Monitoring fruit quality and quantity in mangoes

Prof. Kerry B. Walsh, Zhenglin Wang

• Publisher: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781838794538
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Agriculture
• Index: Technology & Engineering

This chapter explores quality of mango from the perspectives of the grower, the packer, the retailer and the consumer. The chapter examines specifications for fruit at harvest maturity and at commercial maturity (eating stage), as well as technologies for monitoring relevant attributes, including machine vision in estimation of canopy flowering, temperature logging for heat sum fruit maturation models and tools for estimation of fruit size, colour and dry matter content. It discusses the importance of dry matter content in an eating quality specification for guiding harvest decisions. It also addresses use of machine vision in the context of estimating fruit number and fruit size in the orchard and estimating surface defects in the packhouse. Finally, the chapter discusses postharvest tools for measuring temperature, colour, firmness and ethylene and CO2 content. The chapter finally includes an example decision support system that uses heat sums and dry matter levels to guide in the decision to harvest.

Table of contents

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Monitoring harvest maturity: making the decision to pick
• 3 Monitoring quantity
• 4 Monitoring ripeness
• 5 Decision support systems
• 6 Future trends and conclusion
• 7 Where to look for further information
• 8 Acknowledgements
• 9 References