Harvesting

Lesson 1 : Determining Maturity

Indices of Vegetable Crops
Maturity Indices
MATURITY is derived from a Latin
word “maturus” which means ripening.
- is the attainment of the particular size or
stage after which ripening takes place.
Maturity index is an observable
indication or sign that a particular crop
is ready for harvest in terms of size,
color, weight, texture, and shape in
some vegetable crops.
Importance of maturity indices:
• Ensure sensory quality (flavor, color, aroma,
texture) and nutritional quality
• Ensure an adequate postharvest
shelf life
• Facilitate scheduling of harvest and packing
operations
• Facilitate marketing
Types of Maturity
1. Physiological Maturity
2. Commercial Maturity
Types of Maturity
1. Physiological Maturity - The stage in the
growth and development of a crop that marks the
beginning of aging of the tissue.
2. Commercial Maturity -The stage in the
development of a crop in relation to time of
harvest according to use or market demand.
In beans and peas, there are three stages of
maturity as follows:
1. Tender pods – when the product desired is the
tender pods (e.g. pole and bush sitao, snap beans)
2. Tender seed stage –when the product desired is
the tender seeds (e.g. lima beans, cadios)
3. Ripened seed stage –when the product desired is
the ripened seeds which are mainly used as seeds
(e.g. mungbean, cowpea)
Tender pods
Tender seed stage

Ripened seed stage

Maturity Determination
1. Visual Methods
2. Feel Method
3. Chemical Analysis
4. Physical Means
5. Computation Method
 Maturity Determination
1. Visual Methods
 Skin Color - skin color
changes as it ripens or
matures
 Size - The shape of the fruit
can change during
maturation
 Fruit size- Some vegetables
will reach a certain size,
which can be used as index
for optimum time of harvest.
2. Feel Method
This method is done mainly by touch of the
fingers with respect to firmness, crispiness
and sound example, in bottle gourd,
tomatoes, beans and peas.
3. Chemical Analysis -In this method, the
acidity, starch and sugar content are measured.
High sugar content indicates maturity. Acid
content in some fruits falls with maturity, thus,
low acid content indicates maturity.
4. Physical Means
Use of pressure tester – use to measure the
softness of a fruit.
Specific Gravity - in practice, the fruit or
vegetable is weighed in air divided by the
weight in water gives the specific gravity.
5. Computation Method
Days from flowering to harvesting
Days from planting to harvesting
Maturity Indices of
Vegetable Crops
 Crop Maturity Indices
Okra  Reached desirable size and the tips of
which can be snapped readily.
Tomato  Pulp surrounding the seeds is jelly-
like, seeds slip away from the knife
 For long-distance shipment, it is
harvested at mature green stage
 The ripe stage indicates that most of
the surface is pink or red and firm
Eggplant,  Immature (over mature if color dulls
Ampalaya, or changes and seeds are tough)
Chayote
 Crop Maturity Indices
Upo, Patola  Immature (over mature if thumbnail
cannot penetrate flesh readily)
Cowpea,  Well – filled pods that snap readily
sitao, snap
bean, batao,

Sweet pepper  Deep green color turning dull green or

red
Sweet corn  Exudes milky sap when thumbnail
penetrate kernel
 Crop Maturity Indices
Lettuce,  Big enough but before flowering unless
Pechay, Mustard flowers are desired

Cabbage  Head compact (over mature if head

cracks)
Celery  Big enough but before it becomes pithy

Radish,  Large enough and crispy ( over mature

Carrot if pithy)
Potato, Onion,  Tops begin to dry and topple down
Garlic
 Crop Maturity Indices
Yam bean,  Large enough ( over mature if tough
Ginger and fibrous)
Cauliflower,  Curd is compact: absence of florets
Brocolli ( over mature if florets are opened)
Harvesting
The principles of Tender, Love and Care
(TLC) must be observed during harvesting
to avoid damages of the produce.
Preparations Prior to Harvesting
1.Conduct field inspection.
2. Remove obstructions in the field to facilitate
harvesting and avoid damages to the produce.
3. Construct a temporary shed to stack harvests
to prevent from sun scalding.
4. Prepare harvesting tools, collecting baskets
with liners, packaging and other materials used
in harvesting.
Harvesting Tools and Materials
Tools Materials
Pruning shears Collecting baskets with liners
(e.g. newspaper, banana
leaves, rice hay)
Knife Plastic crates with liners
Scissors Wooden crates with liners

Corrugated boxes
Plastic roll bags
Perforated plastic bags
TOOLS
Pruning shears
Knife
Scissors
MATERIALS

Collecting baskets with liners

Plastic crates with liners
Wooden crates with liners
Corrugated boxes
Plastic roll bags
Perforated plastic bags
Principles of TLC
1. Produce/vegetables are living organisms
Handle harvests with extra care
2. Do not toss the fruits
3. Gently lay down the harvests
4. Do not step on the piled produce
5. Do not make the pile too high to avoid
heat up
Importance of Harvesting at Proper
stage of Maturity

To ensure the quality of the produce

To reduce losses
Importance of Stacking and Storing
Vegetable Crops in a Cool and Dry Place
To maintain the freshness of the produce
To prolong the shelf life of harvested vegetable
crops
Good Practices during Harvesting

1. Containers used for collecting

produce
*must be smooth (use of liners)
*must be cleaned
*must not be overfilled
2. Harvested produce
*must not come into contact with oil, chemicals
and dirty surfaces
*must not be dropped
*must be gently transferred to collecting
3. Time of harvest

*During the coolest time of the day when the

physiological activity of fruits is low.
*Must not be harvested when wet, because it
generates heat and decays quickly.
*Harvested produce must be maintained in a cool
and shady area with adequate ventilation
Methods of Harvesting
Vegetable Crops
Manual harvesting
Mechanical harvesting
 Methods of Harvesting Vegetable
Crops
1. Manual harvesting is one of the most
popular methods of harvesting produce.
2. Mechanical harvesting - recommended for
large-scale operations where labor is not
available.
 Reducing Damage to Produce
 Remove protruding nails or staples and smooth
the rough edges on field containers.
 Harvest workers should not have long, sharp
fingernails.
 Use care in dumping products from one container
to another.
 Use padding on all impact areas when possible.
Clean sand and all debris out of all containers.
Do not overfill containers. Severe damage can
result when stacked.
Consider the time of the day of harvest. Many
products are more turgid in the early morning
and bruise more easily.