Fruit Harvest Time Research Articles

Impact of Olive Harvesting Date on Virgin Olive Oil Volatile Composition in Four Spanish Varieties

AbstractThe unique sensory characteristics of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) depend upon its volatile composition. This work investigates the impact of olive fruit harvesting time and growing location on the volatile composition of the obtained EVOO, on four typical Spanish olive varieties (Cornicabra, Picual, Castellana, Manzanilla Cacereña). Several growing locations within the Madrid region (Spain) are studied to assess the natural variability attributed to the environmental factors. Aroma compounds are analyzed by solid‐phase microextraction coupled with gas‐chromatography and mass spectrometry, and sensory analysis. A considerable different behavior is observed depending on the olive variety and ripening stage. Statistically significant differences are obtained for volatile compounds biosynthesized from the lipoxygenase pathway and other fatty acid metabolism routes, which results in significant differences in their aroma profiles.Practical applications: These results have practical applicability for the olive oil industry and regulatory bodies. For example, for protected designation of origin EVOOs the aroma profile needs to be consistent over different production lots. The outcome of this research is of interest to the olive oil industry to get a better insight into the expected variability and interactions among cultivars, small pedoclimatic differences within the same broader area, and the harvesting date on the sensory and volatile profile of the resulting EVOO.

Effect of Fruit Harvest Time and Fermentation Methods on Seed Viability and Seedling Vigour in Oleaginous Citrullus lanatus

Aims: In an attempt to improve the yields of Citrullus lanatus’s wlêwlê oilseed cultivar, generally low due to the lack of good germination seeds, the effect of fruit age at harvest and fermentation methods were studied. The present study is a contribution to the improvement the African oleaginous Cucurbits seed production system by optimizing the date of harvest combined to seed fermentation methods through enhancement of seed germination and seedling vigor.
 Study Design: Seedling vigor was evaluated on farm trial using five completely randomized blocks represented by seedbeds constituting each, one replication.
 Place and Duration of Study: The trials were carried out from July to December 2020, at the experimental farm of the Nangui Abrogoua University in the district of Abidjan, southern of Côte d'Ivoire between 5°17' and 5°31' North latitude and between 3°45' and 4°31' West longitude.
 Methodology: Fruits from grown plants were harvested at five different times 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 days after anthesis (DAA)] and seeds fermented following four methods fermentation at ambient air (SFA); fermentation in a plastic bag exposed at ambient air (SFB); fermentation in plastic bag buried in 30 cm depth (SFD) and control or non-fermented (NF)]. Seeds from these 20 treatments (5 harvest time × 4 fermentation methods) were sown for viability tests in laboratory and seedling vigor in the field.
 Results: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that delaying harvest time (from 20 to 40 DAA) significantly (P < .001) improved fruit weight (from 512.20 to 760.50 g) and its seed content (from 71.75 to 230.70 seeds/fruit), seed size (length: 10.69 to 11.42 mm and width: 5.31 to 5.90 mm) and weight (5.16 to 6.37 g) as well as their viability (from 67.75 to 89.50 %). Moreover, in spite of facilitating seed extraction, all three fermentation methods (SFA, SFB and SFD) significantly improved seed viability and seedling vigor compared to control (NF) seeds. The highest agronomic performance (seed viability and produced seedling vigor), was obtained with fermentation under closed and deep confinement (SFD), followed by the closed confinement (SFB) and then by the open environment (SFA). Positive interaction (harvest time × fermentation method) revealed that the best performance was achieved with later harvested seeds (40 DAA) and closed fermented seeds (SFD) which could provide a better seed quality.
 Conclusion: Agronomic performances (viability and vigor) are influenced by both harvest date and fermentation method. Late harvesting of the fruit (40 DAA) and fermentation in a very confined deep soil condition (SFD) ensures the production of high germination quality seeds.

