Optimal Harvest Maturity Changes Depending on the Season Throughout the Year in Papaya Grown in Mediterranean Climate-Improved Greenhouses
Papaya is a tropical fruit that is highly appreciated worldwide for its organoleptic properties and its nutritional and medicinal value. The optimal fruit quality for market requirements is determined by genotype, environmental conditions, and crop management, as well as fruit handling at harvest an...
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Horticulturae |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/10/12/1360 |
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| author | Irene Salinas Alicia Carmona Juan José Hueso Virginia Pinillos |
| author_facet | Irene Salinas Alicia Carmona Juan José Hueso Virginia Pinillos |
| author_sort | Irene Salinas |
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| description | Papaya is a tropical fruit that is highly appreciated worldwide for its organoleptic properties and its nutritional and medicinal value. The optimal fruit quality for market requirements is determined by genotype, environmental conditions, and crop management, as well as fruit handling at harvest and adequate postharvest conservation. The aim of this work was to determine the optimal maturity stage, based on skin color, at which to harvest papayas grown in Mediterranean greenhouses with active climate control in south-east Spain, depending on the harvest season. We confirm that it is possible to produce high-quality papayas in our conditions, but the optimal harvest maturity stage in each season, along with the postharvest storage capacity, vary throughout the year, even with active climate control. Thus, 10% yellow skin color (S0) is the optimal for harvesting in autumn, mainly due to its better conservation capacity and firmness, having a high TSS content (>11 °Brix). In summer and spring, the lower TSS content discourages harvesting at S0, with S1 (30–40% yellow skin color) or S2 (50–60% yellow skin color) being the optimal stages for harvest to ensure the minimum TSS content required for papaya commercialization (10 °Brix). In any case, papayas produced under our conditions are generally well rated by consumers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0eceb274ccc34dc48d3c3651bbd06045 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj-art-0eceb274ccc34dc48d3c3651bbd060452025-08-20T02:53:19ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242024-12-011012136010.3390/horticulturae10121360Optimal Harvest Maturity Changes Depending on the Season Throughout the Year in Papaya Grown in Mediterranean Climate-Improved GreenhousesIrene Salinas0Alicia Carmona1Juan José Hueso2Virginia Pinillos3Department of Agronomy, University of Almería, ceiA3, CIAIMBITAL, Ctra. Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120 Almería, SpainDepartment of Agronomy, University of Almería, ceiA3, CIAIMBITAL, Ctra. Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120 Almería, SpainCajamar Experimental Station ‘Las Palmerillas’, Paraje Las Palmerillas 25, El Ejido, 04710 Almería, SpainDepartment of Agronomy, University of Almería, ceiA3, CIAIMBITAL, Ctra. Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120 Almería, SpainPapaya is a tropical fruit that is highly appreciated worldwide for its organoleptic properties and its nutritional and medicinal value. The optimal fruit quality for market requirements is determined by genotype, environmental conditions, and crop management, as well as fruit handling at harvest and adequate postharvest conservation. The aim of this work was to determine the optimal maturity stage, based on skin color, at which to harvest papayas grown in Mediterranean greenhouses with active climate control in south-east Spain, depending on the harvest season. We confirm that it is possible to produce high-quality papayas in our conditions, but the optimal harvest maturity stage in each season, along with the postharvest storage capacity, vary throughout the year, even with active climate control. Thus, 10% yellow skin color (S0) is the optimal for harvesting in autumn, mainly due to its better conservation capacity and firmness, having a high TSS content (>11 °Brix). In summer and spring, the lower TSS content discourages harvesting at S0, with S1 (30–40% yellow skin color) or S2 (50–60% yellow skin color) being the optimal stages for harvest to ensure the minimum TSS content required for papaya commercialization (10 °Brix). In any case, papayas produced under our conditions are generally well rated by consumers.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/10/12/1360<i>Carica papaya</i> L.market requirementsfruit qualitypostharvestsensory analysis |
| spellingShingle | Irene Salinas Alicia Carmona Juan José Hueso Virginia Pinillos Optimal Harvest Maturity Changes Depending on the Season Throughout the Year in Papaya Grown in Mediterranean Climate-Improved Greenhouses Horticulturae <i>Carica papaya</i> L. market requirements fruit quality postharvest sensory analysis |
| title | Optimal Harvest Maturity Changes Depending on the Season Throughout the Year in Papaya Grown in Mediterranean Climate-Improved Greenhouses |
| title_full | Optimal Harvest Maturity Changes Depending on the Season Throughout the Year in Papaya Grown in Mediterranean Climate-Improved Greenhouses |
| title_fullStr | Optimal Harvest Maturity Changes Depending on the Season Throughout the Year in Papaya Grown in Mediterranean Climate-Improved Greenhouses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimal Harvest Maturity Changes Depending on the Season Throughout the Year in Papaya Grown in Mediterranean Climate-Improved Greenhouses |
| title_short | Optimal Harvest Maturity Changes Depending on the Season Throughout the Year in Papaya Grown in Mediterranean Climate-Improved Greenhouses |
| title_sort | optimal harvest maturity changes depending on the season throughout the year in papaya grown in mediterranean climate improved greenhouses |
| topic | <i>Carica papaya</i> L. market requirements fruit quality postharvest sensory analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/10/12/1360 |
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