CHAPTER III

HARVESTING
Definition of
Terms:
MATURITY INDEX

- signs or indications that a commodity is mature, and is ready

to be harvested.
Anthesis- flower opening
❑ Shooting- appearance of
the banana inflorescence
❑Shell- surface of the pineapple
•Full slip- term given
to stage of maturity
when muskmelon can
easily be separated
from the
peduncle leaving a
smooth surface
•Pedicel- fruit stem
•Anthracnose

- disease common in many

fruits characterized by black
spots on the surface later
coalescing into black areas.
•Detopping-cutting of
the stem of cassava
•Dehaulming- cutting or killing of potato vines a
week before harvest
•Disbudding- removal of floral buds
•TSS- the total soluble solids to acid
ratio. It is a measure of the blend of
sweetness and sourness in fruits.

• A higher TSS indicates better

eating quality.
TWO TYPES OF MATURITY

❑Physiological maturity- the end of maturation stage when the

fruit has developed the ability to ripen normally after harvest.
❑ Commercial/Horticultural
maturity

- stage of development when the

plant parts possess the necessary
characteristics preferred by
consumers
Effect of maturity on the quality of fruits
Parameter Immature Mature
1. Rate of Ripening Slow Fast
2. Shelf life Short Long
3. Susceptibility to disorders High Low
4. Shrivelling Moderate to severe None to slight
5. Peel color Uneven Uniform
6. Aroma Weak Full
7. Flavor Inferior Full
 •Importance of harvesting at proper stage of maturity
Commodity Characteristics at proper stage of maturity Resultant Effect

1. Cut Flowers Full development of color Better appearance

Maximum size of flowers Better appearance
More respiratory substrates Slower senescence
2. Fruit & fruit Full development of chemical constituents responsible for Better taste and appearance
vegetables aroma and flavor Slower senescence
Maximum respiratory substrates Lesser transpiration
Less stomates and emergences Lesser transpiration and greater resistance to
Thicker cuticle mechanical stress
3. Cabbage Not puffy Greater resistance to mechanical stress & lesser
transpiration
Thicker cuticle Greater resistance to mechanical stress

4. Potato tuber and Full development of suberized skin Greater resistance to mechanical stress of rots.
root crops Maximum respiratory substrates No feathering in potato.
Lesser transpiration
Slower senescence
5. Onion Full development of papery scale Greater resistance to rots, lesser transpiration
Narrower neck Smaller entry point for micro-organisms
Maximum respiratory substrates Slower senescence
 PROPER STAGE OF MATURITY TO HARVEST A CROP

The proper stage of maturity is dependent on the:

❑ Distance to market- for fruits, allowance is given for the crop to

arrive at the distant market at a stage of ripeness desired by the
consumers.

❑ Purpose of the crop- commodities to be processed are harvested at

a certain stage of maturity which might differ from that of
commodities used for table.
❑ For example cucumber for pickling are picked at an earlier stage of growth than
slicing cucumber.
MATURITY INDICES
- signs or indications of the readiness of the plant for harvest
- It is the bases for determining harvest date.

Types of indices
1. Subjective types
2. Objective means
1. Subjective types
– uses the senses, thus can be visual or physical means. Subjective
type indices are easy and inexpensive to apply.

Disadvantage:
a.) it is not accurate enough to set definite standard
b.) It is inconvenient for a large-scale enterprise
c.) It is influenced by growing conditions.
a. Visual – color, size, angularity, change in appearances, presence
of corky spots and the drying of the plant.

Example: Banana- angularity (appearance of angles)

✓ Light three quarters- sharp angles are still present
✓ Light full three quarters or three quarters-fingers are still
angular
✓ Full- when fingers are well rounded

(Angularity is useful for varieties which lose angularity upon maturity

such as Lakatan, Cavendish and Latundan.)
b. Physical means – uses feel, force, sound and smell to determine
maturity

Example: Firmness, ease of separation, eases if being snapped or

broken compactness, exudation of milk when pierced,
sound when tapped and odor
Objective means

- these are measurable indices.

- these include measurement of time, chemical constituents, and
rates of physiological processes, computation and physical
characteristics.
- It is more difficult to determine and more time consuming since
measurements have to be made. However, they provide a more
accurate measure of the readiness of the commodity to be
harvested.
Example of objective means measurable indices

1) Total soluble solid

2.) Titritable acidity
3.) Texture
4.) Oil content
Titritable acidity- measures of the amount of the acid in the fruits; indication
of sourness.
- Determined by titration with sodium hydroxide.