Effect of harvest time and fruit size on seed germination and seedlings growth of sour orange and Mexican lime under in vitro conditions

The aim of this research was to determine the best time to harvest the fruits for seed production which would ultimately lead to the production of citrus rootstocks of optimum quality. The sour orange and Mexican lime fruits were harvested on 7 and 5 occasions, respectively. The very first fruits were harvested 80 days after flowering and subsequent harvests were gathered every 30 days. An in vitro experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, with four replications and 20 seeds in each replication. Based on fruit growth curve the time of fruit harvest affected seed germination (percentage and rate) and seedling growth (stem and root length, fresh and dry weight of stems, roots and leaves). The results showed that the best time to harvest the fruits of sour orange and Mexican lime was 230 and 170 days after flowering, respectively, which led to maximum seed germination (Mexican lime 100% and sour orange 85%) and seedling growth. The highest root, stem and leaf fresh and dry weight was also obtained at 230 and 170 days after flowering in sour orange and Mexican lime respectively.

Influence of maturity stage on physical and chemical characteristics of fruit and physiological quality of seeds of Physalis angulata L.

Physalis angulata L. is an annual herb of the Solanaceae family, known in Brazil as camapu. Its fruits are widely eaten due to their high nutritional content and various plant parts are also used for medicinal purposes plant. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological maturity of P. angulata seeds during fruit development and maturation, as well as to identify the tolerance method for seed desiccation, contributing to the conservation of this species. Fruits and seeds were harvested at 15, 22, 29, 36 and 43 days after anthesis (DAA). The fruits were characterized regarding length, diameter, weight, total soluble solids, epicarp color, total number of seeds, and fresh seed weight. For determination of the seed physiological quality at different maturation times, freshly harvested seeds were dried at room conditions for 72 h and evaluated for water content, dry weight, germination percentage, germination index and seedling emergence. The desiccation tolerance was analyzed through fast and slow methods utilizing silica gel and saline solution of CaCl2. Significant increases were found in all physical and chemical traits of the fruits during development. Epicarp, nervure and calyx color can be used as good indicators of the degree of maturity, allowing identifying the best fruit harvest time. The seed physiological maturity of P. angulata was reached at 36 days after anthesis. The drying speed did not influence the seed germination percentage, germination index and vigor. P. angulata has orthodox seed storage behavior and can tolerate water content below 7%, which contributes to the maintenance of high viability (above 90%) for prolonged periods. Our findings can guide the conservation of P. angulata in seed banks and their use in breeding programs to obtain new hybrids.

Embryo Culture of New Hybrid of Pecan (Carya Illinoensis) with Walnut (J. Regia and J. Nigra)

Present study was conducted to achieve intergeneric hybridization in Juglandaceae for the first time. Due to embryo abortion possibility, the embryo rescue technique was conducted via callus induction from immature hybrid embryo culture. For this reason, embryos were sampled at 20, 30, 40 and 60 days after pollination and cultured on two enrichment media (WPM and DKW). The developmental stage of immature embryo, kind of medium and addition of growth regulators to the induction medium played the role in promoting better callus and plantlet formation. The best quality and quantity of callus induction were achieved in 60 days’ explant. Maximum induction was in WPM and there was no callus induction in PGRs free medium. Browning was the most obstacle to conquer in callus proliferation. Germination of remained mature hybrid embryo until fruit harvest time was induced on three media (MS, WPM, and DKW). There were no significant differences between medium and male parents effect on germination parameters. But, MS and WPM performed better for hybrid embryo germination. The first germination was 7 days in MS and WPM and about 10 days for DKW after culture. In all medium the roots were robust and more developed than the leaves. The microplant transferred to soil after hardening.

