficient water to match the crop needs, while not impeding oxygen availability to the roots, we conducted an experiment to develop suitable irrigation schedule(s) for greenhouse tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) on rockwool. The experimental treatments incorporated the electrical conductivity (EC) of the nutrient solution in the rockwool slab (slab-EC) along with the water content (WC) in the rockwool slab (slab-WC) as the irrigation decision-making variables. They were: slab-WC ≤ 70% or slab-EC ≥ 1.4× normal or more (T1), slab-WC ≤ 70% or slab-EC ≥ 1.7× normal or more (T2), slab-WC ≤ 80% or slab-EC ≥ 1.4× normal or more (T3), slab-WC ≤ 80% or slab-EC ≥ 1.7× normal or more (T4), and the combined weight loss (WL) 700 g or more (T5) and WL 500 g or more (T6), in which “normal” means the feed solution EC as recommended in the seasonal fertigation schedule for a spring–summer tomato crop. The data on early-season marketable yield, total seasonal marketable yield, and fruit grades indicated the superiority of treatments T1, T2, and T6 over T3, T4, and T5. Better root growth was observed with T1, T2, and T6 and this was also associated with minimized nutrient solution leaching; furthermore, these plants had an abundance of coarse and fine roots, higher photosynthesis and transpiration, higher marketable yield, and a higher water use efficiency. Our results thus established that irrigation based on either a slab water content 70% or less or a 500-g weight loss is the best strategy for rockwool-grown greenhouse tomatoes in the spring–summer season. A variation in slab-EC between 1.4 and 1.7× normal, at a slab-WC of 70% or less, would have no significant effect on root growth, water use, marketable yield, or fruit grades.

Mango Industry in Taiwan and Its Survival Strategy in the Global Market

Taiwan, which joined the World Trade Organization in 2002, has been working hard to restructure its agriculture in an attempt to increase the international competitiveness of agricultural commodities. This paper examines Taiwan's mango industry in the globalizing economy and possible ways of expanding the export of mangos to Japan, a niche market for Taiwanese growers. Intensive field studies were conducted in Yujing village, Tainan county which is Taiwan's major mango-producing region.Following the end of World War II, the Irwin mango was successfully introduced from Florida, USA, which promoted the commercial production of mangos. However, Yujing now faces such problems as the aging of farmers, shortage of successors, dependence on temporary labor, increasing production costs, and low market prices due to overproduction. Cooperative marketing by farmers' associations is not functioning well. In addition, Taiwan's mangos, due to high production and delivery costs, are facing severe competition with products from other parts of the world in the Japanese market.Under such circumstances, a sustained market outlet needs to be established which could guarantee a stable market price so that farmers can continue to engage in mango production and to receive stable incomes. To achieve this, it is necessary to reinforce farmers' cooperative marketing as it protects farmers by stabilizing market prices and saving labor while ensuring the quantity required for export by cooperative sorting and grading of fruit. Farmers' cooperative marketing will also play an important role in coping with such problems as the aging of farmers, shortage of successors, and management of fields owned by elderly farmers.To maintain and develop mango exports to Japan, a system of traceability needs to be established as it is required in the Japanese market. Guaranteed purchase prices and contract farming may stabilize the supply of mangos. In the Japanese market, Taiwan also needs to enhance the value of its mangos with safety and quality. The price of Taiwan's mangos is lower than that of the same variety produced in Okinawa and Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, and therefore, it would be possible for Taiwan to expand the export of mangos to Japan targeting general consumers. As Taiwan's agricultural products, including mangos, have difficulties in competing in the international market, one method of increasing competitiveness is to establish a brand targeting a niche market. The strategy of production and marketing plays a key role in surviving in the global market.