Global food security for the increasing world population not only requires increased sustainable production of food but a significant reduction in pre- and post-harvest waste. The timing of when a fruit is harvested is critical for reducing waste along the supply chain and increasing fruit quality for consumers. The early in-field assessment of fruit ripeness and prediction of the harvest date and yield by non-destructive technologies have the potential to revolutionize farming practices and enable the consumer to eat the tastiest and freshest fruit possible. A variety of non-destructive techniques have been applied to estimate the ripeness or maturity but not all of them are applicable for in situ (field or glasshouse) assessment. This review focuses on the non-destructive methods which are promising for, or have already been applied to, the pre-harvest in-field measurements including colorimetry, visible imaging, spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging. Machine learning and regression models used in assessing ripeness are also discussed.

Global food security for the increasing world population not only requires increased 8 sustainable production of food but a significant reduction in pre-and post-harvest waste. The 9 timing of when a fruit is harvested is critical for reducing waste along the supply chain and

. 2003. Second-crop N fertilization improves lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) production. Can. J. Plant Sci. 83: 149-155. Most commercial blueberry growers follow a 2-yr pruning cycle because second-crop yield in a 3-yr cycle is usually too low for an economical harvest. Research was conducted to determine the extent to which second-crop production could be increased by applying fertilizer in the second-crop year. Treatments, consisting of factorial combinations of N (0, 60 kg ha -1 ), P (0, 26 kg ha -1 ), and K (0, 50 kg ha -1 ), were studied over two 3-yr burn-pruning cycles on a natural lowbush blueberry stand. Treatments were applied prior to, or shortly after, flower buds started to swell in the spring of the second-crop year. Nitrogen increased ripe fruit yield by 65% (3410 vs. 2070 kg ha -1 ) when compared with plots not previously fertilized with N, and by 43% (3410 vs. 2380 kg ha -1 ) when compared with plots previously fertilized with N. These results indicate that N might make the second crop economical to harvest. Phosphorus did not significantly affect yield, but K applied in combination with N in the second-crop year negatively affected production and Mg uptake. The increase in yield by N was due to more ripe berries resulting from a higher total (ripe + unripe) number of berries and hastened maturity that increased the percentage of ripe fruit. Reduced fruit abortion is suspected to be the reason for higher berry numbers. In contrast, the negative response to K applications with N was due to reduced total berry numbers. La majorité des producteurs commerciaux de bleuets taillent les arbustes aux deux ans, parce que, sur un cycle triennal, la production est habituellement trop faible pour être rentable la deuxième année. Les auteurs ont effectué des recherches pour déterminer dans quelle mesure l'application d'un engrais la deuxième année augmenterait la production. Les amendements consistaient en un mélange factoriel de N (0 et 60 kg par hectare), de P (0 et 26 kg par hectare) et de K (0 et 50 kg par hectare) et ont été étudiés pendant deux cycles triennal de brûlis-élagage, sur un peuplement naturel de bleuets nains. Les traitements ont été appliqués avant le gonflement des bourgeons floraux au printemps de la deuxième année, ou peu après. L'azote augmente le rendement en fruits mûrs de 65 % (3 410 kg par hectare contre 2 070), comparativement aux parcelles qui n'avaient jamais reçu d'engrais azoté, et de 43 % (3 410 kg par hectare contre 2 380), comparativement à celles bonifiées antérieurement. Ces résultats indiquent que l'azote pourrait rentabiliser la récolte la deuxième année. Le phosphore ne modifie pas le rendement de manière sensible, mais le potassium a une incidence néfaste sur la production et l'absorption de magnésium, quand il accompagne l'azote la deuxième année. L'accroissement du rendement résul-tant de l'amendement azoté s'explique par la plus grande proportion de baies mûres récoltées (sur le total de fruits mûrs et verts) et par la plus grande précocité, qui a ...