Olive Oil Ripping Time Prediction Model based on Image Processing and Neural Network

The agriculture sector in Jordan depends very much on planting the olive trees. More than ten million of olive trees are planted in the Jordanian soil. Olive fruit are harvested for two purposes; either to produce oil or to produce olive table (pickled olive). Olive fruit harvesting time for extracting the oil from the olive fruit is crucial. Hence, harvesting the olive fruit on ripping time gives the best amount and quality of oil. It also, could lose 15% to 20% of multiple values because of harvesting time. Olive fruit ripping time is varied since it depends on the rainfall, temperature and cultivation. A system to predict the optimal time for harvesting olive fruit for producing oil only is introduced. It based one Digital Image Processing (DIP) and artificial intelligent neural network. Moreover, four features were extracted from the olive fruit image based on the red, green and blue colors. The proposed system tested olive fruits in three stages of ripping time; under ripping, on ripping and over ripping. The classification accuracy achieved in the three stages was 97.51% in under ripping stage 95.10% in ripping stage, and 96.12% in over ripping stage. The proposed system performance was 96.14%.

Three-dimensional photogrammetry with deep learning instance segmentation to extract berry fruit harvestability traits

Fruit cluster characteristics such as compactness, maturity, berry number, and berry size, are important phenotypic traits associated with harvestability and yield of blueberry genotypes and can be used to monitor berry development and improve crop management. The goal of this study was to develop a complete framework of 3D segmentation for individual blueberries as they develop in clusters and to extract blueberry cluster traits. To achieve this goal, an image-capturing system was developed to capture blueberry images to facilitate 3D reconstruction and a 2D-3D projection-based photogrammetric pipeline was proposed to extract berry cluster traits. The reconstruction was performed for four southern highbush blueberry cultivars (‘Emerald’, ‘Farthing’, ‘Meadowlark’ and ‘Star’) with 10 cluster samples for each cultivar based on photogrammetry. A minimum bounding box was created to surround a 3D blueberry cluster to calculate compactness as the ratio of berry volume and minimum bounding box volume. Mask R-CNN was used to segment individual blueberries with the maturity property from 2D images and the instance masks were projected onto 3D point clouds to establish 2D-3D correspondences. The developed trait extraction algorithm was used to segment individual 3D blueberries to obtain berry number, individual berry volume, and berry maturity. Berry maturity was used to calculate cluster maturity as the ratio of the mature berry (blue colored fruit) number and the total berry (blue, reddish, and green colored fruit) number comprising the cluster. The accuracy of determining the fruit number in a cluster is 97.3%. The linear regression for cluster maturity has a R2 of 0.908 with a RMSE of 0.068. The cluster berry volume has a RMSE of 2.92 cm3 compared with the ground truth, indicating that the individual berry volume has an error of less than 0.292 cm3 for clusters with a berry number greater than 10. The statistical analyses of the traits for the four cultivars reveals that, in the middle of April, ‘Emerald’ and ‘Farthing’ were more compact than ‘Meadowlark’ and ‘Star’, and the mature berry volume of ‘Farthing’ was greater than ‘Emerald’ and ‘Meadowlark’, while ‘Star’ had the smallest mature berry size. This study develops an effective method based on 3D photogrammetry and 2D instance segmentation that can determine blueberry cluster traits accurately from a large number of samples and can be used for fruit development monitoring, yield estimation, and harvest time prediction.

High-Tunnel Production of Strawberries Using Black and Red Plastic Mulches

High tunnels are economical season extension tools for strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) growers in nonmajor strawberry producing states in the United States (US), where grower competitiveness can be increased by off-season crop production. Six June-bearing (“Camarosa”, “Camino Real”, “Chandler”, “Fronteras”, “Sensation”, and “Strawberry Festival”) and two day-neutral (“Albion” and “San Andreas”) strawberry cultivars were transplanted on 18 November 2017 and evaluated for their growth, yield, quality, and time of fruit harvest in a high-tunnel production system in Mississippi (US Department of Agriculture (USDA) hardiness zone 8a) during one growing season from fall 2017 to spring 2018. Effects of black and red plastic mulches were compared in producing strawberries. The high tunnel raised daily air temperatures, provided frost protection, and resulted in advanced fruit harvest by 4–6 weeks compared to local field production with the first ripe fruit produced in early March. “Camino Real”, “Chandler”, and “Strawberry Festival” produced similar highest total marketable yields of 483 g to 559 g per plant, with “Sensation” producing the lowest marketable yield of 215 g per plant. Red mulch decreased marketable yield in March but increased it in May compared with black mulch. Mulch type did not affect plant vegetative growth or strawberry fruit quality variables including berry size, soluble solid content, total phenolic content, or total anthocyanin content.

