New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts
Spear height at harvest influences postharvest quality of asparagus
(Asparagus officinalis)
R. E. LILL
W. M. BORST
New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food
Research Limited
Private Bag 11 600
Palmerston North, New Zealand
email: lillr@crop.cri.nz
Abstract Asparagus (
Asparagus officinalis L
.)
spears harvested at intervals during a 24-h cycle exhibited a clear diurnal
pattern in postharvest shelf-life, with spears harvested at 0200 h lasting
1.1 days longer at 20deg.C than spears harvested at 1400 h. Susceptibility
to tip rot did not appear to fluctuate with harvest time during the day, but
was clearly influenced by time of season. Early season harvests were less
susceptible to tip rot, and short spears (50 mm) were less susceptible
than tall spears (250 mm). Tall spears had lower levels of soluble
carbohydrate, and much greater proportions of axillary bud tissue than short
spears. First signs of tissue damage during tip rot development were observed
in floral buds with collapse of the generative tissue. As damage increased,
bracts, then vegetative buds, and the main stem axis were affected. Microbial
growth developed on the surface of damaged tissue. Starch grains present in the
stem axis or pith tissue disappeared within a day of harvest, but starch
localised in a distinct band eight cells in from the cuticle remained until Day
5 after harvest. The postharvest management of longer grades of asparagus
spears will be more difficult than shorter grades, and spears harvested in cool
conditions will be higher quality than spears harvested in warm conditions.
Keywords asparagus; Asparagus officinalis; tip rot;
postharvest; spear quality
H01010
Received 12 March 2001; accepted 28 June 2001
New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2001, Vol. 29:
187-194
0014-0671/01/2903-0187 $7.00 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand
2001
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1041K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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