Blackberries are fruits of great commercial value, but at the same time highly fragile and with reduced shelf-life. Their extreme fragility and susceptibility to mechanical deterioration justifies the need to deepen into technological alternatives that allow prolonging their useful life. The use of edible coatings emerges as a promising alternative to preserve the postharvest quality of blackberries. Natural additives such as antimicrobials, antioxidants, firmness agents or bioactive ingredients can be added into them in order to increase safety and maintain the sensory, nutritional and functional characteristics of minimally processed fruits. The objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of blackberries (Rubus fructicosus var Ouchita) from the first harvest (December) and their behavior during the postharvest, after applying chitosan, alginate and alginate coatings with the addition of vanillin, as an alternative to maintain the quality of the fruits. The first stage of the work was carried out analyzing the fruits at the time of harvest and during 14 days of refrigerated storage without the application of coatings, in order to determine their useful life. In addition, physicochemical and nutritional quality parameters (firmness, soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid retention, total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity) were evaluated at 0, 4, 7, 11 and 14 days of storage. Microbiological quality, sensory acceptability and fungal deterioration were also evaluated. In a second stage of the experimental design, the blackberries were treated with different edible coatings and stored under refrigeration (5ºC) to determine their useful life, performing the previously detailed determinations. The results obtained indicated that active edible coatings could be considered as a potential alternative for postharvest preservation that allows maintaining the quality attributes of blackberries and prolonging their marketing period; however, even more research is required to be able to be transferred to fruit and vegetable producers.

The value losses of cling peaches processed for halves are generated by lower industrial efficiency, by the presence of undesirable attributes, including inadequate maturity level, presence of pit-splitting, and low caliber of units. In order to analyze the effect of fruit size and maturity level on the losses during the pitting and lye peeling, two trials were carried out with Riegels variety peaches. OMIP knife pitters were used, previously separating fruits into three size categories: “small”, “medium” and “large”. The incidence of maturity level in both processes was determined, according to a maturity level grouping: “consistent”, with flesh firmness measured in the fruit cheeks between 7 and 10 Lbf, and “overripe” fruits, with less than 6 Lbf. The percentage losses in the pitting and peeling processes with lye were inversely proportional to the fruit size. During pitting, the overripe fruits suffered greater losses than the consistent ones and in the peeling process with lye, the overripe halves had a greater loss, which was constant, for the three size categories. The results require an exhaustive analysis of the farm-factory interfase and the objective determination of harvest maturity, which mainly defines the quality of raw material and industry efficiency.

The Valle Bonaerense del Río Colorado (VBRC) has proven to be agroclimatically suitable of strawberry production (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.). However, pathogenic soil fungi that affect this crop have been detected in the region, causing reductions in fruit production and plant death. The objective of this work was to evaluate alternative methods to methyl bromide (MB) for soil disinfection in strawberry cultivation and determine their effect on fruit production and plant survival in the VBRC. Three chemical methods were evaluated: the mixture 1,3-dichloropropene+chloropicrin (1,3-D:Pic), metam sodium and the mixture 1,3-D:Pic with subsequent applications of Trichoderma harzianumto the soil. The trial included the cultivars San Andreas and Sweet Ann and lasted two years. The fruit was classified as commercial and non-commercial, the number of dead plants was recorded according to treatments, and weekly monitoring of pests and diseases was carried out. In all treatments with chemical disinfection, plant survival in the second year was higher than soil without disinfection; however, no differences in yield were observed between treatments in either year. Inoculation with T. harzianum did not demonstrate beneficial effects on survival and fruit yield. The chemical methods evaluated, which could replace MB, would be appropriate to achieve greater plant survival in the second year of a biennial strawberry crop in the VBRC.

One of the biggest challenges for the production of bioinputs is that the product is adequately developed. This implies that it contains a sufficient amount of inoculum and that its quality is maintained during storage time. In this sense, the objectives of this work were i) to establish a protocol for the preparation and application of a bioinput based on Trichoderma harzianum and ii) to develop a protocol for family producers on the correct use of the bioinput produced. For the multiplication of T. harzianum, rice grains were used as a solid substrate. Polyethylene bags were prepared with 30 g of rice plus 15 mL of sterile distilled water. The bags were sterilized and seeded with a culture of T. harzianum. The bags were incubated at room temperature for 10 days. Once the rice was colonized, it was dried in an oven at 50° C for 24 h. The quality was evaluated one month, three and six months after the preparation of the solid product. To do this, the concentration of conidia was calculated by counting in the Neubauer chamber and the viability of the product was also calculated by counting colony-forming units of Trichoderma in Trichoderma selective medium culture medium. The results obtained indicate that the concentration of conidia in the solid substrate remains high up to six months of storage. A protocol of use was developed for producers.

Tomato is the highest economic value vegetable and the most cultivated all over the world. The intensification of its cultivation in greenhouses led to a series of phytosanitary problems, the most significant caused by tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta Meyrick). In this work, the presence of T. absoluta was evaluated in three tomato materials grown under a greenhouse and their yields were quantified. The experiment was carried out in the Experimental Field located in the Department of Agricultural Sciences, National University of San Luis. The genotypes used were the hybrid Houdini (ToH) and the varieties Lomitero INTA (ToL) and Cherry Pomodoro Red Bunch (ToCh). They were planted in experimental plots, arranged in a completely randomized design with a density of 3.3 plants/m2. Each plot had 109 plants, of which 10 of each material were monitored, which were selected through systematic sampling and labeled for recognition. Weekly monitoring was carried out to collect performance data, which were statistically analyzed using non parametric methods. As a result of the observations, the presence of T. absoluta was not detected in any of the three tomato materials, so the incidence of the pest was zero. However, given the importance of this information, their productivity was analyzed, with average yields of 3.14 kg/plant for ToH; 0.80 kg/plant for ToL, and 0.79 kg/plant for ToCh. ToH presented the highest yield and constant production over time, so its use could be recommended for the area.