Molecular role of ethylene in fruit r​ipening of Ziziphus jujube Mill

ABSTRACT The fruit of Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujube) is widely consumed by human beings due to its high proteins, vitamins, and mineral nutrients. The harvest time of Chinese jujube fruit determines its quality, while ethylene plays a pivotal role in fruit ripening. Nevertheless, the relationship between ethylene biosynthesis/signal transduction and fruit ripening of Chinese jujube is still elusive. Here, the Chinese jujube fruit ripening with its fruit peel color change from cyan to dark red at seven different ripening stages (stage I–VII) and expression levels of genes related to ethylene synthesis and signal transduction were determined. Results showed that expression levels of ZjACO1-3, ZjETR2, ZjERF1, and ZjERF4 were increasingly upregulated, whereas the expression levels of ZjERS1, ZjETI, ZjERF2, and ZjERF3 were downregulated from green to red fruit ripening stages. Among them, ZjACO1-3 promoters contain ethylene response element. Taken together, Chinese jujube fruit ripening might be affected by the ethylene signaling which was mainly regulated by ZjACO, a gene involved in ethylene biosynthesis. This research supports theories and techniques for the storage, preservation and molecular breeding of Z. jujube.

Population Fluctuation and Infestation Rates of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) on Different Pomegranate Varieties in Hatay (Turkey)

The Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a serious pest on pomegranate in Turkey. The purpose of this study was to determine population fluctuation and infestation rates of medfly on various pomegranate varieties in Hatay province of Turkey. The Eostrap® invaginada traps baited with % 95 Trimedlure impregnated in a polymeric plug-type dispenser were used. The fruit infestation assessment was measured by a hundred fruits chosen randomly from ten trees in each of sampled orchard and checked for medfly punctures and infested fruits were counted. As a result of two-year investigations, this pest was found in six sites, which are located in Kırıkhan (Delibekirli, Kurtlu soğuksu) and Serinyol districts of Hatay province. In 2010, the highest mean of the catches per traps were recorded on 13 October (236.5), followed by 6 October (166.5), 29 September (145.5), 20 October (145.0) and 22 September (110.0) on ‘Karamehmet+katırbaşı‘ varieties in Delibekirli village. Moreover, the highest mean of the catches per traps were recorded on 6 October (38.0), followed by 13 October (33.5), 20 October (17.0), 29 September (16) and 22 September (9) on ‘Katırbaşı‘ varieties in Kurtlu soğuksu. In 2011, the highest mean of the catches per traps were recorded on 7 November (240.0), followed by 14 November (162.5), 31 October (100.5), 24 October (58) and 21 November (32) on Katırbaşı and Hicaz varieties of Serinyol district. The highest percentages of infestation rates were observed at orchard II (42) on ‘Karamehmet+katırbaşı‘, followed orchard I (37) on ‘Karamehmet+katırbaşı‘, orchard III (7) on ‘Katırbaşı‘ and orchard IV (3) on ‘Katırbaşı‘ varieties 2010. In addition, the highest percentages of infestation rates were observed at orchard I (44) on ‘Katırbaşı‘, followed at orchard II (8) on ‘Hicaz‘ varieties 2011. The highest mean of medfly was observed in October and September in 2010, and in November and October in 2011 due to ripening and harvesting time of fruits. The medfly caused significantly more infestation rates on ‘Karamehmet+katırbaşı‘ and ‘Katırbaşı‘ pomegranate than ‘Hicaz‘ pomegranate.

