Yield, quality and shelf-life of winter squash harvested at different fruit ages

摘要

Two winter squash cultivars, Cucurbita moschata cv. Waltham Butternut and C. maxima cv. Burgess strain Buttercup, were harvested at different developmental stages and their yield, quality and shelf life were determined. The fruit yield of these cultivars decreased with increasing age at harvest and ranged from 36.3 to 51.3 kg/10 m2 in Waltham Butternut and from 19.8 to 29.2 kg/10 m2 in Burgess strain Buttercup. Multiple picking presented no advantage over a single picking at the fully ripe stage. The cultivars differed markedly in their quality characteristics and their postharvest behaviour. Waltham Butternut fruits stored best if harvested during maturation, in contrast to Burgess strain Buttercup fruits, which had the longest shelf life when harvested earlier, just after growth had terminated. Waltham Butternut flesh was sweeter and its orange colour more intense than that of Burgess strain Buttercup. The changes in fruit quality characteristics during storage were similar for both cultivars,but the rates were different. Winter squash fruits should be harvested 3-4 weeks after anthesis to ensure best quality and longest shelf life. When harvested at the proper stage, fruits retained and, in some respect, improved their quality in the first 2-3 months under ventilated and shaded storage, without costly artificial storage facilities.