Published issues

2007 to 2024

Volume 34 - Number 83

Year: 2015

Contents: PDF 63.6 KB (74 downloads)

Characteristics of the vegetable retail distribution for different social sectors in Rosario (Santa Fe)

HORTICULTURE | Firpo, I.T. - Rotondo, R. - Mondino, M.C. - Ortiz Mackinson, M. - Grasso, R. - Calani, P. - Trevizan, A.

Tags: Marketing, postharvest technology

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Fresh vegetables are perishable products with post-harvest losses, basically at retail level. The objective was to characterize the vegetable retail distribution, evaluating the use of different practices, for three areas of Rosario city, which differ from the economic point of view. Twenty surveys were conducted in each social sector (high, medium and low), with data provided by the Social Observatory of the Municipality of Rosario. By Chi2 test was de- termined the association between variables and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). In the analysis of differentiation between strata (Chi2) some evaluated items were highlighted. In the area with higher purchasing power: prioritized quality over price (78 %) (P = 0.0004), greater diversity of products for sale (60 %), greater attention to the protection of goods during transport (95 %) exhibited products in conditioned display (30 %) and trays (70 %) possessed worktop with water (35 %), air conditioning (35 %) business area up to 27 m2 (55 %); roof slab (85 %) performed weekly registration (25 %) had between 20 and 40 % losses in lettuce and 10 and 20 % in tomato (P = 0.02), estimated by the retailer, the size of their shops was between smalll and medium (100 %). Areas of medium and low purchasing power had numerous items with common results, highlighting the priority of price or price and quality. The ACM showed that the higher area is associated with the use of classification worktop with water and air conditioning while the lower middle otherwise. It was evident that shops that exhibited in trays were the ones that sprayed and processed, while those who used boxes did not. In general, practices to reduce post-harvest losses are hardly used.

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Commonly ornamental peppers (Capsicum spp.) seeds are pungent, producing nasal and eye irritations to the sower. It is empirically known that milk cut off the burning sensation from hot peppers. The effect of whole milk on the seminal pungency, germination and growth of Capsicum annuum L. AS Selection was tested. The seeds were immersed in milk or distilled water for increasing times: 0 (control), 5, 15, 30 and 60 minutes. After drying for 48 hours, seeds were germinated in dark at 24 °C. There were no significant differences in germination and mean time germination between treatments. Consecutively control, 60 minutes water and 60 minutes milk treatments were evaluated under commercial conditions. Dried seeds from each treatment were sown in 288 cells plugs trays. 35 days after sowing, plants performance was quantified by mean of the yield of transplantable plantlets·tray-1 and the total dry weight·plantlet-1. The immersion did not affect the parameters evaluated. The degree of seminal pungency of each treatment was checked on 30 subjects by gustatory test using classes of similarity regarding sweet pepper seeds. The mode for 60 minutes milk was: VERY SIMILAR; for 60 minutes water: SOME LIKE and for the control: NOTHING LIKE. An appreciable reduction in pungency for seeds immersed in milk was demonstrated, without agronomic damage.

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Damages by sunburn are relevant at the principal apples and pears growing regions around the world. Local assessments indicated losses of export quality apple fruits between 15 and 55 % depending on the variety, during the 2002-03 growing season, determining a substantial decline in both the quantity and quality of exportable and marketable fruit. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of black and crystal hail nets on the percentages and level of sunburn damage, the quality and performance of Chañar 90 and Pink Lady cultivars. The study was performed during two seasons in a plot located at INTA experimental station, in Río Negro province, Argentina. Intensity of solar radiation and temperature as well as fruit temperature were measured in all treatments (black and crystal meshes and control without net). The yield (kg·tree-1), size fruit distribution in different commercial categories, the rate and degree of sunburn (mild and severe) and fruit maturity indices (soluble solids, firmness, starch degradation and percentage coverage) were evaluated at harvest time. The use of black anti-hail nets and crystal in a lesser extent decreased the rate and severity of sunburn in both varieties without affecting the internal parameters of fruits quality. A higher proportion of large fruit in crystal nets was observed in both varieties, while black meshes resulted in a reduction in fruit size only in the Pink Lady cultivar.

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Citrus canker, caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, is an endemic and quarantine disease in northeastern Argentina. Mid-season fruit canker intensity observations (1991-2008) in grapefruit cultivar in Bella Vista (Corrientes), were binary and ordinal categorized. From daily weather elements moisture and temperature variables were calculated in time periods beginning after accumulating 372 degree-days (DD) since 10 July, and fini-shing when the sum reached 985 DD (base Td = 12.5 °C) and from 930 DD to 1175 DD, respectively. The best logistic regression models included the effect of the interaction between DPr (days with precipitation > 12 mm) and DPTxn (days with maximum temperature ≤ 28 °C and minimum ≥ 14 °C ) with prediction accuracies of 94.4 % (binary) and 83.3 % (ordinal). Both logistic models were run in 14 sites of Spain and in Bella Vista, from 1980 to 2008. DPr was the most limiting weather factor for the bacterial expression in the spanish citrus sector, reaching a median value of zero in areas of high production. The temperature factor was clearly favorable for the disease progress. The effect of the interactive component (DPr*DPTxn) reduced dominantly to zero the probability that disease reach moderate to severe levels in Spain, differing with 51.7 % of the years in Bella Vista.