Quantitation of Phenolic Compounds Related to Antioxidant and Antiosteoporosis Activities in Ripe and Unripe Maesil (Prunus mume)

The fruits of Prunus mume, maesil (Rosaceae), have been widely used as a valuable source of foods and herbal medicines from ancient times in Northeast Asia. Specially, phenolic compounds of main compounds in maesil were reported to have various activities. This study aims to develop the simultaneous analytical method of nine phenolic compounds in maesil and to evaluate these compound contents in samples during the ripeness. Twenty-one species of samples and nine phenolic compounds were used for this study. In results, compounds 1–9 contents in unripe fruits were 0.16∼1.81 mg/g. However, these compounds in ripe samples were 0.09∼1.66 mg/g. Compounds 1–9 contents in ripe fruits were generally reduced rather than those in unripe fruits. Otherwise, the contents of compounds 2, 5, 8, and 9 in seed part were relatively higher than those in flesh part. In contrast, contents of compounds 1, 3, and 7 in flesh part were relatively higher than those in seed part. Generally, the contents of compounds 1–9 in unripe fruits were higher than those in ripe fruits. However, the contents of compounds 1–9 in each part (seed and fresh) of fruits were different according to species of compounds. It indicates that the selection of harvesting time and process part of fruits as the source of foods and medicines is important.

Fruit canopy position and harvest date influence on colour and quality of Imperial mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco)

Rind colour and taste are important factors influencing consumer acceptance of mandarins (Citrus reticulata Blanco) fruit. In this experiment, the influence of fruit canopy position and harvest date on the fruit rind colour and other quality parameters of Imperial mandarins was investigated. The mandarin fruit were harvested from four different positions in the tree canopy i.e., upper-inner, upper-outer, lower-inner and lower-outer and at three different harvest dates (H1 (five days before commercial harvest date); H2 (commercial harvest date) and H3 (five days after commercial harvest date). The experiment was conducted using a two factors (fruit position and harvest time) factorial randomised block design with four replicates and fifteen fruit per replicate. Rind colour and the quality of Imperial mandarins were significantly affected by the fruit position in the tree canopy, with the fruit harvested from the upper canopy having better rind colour and higher levels of organic acids and sugars compared to other positions. The late harvested (H3) mandarins exhibited the best fruit colour. In conclusion, the Imperial mandarin fruit had better fruit colour as well as quality when harvested from the upper canopy and by delaying the fruit harvest date by five days from the original commercial harvest date.

SOURCES AND CONCENTRATIONS OF CUPRIC FUNGICIDES FOR THE CONTROL OF CITRUS BLACK SPOT1

ABSTRACT Citrus black spot (CBS) is a severe disease for citriculture in the São Paulo State, Brazil. Part of its management is focused on chemical control using cupric fungicides and strobilurins. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the efficacy of three sources and three concentrations of cupric fungicides (copper hydroxide, copper oxychloride and cuprous oxide). Orange fruits of the Pera cultivar were bagged in the plants and the treatment with cupric fungicide was applied. The fruits were inoculated (by spray) with Phyllosticta citricarpa (1×104 conidia mL-1) after 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days, and bagged again. The evaluation of incidence and severity was did at the harvest time of fruits. A second experiment was conducted under natural infection with the same treatments, consisting of application of fungicides at the stages F1 (petal fall) and F2 (fruits with diameter of 1 cm), using mechanized sprayer with mean flow of 7.35 L solution plant-1. Subsequently, all treatments received four applications of azoxystrobin (30 g ha-1), plus mineral oil at 0.25%. Four monthly evaluations were done to determine the CBS incidence and severity. The initial applications with cupric fungicides are essential for the control of CBS; the fungicide copper hydroxide showed the best control of CBS with the lowest rate of metallic copper (43.7 g of Cu++ 100 L-1) in both experiments, regardless of the conduction conditions.

