Effect of Agronomic Practices on Yield and Quality of Borage at Harvest and During Storage as Minimally-Processed Produce

Agronomy

Claudia Miceli¹  Alessandra Moncada²  Filippo Vetrano²  Fabio D’Anna²  Alessandro Miceli²  Giovanni Iapichino² 

[1] Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Centro di ricerca Difesa e Certificazione, 90121 Palermo, Italy;Dipartimento Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Forestali, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze 4, 90128 Palermo, Italy;

关键词: borago officinalis;    plant density;    mulching;    leafy vegetables;    minimal processing;    nitrate accumulation;    ascorbic acid;    shelf life;   

DOI  :  10.3390/agronomy10020242

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Borage (Borago officinalis L.) is a hairy pubescent herb known throughout the world for its folk medicinal uses, as well as for many culinary uses. There is still little information on the cultivation needs of this species, especially for its use as vegetable crop and as fresh-cut produce. Hence, the aim of the research was to study the effects of agronomic practices on yield and quality of borage and on the storability as minimally-processed product. Two experiments were carried out in two consecutive years in order to evaluate the effect of plant density and plastic mulching on yield and quality of two borage accessions at harvest and during storage as minimally-processed produce for 14 days at 4 °C. The highest plant density (8 plants m²) determined the highest yield of plants and minimally-processed leaves with good quality retention during storage. Mulching had a positive effect on earliness, yield, and shelf life of minimally-processed leaves but also increased nitrate accumulation and reduced ascorbic acid content. Borage plants with lower spacing grown on mulched soil showed the best yield of plants and minimally-processed leaves irrespective of the borage accession tested. Borage plants can be used to produce minimally-processed entire leaves with good quality characteristics.

【 授权许可】

Unknown