Pre-harvesting factors that could affect fruit quality.

Keeping the crops in perfect condition and ensuring that they guarantee an optimal development of agricultural production is necessary to enjoy a good harvest and that it remains in good condition for a longer period of time. In this article, we will review the importance of pre-harvest of different crops to later enjoy an optimal post-harvest.

Why is pre-harvest important to get good crops?

In fruit and vegetable production, quality is a determining factor, since good treatments during the growing period will guarantee good products and, therefore, that they reach consumers in perfect condition.

Fruit quality depends to a great extent on the cultivation and the correct development of the plant. That is, all the aspects that give shape and flavor to the fruit and that determine its quality are imposed from the pre-harvest phase it gets. The different processes applied later allow us to maintain its optimal conservation.

Therefore, it is essential to know the different aspects that can affect the pre-harvest and, eventually, the post-harvest.

What factors of the pre-harvest are decisive in the post-harvest maintenance of fruits?

It is necessary to take into account all the aspects of the pre-harvest that effectively affect the final result of the fruits. In this sense, we can speak of extrinsic, intrinsic, environmental, genetic and physiological factors.

External factors

Extrinsic factors are those external to the plant material itself but that in context affect the product, such as environmental factors and cultivation practices. When we talk about environmental factors we are referring to all those related to the environment in which the fruit is harvested, such as temperature, humidity, weather and the level of solar radiation.

On the other hand, cultivation practices also have a bearing on quality. With this we refer to irrigation and the pattern that is followed, the mineral nutrition of the crops and mowing, as well as the hormonal treatments or the attack of insects and microorganisms on the crops.

Internal factors

The intrinsic factors are those that refer to the characteristics of the fruits and differ between genetic factors (which include the species, the variety of fruit and their particular ripening patterns, and whether they are climacteric or non-climacteric products) and between the state maturity, that is, the time required for harvesting.

Environmental factors

Environmental factors have a strong influence on the quality and nutritional value of fruits. These factors include the amount and intensity of light, the temperatures to which the crops are exposed, or the CO2 content in the environment, among many others.

One of the most important factors is pre-harvest temperatures. Very high temperatures should be avoided, as they directly damage cell membranes and nucleic acids, and can indirectly inhibit pigmentation on some occasions.

Genetic factors

The genome is responsible for the development of the plant and its interrelation with environmental conditions and the external environment. This is appreciated in a very diverse way during the life of the plants and it seems that only 10% of it is needed, so that only a part of this factor will determine the quality of the fruit and for a short period of time.

It is necessary to consider that the genetic variety of the same crop is wide. Hence the importance of varietal selection, since the quality of the fruit depends on its genetic potential, environmental conditions and agricultural cultivation.

Physiological factors

In this case, it is necessary to point out that the ripeness of the fruit itself is essential in its chemical composition and, therefore, in its quality. It is precisely during ripening that different biochemical and structural processes take place, all of which are important in the constitution of the fruit and that it achieves optimal characteristics for human consumption.

The ripening phase is different for climacteric and non-climacteric fruits, since their senescence and aging processes are different.

By Arantza Castro

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