Fruchteigenschaften von Nachkommen der Aprikosensortenkreuzung ′Hacıhaliloğlu′ x ′Boccucia′

Apricot is an important fruit species cultivated in the world. Different varieties of apricot with various quality and sensory characteristics that vary according to the countries are consumed. It is important to breed new varieties to meet consumer demands. Therefore, in this study that was conducted with the ’Hacihaliloglu’ x ’Boccucia’ population to develop new varieties at a later stage, physical, chemical sensory characteristics of the hybrid population were investigated and the status of the population through PCA (Principal Component Analysis) and CA (Clustering Analysis) upon determining the correlation between properties evaluated. Significantly, high levels of variation were observed regarding fruit weight, color, firmness and harvest time. Fruit color and harvest time have been distinctive parameters in selecting genotypes. The dendrogram obtained from cluster analysis grouped 20 genotypes in the same group while the other genotypes were placed in a separate group.

Analysis of Vibration Harvesting Properties and Fracturing Structures of Soapberry (Sapindus Mukorossi)

HighlightsAnalyzing the fruit removal force and harvesting time of Sapindus fills a gap of Sapindus research.A dual excitation vibration method for harvesting Sapindus and the best harvesting parameters were obtained.The microstructure of the different fracturing locations was analyzed for the first time. Abstract.To address the issue of labor intensity in the harvest of Sapindus fruit, it is necessary to understand the harvesting properties of Sapindus mukorossi. In this study, a fruit removal force (FRF) test platform was used to analyze the relationship between the FRF and maturation time. An eccentric vibration harvesting test was conducted to obtain the frequency, acceleration, and other parameters of the Sapindus tree. According to the different falling locations of fruit, the fracturing locations were observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results revealed that the optimal time (9 to 12 November) to harvest is in the middle of the harvest period. Additionally, the shear force from 1.0N to 5.2 N was less than the tensile force from 2.7 to 10.2 N. Therefore, back and forth swinging is the major fracturing form of the fruit. Moreover, dual excitation is preferable to single-point excitation, and the acceleration root mean square (RMS) of the dual excitation was two to three times the acceleration RMS of single point excitation. The harvesting efficiency of dual excitation was 92.3% at 20 Hz. Additionally, there existed four fracturing locations for harvested fruit, as the frequency increased. Furthermore, the fracturing in the ear and stem was the most important form of fracturing, and microscopic observations revealed that it had a thinner and tidier cell wall and cell cavity. Keywords: Sapindus, Fruit removal force, Vibration, Microstructure.

Phenological study of sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.) in dystrophic yellow latosol under the savanna conditions of Roraima

Sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.) is a commercially significant fruit species due to its nutritional qualities. The state of Roraima has excellent soil and climatic conditions for the cultivation of the species. However, no studies on the phenological behavior of this plant have been reported in the literature. In this context, the objective of this work was to investigate the vegetative and reproductive phenological behavior of sugar apple under the savanna conditions of the state of Roraima. The experiment was carried out in four seasons of the year (2014/2014 and 2015/2015 rainy season and 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 Summer). Production pruning was carried out in February 2014 (2014.1 cycle), September 2014 (2014.2 cycle), February 2015 (2015.1 cycle) and September 2015 (2015.2 cycle). Forty plants were monitored during the experiment and evaluated every three days for the following variables: beginning date of bud swelling; duration of flowering; and fruit harvest time. From the observed data, the periods (days) between each phenological stage were calculated: pruning/bud swelling; pruning/beginning of flowering; bud swelling/anthesis; pruning/anthesis; anthesis/beginning of fruit harvest; duration of fruit harvest, and crop cycle (production pruning/harvest). The duration of the cycle, from the production pruning to the harvest varied according to the productive period, recording 146 days for the 2014.1 cycle and 127 days for the 2014.2 cycle, which proves that the phenological behavior of the species is influenced by climatic conditions.

