ISHS Acta Horticulturae 398: Postharvest Physiology of Fruits
CANOPY LIGHT AFFECTS SHELF LIFE OF LONG ENGLISH CUCUMBER |
| Authors: | W.C. Lin, P.A. Jolliffe |
| Keywords: | Long English cucumber, Cucumis sativus, Canopy light, Fruit color, Post-harvest, Shelf life |
| Abstract:
The effects of canopy light intensity and spectral quality on fruit color and shelf life of long English cucumber were studied in a greenhouse. Fruit color was measured nondestructively by video imaging, and shelf life by visual inspection of incipient yellowing. In the summer, filters were used to reduce light intensity or to alter spectral quality. The lower the light intensity incident on a cucumber, the shorter its shelf life was in 13°C storage. Fruit which were wrapped with a red (R) filter were greener than those wrapped with a far-red (FR) filter. In the fall, fruit receiving R-lighting were greener than those receiving FR-lighting. In the winter, when high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting was used to supplement natural daylight, both R- and FR-lighted fruit had similar fruit color and shelf life. In the spring, R-lighted fruit had longer shelf life than FR-lighted fruit, although the fruit color at harvest was similar. The data suggested the importance of an open canopy to quality and shelf life of greenhouse-grown cucumbers. | |
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