Rice seed germination and vigor are vital qualities to improve seedling growth and eventual yield. This study determined the effects of different hydropriming (0, 6, 12, or 18 h) and storage duration (0, 1, 2, and 3 mo) on the seed germination properties and seedling vigor of three irrigated varieties ‘Angelica’, ‘Tubigan 14’, ‘Tubigan 24’, and a rainfed variety ‘Sahod Ulan 9’. The seed quality and germination responses after hydropriming were evaluated every month during storage in ambient conditions (28 ± 2 °C; 85 ± 5% RH) for 3 mo. ‘Sahod Ulan 9’ showed tolerance to low moisture content (MC), higher germination percentage (GP) and germination index (GI), plus faster mean germination time (MGT) and days to radicle emergence (DRE); it also produced seedlings with longer shoots compared to ‘Angelica’, ‘Tubigan 14’, ‘Tubigan 24’. On the other hand, the irrigated varieties showed a higher seed vigor index (SVI) because of their high GP plus longer roots and seedlings. Hydropriming seeds for 6 or 12 h maintained a lower MC, which resulted in higher GP, GI, and SVI; fastest MGT and DRE; and longer shoot, root, and seedling. This study suggests that hydropriming rice seeds of these varieties for 6 h is sufficient to improve germination and vigor. The results suggest that hydropriming rice seeds for 6 h is sufficient to boost the rice germination and vigor of the four rice varieties tested, especially ‘Sahod Ulan 9’. Storage in ambient room conditions is suggested to be limited to only 1 mo after hydropriming as the germination responses decline thereafter. Moreover, the interaction effects of genotype, hydropriming duration, and storage time were found in GP; GI; DRE; root, shoot, and seedling lengths; and SVI.

The load of pesticide residues in fresh produce poses risks to food safety and human health. The reduction of pesticide residues on 'Super Hot' red chilis was determined using various washing agents. Freshly-harvested red chilis were exogenously applied with 100 μL L–1 chlorpyrifos for 5 min and air-dried overnight. Fresh chilis were washed with distilled water, 0.1% CH3COOH, 0.001% KMnO4, 1.0% NaCl, 0.1% NaHCO3, or 0.02% NaOCl for 20 min and stored in ambient room conditions (31 ± 1 °C and 65 ± 11% RH) for 4 d. In another experiment, chilis were washed with distilled water, 0.001% KMnO4 or 0.1% NaHCO3, and dried in a hot air oven at 50 °C for 24 h. Thereafter, the pesticide residues and quality of fresh and dried chilis were evaluated. The fruit washed with 0.001% KMnO4 had the lowest toxicity of chlorpyrifos. In terms of quality, fresh chili washed with NaOCl, NaHCO3, and KMnO4 had lower weight loss, better visual quality, and less shriveling. The use of 1% NaCl promoted decay. All washing agents did not affect the firmness and surface color of fresh chili. Drying itself reduced the degree of toxicity of pesticide residues whether it was washed with the washing agents or unwashed. Chilis washed with either distilled water or NaHCO3 and then dried resulted in a higher extractable color and lower occurrence of non-enzymatic browning. The use of 0.001% KMnO4 as a washing agent for 20 min can best reduce residues from chlorpyrifos applied 4 d earlier in fresh chili, and hot air oven-drying was able to reduce the residues further.

Poor handling results in bruising which translates into losses for the Philippine 'Carabao' mango fruit industry. This study determined bruise injury in 'Carabao' fruit as affected by harvest method, dropping from heights of up to 5 m, and interaction of ripeness stage [viz. mature green (MG), more yellow than green (MYG), and fully yellow (FY)] and dropping from 0.5 m up to 1.5 m. Mangoes harvested carefully or by the conventional method consistently had better visual quality at harvest and a lower degree of anthracnose and stem-end rot at the table ripe (TR) stage than those that were dropped. As the drop height increased, cracked fruit, weight loss, and bruised flesh also increased in terms of incidence and severity. There was a positive correlation between the kinetic energy at impact and bruised flesh (y = 2.63x + 20.52, R2 = 0.26, P = 0.02). Retention of green color on the bruised skin surface was evident on mangoes dropped at the MG stage. Subtending bruised flesh was characterized by a white mass of unhydrolyzed starch. Fruit dropped at the MYG stage had soft and opaque bruised flesh. Those dropped at the FY stage had transparent jelly-like bruised flesh beneath the impact site. This study on 'Carabao' mango fruit illustrates that the extent of damage appeared throughout the ripe stage, especially if the fruit does not sustain a crack when dropped. The serial symptomology could be gainfully used in quality assessments in the supply chain to help identify the maturity stages at which these damages occur. This also highlights the importance of avoiding physical damage at harvest and when the fruit progress through ripening.

1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) was tested on ‘Carabao’ mango harvested at 105 days after flower induction. Mature green mangoes of uniform quality were sanitized with 200 µL L-1 NaOCl, air dried, and packed inside newspaper-lined bamboo baskets, then treated with different concentrations of 1-MCP (0, 1, 10, and 140 µL L-1) in sachets (EthylBloc™) for 24 h under ambient room conditions (27.1±2.0 °C; 87.0±8.6% RH). After treatment, the mangoes were stored in a cold room (19.0±1.2 °C, 90.7±9.3% RH) and evaluated for ten days for weight loss, firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), visual quality, stem-end rot, anthracnose, and peel color (subjective index; L*, a*, b*, chroma, and h°). Results showed that 140 µL L-1 1-MCP was able to maintain firmness and low TSS of the fruit for six days after treatment. Mango fruit treated with 1-MCP also had a better visual quality than the untreated samples until six days. 1-MCP was not able to slow down the peel color changes of the fruit but maintained the skin lightness (L*) particularly by 10 µL L-1 1-MCP for six days. 1-MCP did not affect the fruit weight loss and occurrence of latent infection such as stem-end rot and anthracnose.