Quality and Storability of Trellised Greenhouse-Grown, Winter-Harvested, New Sweet Acorn Squash Hybrids

Agronomy

Lior Avraham¹  Ayobami Adeeko²  Fabiola Yudelevich²  MeravZaaroor Presman²  Elazar Fallik²  Carmit Ziv²  Ginat Raphael²  Sharon Alkalai-Tuvia²  HarryS. Paris³  Hana Alon⁴ 

[1] Agricultural Extension Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel;Department of Postharvest Science, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Rishon LeZiyyon 7505101, Israel;Newe Ya‘ar Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, P.O. Box 1021, Ramat Yishay 3009500, Israel;Southern Research & Development, Besor Experiment Station, Mobile Post Office Negev 4 85400, Israel;

关键词: Cucurbita pepo;    winter squash;    protected cultivation;    fruit quality;    prolonged storage;    fruit decay;   

DOI  :  10.3390/agronomy10091443

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Acorn squash (Cucurbita pepo) is a familiar fruit vegetable in North America, appreciated for its attractive appearance, good flavor, nutritional content and long storage life. A breeding program in Israel has produced three new acorn squash hybrids of enhanced sweetness and flavor. Presently, we evaluated productivity, quality, and storability of these new cultivars in fall plantings. The plants were grown trellised, in an insect-proof greenhouse, for fruit production during the winter to meet consumer demand. The plants were highly productive and bore fruits of superb quality, but there was a high incidence of fungal rots during postharvest cold storage. Pre-treating the fruits with hot water brushing and rinsing before storage was found effective in reducing rot incidence of the fruits stored at 15 °C, but only for one cultivar. Storing the fruits at 10 °C with reduced humidity (Rh 70%) enabled a 3-month shelf life with significantly reduced fruit-rot incidence and minimal effect on fruit quality of all three cultivars. Storage at 20 °C with reduced humidity was suitable for a 1-month period. These protocols for prolonging storage life will help attain controlled, gradual year-round marketing of quality acorn squash at uniform, reasonable price levels for farmers and consumers, and could facilitate overseas export.

【 授权许可】

Unknown