Geomar Galdino da Silva

Qualidade e vida útil pós-colheita de melancia Crimson Sweet, comercializada em Mossoró

The objective of this research was to evaluate the quality and shelf life of Crimson Sweet watermelon marketed in Mossoro-RN. The quality of the fruits was evaluated by locality and fruit size. The large and middle sized watermelons presented better external appearance and higher soluble solids content than those of small size, while those marketed directly upon off loading, presented better appearance and higher firmness. The evaluation of the postharvest shelf life was done with fruits of a commercial plantation in Mossoro-RN. The weight loss was of 3.79%, the pH of the fruits increased from 4.89 to 5.20, the total titrable acidity decreased during storage. The soluble solids content and total soluble sugars did not present correlation with the storage, and the first varied from 7.63 to 9.55%. The reducing sugars presented a slight decrease at the end of the storage. The postharvest shelf life of the fruits was evaluated at 12 days.

Fruit quality of hybrid melons after application of imidacloprid to control whitefly

Com o objetivo de avaliar a qualidade de diferentes hibridos de melao apos a aplicacao do inseticida imidacloprid via fertirrigacao e pulverizacao para o controle da mosca-branca (Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring), foi conduzido um ensaio na regiao agricola de Mossoro-Acu-RN. As caracteristicas avaliadas foram: populacao de insetos, produtividade, firmeza de polpa, solidos soluveis, acidez, pH, acucares totais, redutores e nao redutores. O delineamento experimental foi blocos completos em parcelas subdivididas com quatro repeticoes. As parcelas foram constituidas pelos metodos de aplicacao do inseticida (fertirrigacao, pulverizacao e controle sem aplicacao de inseticidas). As subparcelas foram ocupadas pelos tres hibridos utilizados no experimento (Orange Flesh, AF 682 e Hy-Mark). O metodo de aplicacao do inseticida teve efeito significativo na producao dos hibridos e o conteudo de acucares redutores. Houve aumento na producao do melao de 20,52% (fertirrigacao) e 13,54% (pulverizacao), quando comparados a testemunha.

Postharvest shelf-life of bilimbi fruits (Averrhoa bilimbi L.) under cold storage

Aiming to evaluate the postharvest shelf-life of bilimbi fruits (Averrhoa bilimbi l.) stored under cold storage, bilimbi fruits were harvested in two maturation stages (determined by the peel color) at ten plants in Arez -RN, Brazil, in November 2006 and transported in polystyrene box containing ice´s bag to the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-arido, Mossoro - RN. The fruits were placed in polystyrene trays, packed with PVC film and maintained at 10 ± 1 oC and 95% RH. It was used a completely randomized design in 2 x 6 factorial scheme, which consisted of stadiums (green or yellow) and the period of 0, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 days, respectively. It was evaluated external appearance, soluble solids, flesh firmness, weight loss, pH, titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid and ratio. There was an increase of the weight loss, pH and the ratio and reduction of the content of ascorbic acid, TA and flesh firmness. The postharvest shelf-life of bilimbi fruits was 9 days.