GENERAL RULE IN HARVESTING
Answer:
FACTORS AFFECTING HARVEST
Maturity at harvesting is a major element in influencing the compositional quality and storage life of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. With a few exceptions, all fruits attain their best eating quality when completely matured on the tree. However, because they cannot withstand the post-harvest handling system, they are typically picked/plucked when they are mature but not ripe.
1. Harvesting Stage
2. Harvest Season
3. Harvesting Techniques
1. Harvesting stage: harvesting can also have an impact on ultimate quality. For example, if fruits and vegetables are harvested too late or too early in the season, the overall flavor, texture, and color may suffer. Maturity during harvest is thus a critical component in determining the final quality of the crop. Fruit and vegetable harvesting at an immature stage results in both qualitative and quantitative losses. Immature fruits do not ripen regularly, have low nutritious contents, and have a poor taste quality when ripe. Overripe fruits, on the other hand, are prone to turn mushy and mealy with insipid flavor soon after harvest.
Many vegetables, especially leafy vegetables and immature fruit-vegetables (such as cucumbers, green beans, peas, and okras), reach peak eating quality before reaching complete maturity. This frequently results in a delayed harvest and, as a result, low-quality product.
The majority of cut flowers are taken when they are young. Roses are gathered during the tight bud/cracked bud stage as opposed to the half open or full open stage.
2. Harvesting Time: It is best harvesting food while the temperature is mild, as high temperatures induce quick respiration and considerable water loss. Fresh horticulture products should be harvested early in the morning or late in the evening.
The period between harvesting and transportation to a market can also have an impact on the quality of the fruit, vegetable, or flower. Fresh vegetables may lose nutritional value if it is not prepared soon.
3. Harvesting Methods: The harvesting technique (manual versus automated) can also have a substantial influence on the composition and post-harvest quality of fruits and vegetables. Sharp tools, secateurs, harvesters, hand gloves, diggers, vibrators, trimmers, and other similar equipment should always be used to separate the fruits/vegetables/flowers from the mother plant. Mechanical injuries (such as bruises, surface abrasions, and cuts) can hasten the loss of water and vitamin C, making the body more vulnerable to decay-causing microorganisms.
Because shorter stems contain fewer carbohydrate stores, cut flowers with long stems have a longer post-harvest life than cut flowers with short stems. When cutting cut flowers, take care not to crush them and to give them a slant cut. The slant cut allows for the most surface area to absorb water at a quick rate over the vase's life.
Harvesting operations, whether human or automated, have a significant influence on the quality of harvested fruits and vegetables. Proper management practices include choosing the best time to harvest based on product maturity and climatic circumstances, educating and supervising employees, and implementing effective quality control.
Expedited and careful handling, fast chilling after harvest, maintaining optimal temperatures during transportation and storage, and effective decay-control measures are all critical components of good post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables. Regardless of the harvesting method utilized, all of these considerations must be considered. These considerations, however, are more important in the case of mechanically harvesting commodities.
Three generally harvesting methods
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