Participatory Approach to Optimizing Cabbage Fertilization System for Improved Yield, Quality and Shelf Life

Cabbage fertilization system was optimized following the participatory approach by factoring in farmers’ practices, conducting optimization trials on farmers’ field, and employing farmer-researcher co-management of on-farm trials. Five different rates of fertilizer application were documented in the survey of farmers in a vegetable-growing area in Central Philippines. They served as basis for the fertilizer treatments (2 organic fertilizer levels using chicken dung or CD and 5 inorganic fertilizer levels using complete fertilizer 14-14-14 and urea 46-0-0) tested in on-farm trials in the dry season (December to May) and wet season (June to November). Other cultural practices were those employed by farmers with some good practices introduced. Optimum fertilization rate was 2.3 tons CD/ha + 112-47-47 (336 kg 14-14-14 and 141 kg 46-0-0 per hectare) for both dry and wet season crops, giving yields of 29.5 and 10.7 tons/ha, respectively, with net profit-cost ratio of 4.41 and 2.14, respectively, or more than 2-3 times higher than that of unfertilized crops. In addition, the heads produced were flatter and more compact and had longer shelf life due to lower weight loss and trimming loss, particularly for dry-season crop, compared to other fertilizer treatments. The participatory approach equipped farmers with first-hand knowledge and skills on how to improve existing cultural practices to generate high quality yields and farm profits

Effects of Packaging Systems on Eggplant Quality during Transport

Eggplants (Solanum melongena) are extremely predisposed to injury during haulage, which considerably diminishes fruit value. The study aimed to develop packaging systems to maintain the market quality of ‘Morena’ eggplant during transport along the market continuum. A 6 × 2 factorial in completely randomized design was laid out using freshly harvested eggplant. Fruits with uniform maturity and size and were damage free were procured from Brgy. Butigan, Baybay, Leyte. Fruits were packed using six types of containers, namely, rattan basket, plastic crate, polyethylene plastic bag, and styrofoam cooler in which both rattan basket and plastic crates were with and without banana leaves as liners. Fruits were arranged together following the conventional practice of product loading by the traders. After transport, fruits from the different containers were stored in ambient (25–30 °C) or refrigerated (8– 10 °C) conditions at a postharvest technology laboratory wherein storage behavior was monitored and evaluated. The results revealed that chemical quality attributes were not significantly affected by the kind of packing materials used. Quantitative physico-chemical attributes were affected by the type of storage condition. Storing the fruits at refrigerated condition prolonged the shelf life up to 8–10 days. The results provide valuable information for establishing a better transport scheme that could be utilized in both domestic and export markets

Postharvest Quality of Wood Vinegar–Treated Eggplants under Various Storage Conditions

Wood vinegar (pyroligneous acid or pyrolysis oil) is a liquid produced by means of natural carbonization from available plant refuse. It has been reported to have numerous potential benefits both to agriculture and human health and to enhance harvest and postharvest quality of various fruits and vegetables. In this study, evaluation of the effects of wood vinegar and storage conditions to enhance the postharvest quality of ‘Morena’ eggplant was evaluated. A 2 × 3 factorial experiment was laid out in completely randomized design with six treatments and three replications and each replication having 30 fruit samples. The highly perishable eggplant was treated with wood vinegar (10%) from citrus tree refuse as postharvest dip, while tap water served as control, for 2 minutes before storage at ambient (25–28 °C), refrigerated (7–10 °C), or evaporative cooling box-type (18–21 °C) condition with a relative humidity of 66%, 76%, and 96%, respectively. Samples were stored for a week. Results revealed that eggplants treated with 10% wood vinegar did not differ in terms of percent weight loss, shelf life (days), total soluble solids (°Brix), and titratable acidity (% malic acid) relative to the control. For storage conditions, ambient condition displayed the highest total soluble solids and percent weight loss. Titratable acidity and shelf life were not significantly affected among storage treatments, which ranged from 0.17% to 0.21% and 4.5 to 7.1 days, respectively. Chilling injury was evident on the eggplants in evaporative cooling condition. The preliminary results could serve as basis for further intervention studies to enhance the quality of eggplant

Fruit Quality of Grafted Bitter Melon with Different Sponge Gourd Rootstocks Stored Under Evaporative Cooling Conditions

Evaporative cooling helps maintain quality of produce over a longer period of time. This condition slows metabolic processes and inhibits undesirable changes in quality due to biotic and abiotic factors. The study determined the fruit quality of bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) grafted with sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica L.) held at evaporative cooling condition (25–27 °C) with a relative humidity ranging from 85% to 96%. Bitter melon var. Galaxy was grafted to different sponge gourd rootstocks before establishment and regular maintenance in the field. Hybrid sponge gourd var. Mutya, open-pollinated variety (var. Esmeralda), and Bureau of Plant Industry bacterial wilt–resistant sponge gourd (BPI BW-resistant var.) were utilized as rootstocks. Nongrafted bitter melon served as the control. Commercially mature fruit samples were then harvested and brought to the laboratory for quality assessment and monitoring. A completely randomized design was used and treatments were replicated thrice. Results revealed that nongrafted bitter melon samples had higher weight loss and lower visual quality rating compared to the grafted sample fruits. Disease incidence and color change were also higher for the nongrafted bitter melon compared to the grafted bitter melon sample fruits suggesting reduced bacterial wilt activity resulting to better quality after storage. Bitter melon grafted into hybrid sponge gourd rootstock (var. Mutya) revealed the longest shelf life of 6 days. The shelf lives of OPV var. Esmeralda (5.57 days) and BPI BW-resistant var. (5.43 days) were comparable with hybrid sponge gourd var. Mutya. However, hybrid sponge gourd var. Mutya had significantly longer shelf life compared to the nongrafted bitter melon (4.33 days). The results could greatly contribute to addressing food security issues, which are often encountered during production