PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE 2-	EFFECT OF HARVESTING DATES, WRAPPING FILM AND STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE (LOCAL CULTIVAR) DURING STORAGE.

Attia, Manal M.; Alian, Fatma S.

doi:10.21608/jpp.2011.85761

PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE 2- EFFECT OF HARVESTING DATES, WRAPPING FILM AND STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE (LOCAL CULTIVAR) DURING STORAGE.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Manal M. Attia ¹
Fatma S. Alian ²

¹ Postharvest and Handling of Vegetable Crops Dept.. Horticulture Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Center, Giza, Egypt.

² Potato and vegetatively propagated crops Dept., Horticulture Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Center, Giza, Egypt.

10.21608/jpp.2011.85761

Abstract

These experiments were carried out during two successive seasons 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 on Jerusalem artichoke local cultivar. Plants were grown at Katatba Menofya Governorate under sandy soil and drip irrigation system. Planting date was 15^th of April and tubers were harvested at 15^thof November and 15^thof December in the two seasons, to study the yield, physical, chemical changes happened in tubers during harvesting date to determine the proper stage of harvesting. Effect of wrapping film and storage temperatures (0 °C, 5 °C and 10 °C) were examined to improve the storability of tubers.
Results indicated that Jerusalem artichoke tubers of Local cultivar harvested on 15^th of November was the proper stage of harvesting which showed the higher tuber weight / plant, total yield, marketable yield, dry matter and inulin percentage. However, tubers harvested on 15^th December was higher in total sugars percent when compared with those were harvested at15^th November.
For the wrapping film, the non perforated polypropylene bags (nppb) treatment was the most effective in reducing weight loss. Weight loss was greater in the unwrapped tubers. Wrapping tubers in perforated polypropylene bags gave the lowest decay incidence and maintained dry matter and inulin content during storage.
Examining of storage temperature, tubers stored at 0 °C showed the lowest loss in weight and decay percentage and holds more dry matter and inulin content comparing with those stored at 5 or 10 °C. Tubers stored at 10 °C gave the highest loss in weight and decay percentage.
Jerusalem artichoke tubers, Local cultivar, harvested on 15^th of November and wrapped with ppb and stored at 0 °C resulted in an important improvement in market quality through reduce decay percentage and hold more dry matter and Inulin content and gave tubers with good appearance for 5 months of storage at 0 °C.