Epistatic gene control on the yield of tomato at medium elevation in the tropical agroecosystem

Abstract. Mawasid FP, Syukur M, Trikoesoemaningtyas. 2019. Epistatic gene control on the yield of tomato at medium elevation in the tropical agroecosystem. Biodiversitas 20: 1880-1886. Cultivation of tomatoes on the middle-low plain generally decreases the quantity and quality of the yield due to high-temperature stress. Increasing the size and weight of lowland tomatoes is needed to enhance national production. Information on the action and genetic model of target characters is needed in the preparation of the assembly program, especially for selection needs. This study aims to obtain genetic information and heritability of tomato yield characters, as a basis for assembling large tomato varieties for the lowlands. The study was conducted using six populations (P1, P2, F1, BCP1, BCP2, and F2) resulting from two different crosses of 99D x Tora (C-I) and 97D x Tora (C-II). The results show that the action of non-additive genes and non-allelic interactions has a large value, with duplicate epistasis being more dominant than complementary epistasis. Duplicate epistasis was found in the character of harvest time, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit weight in cross I and flowering time, harvest time, fruit length, fruit diameter, and number of fruits in cross II, while complementary epistasis was found in flowering time, fruit weight per plant, number of fruits in cross I, and fruit weight, fruit weight per plant in cross II. Moderate to high heritability was found in the character of fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit weight, and fruit weight per plant. The values are higher in population from the cross I (99D x Tora) for each character, indicating that the cross I has a higher potential for genetic progress than cross II. Selection is recommended when the homozygosity has increased, using the Bulk method or Single Seed Decent. The two methods above can maintain variability in the next generation, so epistasis genes that control target characters are not drastically eliminated.

Seed Quality, Germinability and Initial Growth of Pterocarpus erinaceus (African Rosewood). How Important are Mother Tree Size, Source and Timing of Fruit Harvest?

Pterocarpus erinaceus is a multipurpose tree species indigenous to semi-arid and Guinean-savanna woodlands of Africa. Natural regeneration on the savanna is being hampered by higher fire frequencies and other land use changes. Simultaneously, demand for timber from the species on the international market is on the rise, raising conservation concerns. To ensure sustainability, good quality seeds, sources of which have not received much research focus, are needed for afforestation. This study investigated how seed quality, germinability and initial seedling growth of P. erinaceus might be influenced by land-use type, mother tree size as well as source and timing of fruit harvest, using both correlational and experimental approaches. The results showed that up to 94.6% of all harvested fruits contained seeds, with no differences found between fruits harvested from cultivated and non-cultivated lands. Percentage of (sound) unblemished seeds was found to be higher for fruits harvested early March (47.3%) than fruits from late April (39.5%). Percentage sound seeds was 41.4% for dispersed fruits (i.e. detached fruits picked from under mother trees) which was not found to differ from undispersed fruits (i.e. fruits harvested while still attached to mother trees) at 45.5%. Also, the influence of fruit harvest time was not found to be different for dispersed and undispersed fruits. Correlations between seed set (proportion of fruits containing seeds) and mother tree size (both tree height and DBH) were found to be very low and non-significant for both dispersed and undispersed fruits. Across mother trees, mean emergence percent was 79.7%, and mean seedling height at three weeks following emergence was 5.32 cm. Both emergence percentage and seedling height were not found to differ among mother trees, but seeds from dispersed fruits had a higher emergence percent (85%) than seeds from undispersed fruits (74%). Implications of findings are discussed.

Design and Implementation of Fruit harvest time Predicting System based on Machine Learning

