Objective: To determine the ideal harvest season of ‘Prata-Anã’ banana bunches by means of physical and chemical analyses of fruit cultivation conditions in the northern state of Minas Gerais. Study Design: The employed experimental design was the completely randomized design was used in a 5x5 factorial scheme, with five bunch ages and five assessment days. Study Location and Duration: The experiment was run in an area with banana trees planted 20 months beforehand, located at Unimontes’s Experimental Farm, at 530 m of altitude, with coordinates being -15°43’46.99” south latitude and -43°19’17.61”west longitude, between April and November 2017. Methodology: The bananas bunches the were marked weekly from April 14 to May 12, and week days were standardized for each marking. Five bunch ages were defined – 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 weeks after inflorescence emission – for harvest. For differentiation of emerged bunches, tapes of different color were used. When the bunches marked in the first week completed 20 weeks, all bunches were harvested, which happened on September 1. After harvested the fruits were subjected to storage in refrigerated chamber at 10°C ± 1°C and relative humidity of 90% +5% for 25 days. After being stored for 25 days, the bananas were taken out of the chamber and exposed to a room temperature of 25°C, which analyzes were performed for 9 days, with a two-day interval in between, simulating the marketing period. The following analyses were carried out: Firmness, peel color, soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, amide, total sugars, reducing sugars and electrolyte extravasation. Results: Lower hue, chroma, soluble solids, titratable acidity, total sugar, reducing sugar and electrolyte extravasation values were found for bananas harvested at 16 weeks. Conclusion: Bunch harvest age had a direct influence on post-harvest quality of bananas ‘Prata-Anã’. Fruits from 16-week bunches were superior in physical and chemical characteristics compared to other ages, meaning a longer post-harvest life.

The low number of ornamental pepper cultivars available in the market, combined with a high demand for this ornamental product, has boosted breeding programs for this crop. The objective was to morphologically characterize, estimating the genetic parameters of the main variables of ornamental importance in an F2 population of pepper (C. annuum). The experiments were conducted in a greenhouse at the experimental area of the State University of Montes Claros, Janaúba campus, MG, Brazil. The accessions Uni01 and Uni07 were used as parents to obtain F1 generations and, subsequently, a F2 population; 333 genotypes from the F2 generation were evaluated using 19 qualitative and five quantitative descriptors correlated to important characteristics for varietal description and ornamental use. Five fruits per plant were used to evaluate fruit characters: mean fruit weight, mean fruit length, mean fruit diameter, mean peduncle length, and mean pericarp thickness. The genetic parameters of quantitative descriptors were estimated using mean square expected values obtained through Anova. The genetic variability found can be explored for most evaluated characteristics. The quantitative descriptors related to fruit characteristics, based on heritability estimates, can be considered for selection.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the effect of hydrothermal treatment applied to banana ‘Prata-Anã’ before refrigerated storage. Study Design: The employed experimental design was the completely randomized type (CRD) and composed of 4 repeats with 4 fruits, in a 5 x 4 +1 factorial scheme, with five storage days (days 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) at 25°C after removal from the refrigerated chamber, four immersion temperatures and one control (fruits without hydrothermal treatment). Study Location and Duration: The experiment was conducted in the Post-Harvest Physiology Laboratory of the State University of Montes Claros between March and June 2017. Methodology: The bananas were harvested and separated into 4-fruit bouquets, which were immersed in water at 50, 52, 54 and 56°C for 2 minutes; fruits without hydrothermal treatment were used as control. Each bouquet was placed in polyolefin membrane packs that were then contained in boxes and stored in chambers at 10oC and RH of 80% for 25 days. After the 25 days, the fruits were taken out of the chamber and stored at 25oC. During the 25oC storage, physical and chemical analyses were performed. Results: On the day of removal from the refrigerated chamber, all bananas, regardless of treatment, presented a yellowish color. The temperature of 56oC resulted in greater fresh mass loss and higher solute extravasation values. Lower chilling index values and higher vitamin C values were found as the immersion temperature increased. Conclusion: The full ripening process of banana ‘Prata-Anã’ occurred after removal from the refrigerated chamber in all hydrothermal treatments and with lower chilling index values.