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- Author or Editor: H. T. M. Colwell x
- Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science x
Abstract
An economic model involving simulation methodology was used, in conjunction with data from field experiments, to examine the economic effects of delayed or premature harvest of pickling cucumbers (Cucumis sativa L.) on yield and several measures of size grade distribution. It was shown that, for once-over harvesting of cucumbers, profitability of cucumber production was extremely sensitive to untimely harvesting. Profitability/ha was reduced on average by $1091 and $722 respectively for harvesting 3 days earlier or later than optimum. Harvest criteria which maximized profit were identified for both conventional cucumber production and production based on gynoecious cultivars and treatment with chlorflurenol. Substantial differences in the effect of harvest timing on profitability/ha and in optimum harvest criteria occurred between these production systems. Maximum margins occurred in production methods involving gynoecious cultivars and chlorflurenol when 54.6% of the fruit were classified as grade 1. The comparable value for conventional production methods was 27.3%.
Abstract
Pickling cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) were harvested once-over at 24-hour intervals for periods of from 6-11 days over a 3-year period to study the effect of harvest date on yield, average crop value, and grade distributions, and to identify criteria that could be used to identify optimum harvest date in the field. The relationship between yield (MT/ha) and average crop value ($/MT) was linear (R2>.90) indicating that average crop value would be a satisfactory criterion to indicate optimum harvest date. The relationships between yield and grade 1 and grade 5 cucumbers (% by number and by weight) and grade 4 cucumbers (% by number) were also linear (R2>.68) indicating that these measures of grade distribution could also be used to indicate optimum harvest date. The relationship between yield and % by weight and by number of grade 2 and 3 cucumbers did not follow a consistent pattern and were not considered to be satisfactory indicators of optimum harvest date.