Preharvest factors affecting appearance

The appearance of fresh fruits and vegetables is a primary criterion in making purchasing decisions. Product appearance is characterized by size, shape, form, color, condition and absence of defects. A wide range of preharvest factors can modulate the appearance of the harvested product. These include: (1) biological factors (pathological, entomological, animal); (2) physiological factors (physiological disorders, nutritional imbalances, maturity); (3) environmental/cultural factors (e.g. climate, weather, soils, water relations, light intensity); (4) mechanical damage; (5) extraneous matter (growing medium, vegetable matter, chemical residues); and (6) genetic variation and aberrations. Creating and/or maintaining production conditions that minimize undesirable product appearance is essential. While field grading during harvest is utilized to eliminate a significant portion of product with substandard appearance, minimizing the occurrence of inferior product can significantly increase net profit. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.