Back to Search Start Over

Quality and Storability of Trellised Greenhouse-Grown, Winter-Harvested, New Sweet Acorn Squash Hybrids

Authors :
Ayobami Adeeko
Fabiola Yudelevich
Ginat Raphael
Lior Avraham
Hana Alon
Merav Zaaroor Presman
Sharon Alkalai-Tuvia
Harry S. Paris
Elazar Fallik
Carmit Ziv
Source :
Agronomy, Vol 10, Iss 9, p 1443 (2020)
Publication Year :
2020
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2020.

Abstract

Acorn squash (Cucurbita pepo) is a familiar fruit vegetable in North America, appreciated for its attractive appearance, good flavor, nutritional content and long storage life. A breeding program in Israel has produced three new acorn squash hybrids of enhanced sweetness and flavor. Presently, we evaluated productivity, quality, and storability of these new cultivars in fall plantings. The plants were grown trellised, in an insect-proof greenhouse, for fruit production during the winter to meet consumer demand. The plants were highly productive and bore fruits of superb quality, but there was a high incidence of fungal rots during postharvest cold storage. Pre-treating the fruits with hot water brushing and rinsing before storage was found effective in reducing rot incidence of the fruits stored at 15 °C, but only for one cultivar. Storing the fruits at 10 °C with reduced humidity (Rh 70%) enabled a 3-month shelf life with significantly reduced fruit-rot incidence and minimal effect on fruit quality of all three cultivars. Storage at 20 °C with reduced humidity was suitable for a 1-month period. These protocols for prolonging storage life will help attain controlled, gradual year-round marketing of quality acorn squash at uniform, reasonable price levels for farmers and consumers, and could facilitate overseas export.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20734395
Volume :
10
Issue :
9
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Agronomy
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.09128e753d4f19bcfb90f49ca761e4
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10091443