Effects of Machine-Harvest Interval on Fruit Quality of Fresh Market Northern Highbush Blueberry

Author:

Cai Yixin,Takeda Fumiomi,Foote Brian,DeVetter Lisa WaskoORCID

Abstract

Machine harvesting blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) alleviates labor costs and shortages but can reduce fruit quality. Installation of softer catching surfaces inside modified over-the-row harvesters (modified OTR) and adjusting harvest intervals may improve fruit quality and packout. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of harvest interval on fruit quality of fresh market northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) harvested using a modified OTR. ‘Liberty’ blueberry bushes were harvested by hand or using a modified OTR at 3-, 10-, and 14-day intervals in 2019 and at 7-, 11-, and 14-day intervals in 2020. Hand-harvested ‘Liberty’ had greater packout and firmness than machine-harvested fruit. Machine harvesting at the 3-day interval in 2019, and the 14-day interval in 2020 reduced packout from 70–80% to 60% and 54%, respectively. In 2019, machine harvesting at a 3-day interval overall resulted in fruit with greater firmness, higher titratable acidity (TA), and lower total soluble solids (TSS) and SS/TA, compared to other harvest intervals. In 2020, the 7-day machine-harvest interval had a greater TA and lower TSS/TA, compared to the 11- and 14-day intervals. Overall, modified OTR machine-harvest intervals can be extended to 10–11 days for fresh market northern highbush cultivars such as ‘Liberty’ grown in northwest Washington.

Funder

Washington State Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Horticulture,Plant Science

Reference38 articles.

1. United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Services (USDA NASS) https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/zs25x846c/sf269213r/6t054c23t/ncit0521.pdf

2. Blueberry Production Trends in North America, 1992 to 2003, and Predictions for Growth

3. Washington State’s Agricultural Labor Shortage. Washington Policy Center https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/washington-states-agricultural-labor-shortage

4. The Economic Feasibility of Adopting Mechanical Harvesters by the Highbush Blueberry Industry

5. Blueberry Producers’ Attitudes toward Harvest Mechanization for Fresh Market

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