최근에 머신 러닝 기술은 의료, 제조, 마케팅, 금융, 방송, 농업 등 사회 전반에 많은 영향을 미치고 있고 미래에도 인류의 생활에 많은 도움을 줄 것으로 예상된다. 본 논문에서는 인류의 생존에 가장 큰 영향을 주는 먹거리 즉, 농업 분야에 머신러닝 기술을 적용하는 방법을 연구한다. 농업 분야에 IoT(Internet of Things) 기술을 접목하는 스마트 팜 (Smart Farm) 분야는 생육환경을 실시간으로 모니터링 하여 농작물의 생육환경을 최적으로 유지 하는 방법을 중점적으로 연구한다. 최근 KT에서 출시된 기가 스마트 팜 솔루션 2.0 에서는 머신러닝 기술을 사용하여 온실내의 온습도를 최적으로 유지하는 기술에 머신러닝을 적용하였다. 기존의 스마트 팜 분야 연구가 생육환경 조절에 중점을 두어 생산성 증대에 집중되어 있지만 본 연구에서는 과일을 최상의 품질 상태에서 수확하여 좋은 가격으로 출하할 수 있도록 수확시기에 머신러닝을 적용하는 방법을 연구한다. 스마트팜 분야에 머신러닝 기술을 적용하기 위해서는 풍부한 빅 데이터의 확보가 무엇보다 중요하므로 정확한 머신러닝 기술을 적용하기 위해서는 지속적으로 빅 데이터 수집이 가능해야 한다. 본 논문에서 수확시기 예측에 필요한 인자로는 온실 내에서 재배되는 과일의 색상 값과 무게 값, 내부 온습도 값을 색상센서 와 무게센서, 온습도센서를 사용하여 실시간으로 수집하여 확보한다. 본 논문에서 제안하는 FPSML은 유사 과일 재배에 반복적으로 사용할 수 있는 아키텍처를 제공하며 지속적으로 빅 데이터가 축적될수록 보다 정밀한 수확시기를 예측할 수 있다.Recently, machine learning technology has had a significant impact on society, particularly in the medical, manufacturing, marketing, finance, broadcasting, and agricultural aspects of human lives. In this paper, we study how to apply machine learning techniques to foods, which have the greatest influence on the human survival. In the field of Smart Farm, which integrates the Internet of Things (IoT) technology into agriculture, we focus on optimizing the crop growth environment by monitoring the growth environment in real time. KT Smart Farm Solution 2.0 has adopted machine learning to optimize temperature and humidity in the greenhouse. Most existing smart farm businesses mainly focus on controlling the growth environment and improving productivity. On the other hand, in this study, we are studying how to apply machine learning with respect to harvest time so that we will be able to harvest fruits of the highest quality and ship them at an excellent cost. In order to apply machine learning techniques to the field of smart farms, it is important to acquire abundant voluminous data. Therefore, to apply accurate machine learning technology, it is necessary to continuously collect large data. Therefore, the color, value, internal temperature, and moisture of greenhouse-grown fruits are collected and secured in real time using color, weight, and temperature/humidity sensors. The proposed FPSML provides an architecture that can be used repeatedly for a similar fruit crop. It allows for a more accurate harvest time as massive data is accumulated continuously.

Physicochemical properties, phenolic profiles, antioxidant capacities, and inhibitory effects on digestive enzymes of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) fruit at different maturation stages.

Phenolic compounds are considered the main bioactive components in okra fruits. In order to well understand the accumulation pattern of phenolic compounds in okra fruits during maturation, and to obtain okra fruits with high level of health-beneficial phenolic compounds, physicochemical properties, phenolic profiles, antioxidant capacities, and inhibitory effects on digestive enzymes of okra fruits at different maturation stages were investigated. Noticeable variations in physicochemical properties and phenolic profiles of okra were observed at different maturation stages. Phenolic compounds, including quercetin-3-O-gentiobioside, quercetin-3-O-glucoside (isoquercitrin), rutin, quercetin derivative, protocatechuic acid, and catechin derivative, were determined to be the major compounds in okra fruits, while quercetin-3-O-gentiobioside was the most abundant phenolic compound. Considering the accumulation patterns of fruit size, firmness, and total flavonoid content of okra fruits, the optimal harvest time of okra fruits with relatively high level of health-beneficial phenolic compounds was determined. Furthermore, okra fruits at different maturation stages exerted remarkable antioxidant capacities and inhibitory effects on the pancreatic lipase, α-glucosidase, and α-amylase. The Pearson's correlation showed that quercetin-3-O-gentiobioside was one of the major contributors to the antioxidant capacities and inhibitory effects on digestive enzymes. Results are beneficial for understanding of the accumulation pattern of phenolic compounds in okra fruits during maturation, and can aid in the targeting of specific maturation stages with an optimal phenolic profile for the production of health-beneficial products.