Minimising post-harvest losses in radishes through an understanding of pre and post-harvest factors that influence root splitting
Lockley, R.A. (2016) Minimising post-harvest losses in radishes through an understanding of pre and post-harvest factors that influence root splitting. Doctoral thesis, Harper Adams University.
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Abstract
Radish splitting reduces marketable yield and increases production costs . Minimising losses may be possible through identification of factors affecting splitting. Splitti ng occurs d uring growth (growth splits) and post - harvest (harvest splits). G rowth splitting was shown to be affected by cultivar and periderm thickness, split radishes tended to have thicker periderm s . Growth splitting was also affected by irrigation; grea ter v olumetric water content resulted in more split radishes. T his may have been due to increased turgor pressure from greater hypocotyl water uptake . Radishes were particularly sensitive to increased substrate VWC at Growth Stage 41, defined as the point when the periderm becomes the hypocotyl surface. R adish development stages were develop ed following the Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt and CHemical industry ( BBCH ) scale . This suggests irrigation management could reduce growth splits, however c onsistent control of soil moisture may be difficult in field - grown crops and m anipulating p ost - harvest conditions may be more achievable . R adishes with different hypocotyl water content ( WC ) were tested for susceptibility to harvest splitting as a result of mechanical damage . H ypocotyl WC was negatively correlated with compression and puncture failure force and more radishes split as a result of impact at higher hypocotyl WC . H ypocotyl WC and r elative WC were correlated with water pressure leading to the c onclusion that greater turgor pressure within the hypocotyl resulted in the radishes being more susceptible to splitting. R adishes were also shown to be increasingly susceptible to splitting withec reasing temperature . Again, th is was thought to be as a r esult of turgor pressure ; the cytoplasm and cell wall may contract more than the vacuole at low temperatures resulting in increased pressure . The mode of failure was shown to be plasmoptysis, i ncreasing turgor pressure increases susceptibility to plasmopty sis . In conclusion, susceptibility to splitting could be reduced by decreasing post - harvest hypoc otyl turgor pressure. T herefore, using current commercial production methods it is more feasible to minimise harvest splitting than grow th splitting .
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
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| Divisions: | Crop and Environment Sciences (to 31.07.20) |
| Depositing User: | Ms Kath Osborn |
| Date Deposited: | 22 Aug 2018 15:10 |
| Last Modified: | 22 Aug 2018 15:10 |
| URI: | https://hau.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/17320 |
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