✓ Ratio of TSS to TA is a measure of the blend of sweetness

and sourness; better indicator of flavor then either total
solid or titratable acidity separately.
 Using a refractometer

✓Sugars are the major soluble solids in

fruit juices and therefore soluble solids
can be used as an estimate of sweetness.

✓A hand-held refractometer can be used

outdoors to measure % SSC (equivalent
degrees Brix for sugar solutions) in a
small sample of fruit juice.

Figure 1. A refractometer
 Minimum % SSC
Grape 14-17.5
Mango 10-12
Muskmelon 10
Papaya 11.5
Peach 10
Pear 13
Pineapple 12
Pomegranate 17
Strawberry 7
Watermelon 10

Source: Kader, A.A. 1999. Fruit maturity, ripening and quality relationships. Acta Hort
485:203-208
MATURITY INDICES
OF FRUITS
 Avocado
Fruits are full grown, peel become glossy and on purple
varieties, coloration appears at about 25 % of the fruit
surface
 Banana
Fingers become full or distinct angularity
 Citrus
Color break or yellowing on mandarins, pomelo and
oranges. In calamansi, the fruits should be fully grown but
before yellowing starts
 Durian
❑ Distinctive odors
❑ Gives a particular sound when tapped at the mature stage
 Grapes
❑Full-sized, slight yielding to pressure and change in color
❑Berries also separate easily from the bunch once mature
 Jackfruit
❑Spines are widely spaced, will yield to finger pressure and when tapped should
produced a dull and hollow sound.
❑When odor is perceptible then fruit is already ripe.
 Lanzones
❑ Harvest when the fruit is full yellow without a tinge of green on peel.
❑ The peduncle must be brown in color
 ❑ Fruits with cheeks that are fully developed should sink in
Mango water.
❑ The fruits are mature after 120 days from flower induction
 Mangosteen

❑ Shows patches of red color

Papaya ❑As soon as 10-15% yellow color appears on the fruit surface
Pineapple
❑ The eyes of individual fruits fill
out and yellow color develops at
the base of the fruit
 ❑ 90% of fruit changes to yellow, yellow-red or red
Rambutan depending on the typical color of the variety.

❑ Seechompo rambutan (Thai variety) 124 days from

flowering or 19 days from color break
 ❑ For nearly market 75% surface color pink
Strawberry ❑ For distant markets are harvested with 20-40% red color
MATURITY INDICES OF
VEGETABLES
✓Root bulb and tuber crops
✓Fruit vegetables
✓Leafy vegetables
✓Flower vegetables
 Radish & Carrot
❑ Large enough and crispy (over mature if pithy)
Potato, onion, garlic ❑Tops begin to dry out and topple down
 Cowpea, sitao, snap bean, batao, sweet
pea, sigarillas
❑ Well-filled pods that snap readily
 Okra
❑ Desirable size reached and the tips of which can be snapped readily
 Upo, Patola
❑ Immature (over mature if thumbnail cannot penetrate flesh readily)
Eggplant. Ampalaya, slicing cucumber,chayote
❑ Desirable size reached but still tender
 Sweet corn

❑ Exudes milky sap when

thumbnail penetrate kernel
 Tomato
❑Seeds slip when fruit is cut, or green color turn pinkish

immature green; center is green wrap,

physiologically mature; and on right is mature
red.
Sweet pepper ❑Deep green color turning dull or red
Muskmelon ❑Easily separated from vine with a slight twist leaving clean cavity
Watermelon ❑ Color of lower part turns creamy yellow, dull hollow sound when thumped
 Lettuce, Pechay and mustard
❑Big enough but before flowering unless flowers are desired
 ❑Head compact (over mature if head cracks)
Cabbage
Celery ❑ Big enough but before it becomes pithy
Cauliflower ❑ Curd compact
Brocolli

❑Bud cluster compact

QUIZ BEE
CROPS Maturity Index

1. Banana a. The peduncle must be brown in color

2. Durian b. Tops begin to dry out and topple down

3. Lanzones c. Fingers become full or distinct angularity

4. Papaya d. Seeds slip when fruit is cut, or green color turn pinkish

5. Onion e. Easily separated from vine with a slight twist leaving clean cavity

6. Okra f. Head compact

7. Tomato g. Gives a particular sound when tapped at the mature stage

8. Muskmelon h. Color of lower part turns creamy yellow,

9. Cabbage i. Desirable size reached and the tips of which can be snapped readily

10. Watermelon j. As soon as 10-15% yellow color appears on the fruit surface