Search Results
Effect of furrow and drip irrigation 1-, 2-, or 4-days after all plots had been watered 8-days before harvest, on postharvest quality, was studied two years. Years had no effect nor was fruit firmness affected by water method or timing. Regardless of method, water 4-days before harvest produced fruit with significantly the lowest % sol. solids (10.8% vs. 12.2%), the greatest vol. (16.1 vs. 15.1 cm3×102) and the greatest % moisture (88.5% vs. 87.4%) vs. no water after 8-days before harvest. Water 1- or 2-days before harvest produced fruit with variable quality differences vs. no water after 8-days. Drip watering 4-days before harvest vs. no water after 8-days, negatively affected sensory attributes with preference panelists rating lower for sweetness and overall fruit quality. Furrow watering produced fruit with inconclusive sensory ratings.
Abstract
Humans have been struggling with the plant environment since they started sowing seeds and cultivating vegetation for food. Early attempts were primarily to keep the plants alive. As time passed, trial and error showed that certain conditions favored growth and production. With this knowledge came cultural practices for each species, which were often mixtures of folklore, superstition and fact. Many of these early growing methods have been passed down to recent times.
Abstract
Seed of 11 phenotypes of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were germinated in petri dishes at a constant 25, 30, 35, or 40C or at 12-hr alternating temperatures of 40/25, 40/30, and 40/35C. At constant high temperatures, the greatest differences between phenotypes occurred at 35C, based on percentage germination, but at 30C, based on germination rates. Phenotypes that germinated best at a constant 40C were ‘Nema 1200’, P28693, and ‘UC-82-L’. Phenotypes that germinated best at 40/25C were P28693, P28793, and ‘UC-82-L’. Germination increased greatly when temperatures were lowered by 10 to 15C for 12 hr per 24 hr, compared to a constant 40C. Tetrazolium tests showed that a high percentage of seeds that had not germinated after 14 days of imbibition at 35 or 40C was still viable, whereas, at the lower temperatures, fewer nongerminated seeds were viable.