2. Maturity indices
• Maturity – the condition of a certain
crop that is ready to harvest
• Maturity indices – the observable
indications that a crop can already
be harvested
3. Maturity is the stage at which a crop is
harvestable. Maturity index is an observable
indication or sign that a particular crop is
already matured or ready for harvest. The
following are the maturity indices of vegetable
crops:
Color
Weight
Shape
Size
Texture
Composition
4. Maturity indices of some vegetables
Vegetables Maturity indices
Potatoes Culm should turn yellow and dry out before harvesting.
Skin should not slip from tuber easily. Young tubers have
skin that easily separate from tuber when rubbed.
Cabbage A mature head is compact. If the head is depressed
when pressed with the thumb, it is immature.
Cauliflower
Sweet corn
Curd is compact and creamy-white in color. Curds that
are discolored loose or blemished are over matured.
Kernels are big and exude milky sap when pierced.
When sweet corn is used for young cob corn (or baby
corn) it is harvested 2 days after silk appears for
processing and 3 days for the local market.
5. Maturity indices of some vegetables
Vegetables Maturity indices
Lettuce, Mustard, Pechay The whole plant is harvested when it is well
developed. Leaves are still green and not starting
to turn yellow and tough and the flavor is better.
Sweet pepper Fruits reach full size, firm and of deep color.
Radish Roots are harvested when large and firm but
crispy. Pithy and fibrous roots are over matured.
Tomato For distant markets, fruits are harvested green.
Mature fruits are cream, pink or yellowish green.
To verify whether or not fruits are mature even
when green, take sample and slice it. If the seeds
slip away from the knife and the pulp is jelly, the
fruit is mature green. For nearby market – pink
color starts to show at the bottom end (breaker
stage) or is pink to half ripe or firm ripe.
6. Types of maturity
• Physiological maturity is a stage in the
growth of a crop that marks the beginning
of aging of the tissue. It is generally
referred to as ripening. This can be seen
in the general yellowing and stooping of
plants as in potatoes.
• Commercial maturity is a stage in the
development of a crop in relation to time of
harvest according to use or market
demand.
7. Examples:
• Beans maybe harvested as young pods or
dried beans.
• Pickling cucumbers are harvested very
much younger than the expected maturity.
• In peas, there are three stages of maturity.
• 1. green mature pods – the product desired
are the tender pods.
• 2. tender seeds stage - the product desired
are the tender seeds.
• 3. ripened seed stage - if the product desired
are the ripened seeds which are mainly used
as seeds.
8. Methods of determining maturity
• The index of maturity can be subjective, objective or both
and involves the following methods:
• 1. Visual Method
• Skin color. Matured fruit losses its deep green color
and develop yellow, red or purple color.
• Fruit size and shape. Some vegetables will reach a
certain size which can be used as index for optimum
time for harvest. The pods of peas and snap beans for
example will show prominent seed zones. The presence
of abscission zones between the stem and in some fruits
like tomatoes, peas and snap beans has also been
observed to become prominent at maturity.
9. 2. “Feel” Method. This method is done
mainly by touch of the fingers with respect to
firmness, crispness and sound. For example
matured cabbage heads are considerably
firm when pressed gently with the fingers.
3. Chemical analysis. This is used mainly
for fruits wherein the starch content, sugar
content, acidity and soluble solids/acid ratio
are measured. High sugar content indicates
maturity, acid content in some fruits falls
with maturity, thus, low acid contents
indicates maturity.
10. 4. Physical means
Use of pressure tester. This is used to
measure the softness of a fruit and may
also be applied to snap beans.
Specific gravity determination (floating
method). This is the density of mass divided
by the density of water where the density of
the mass is the weight over its volume.
5. Computation method
Days from planting to harvesting
Days from flowering to harvesting
11. PRACTICE PROPER WAYS OF HARVESTING VEGETABLE CROPS
Harvesting – the process of gathering
or picking of harvestable parts of a
plant
Growing and harvesting vegetables are
the primary responsibilities of farmers who
must necessarily be adept at this special
phase of agriculture. After vegetables reach
harvest maturity, speedy operations are
required by growers, handlers, marketing
specialists, wholesalers and retailers to move
their produce from the farm to the consumer.
13. In order to maintain good quality harvest, the
following preparations before harvesting should
be made.
Conduct an ocular inspection in your
vegetable field to find out whether or not the
vegetables are ready to harvest. See if there are
obstructions in the field that may delay
harvesting. If ever there are obstructions
remove them to facilitate harvesting and also
minimize possible damages to the harvest.
14. In order to maintain good quality harvest, the
following preparations before harvesting
should be made.
Prepare harvesting tools and materials.
Remember that vegetables are perishable
and need not to be exposed to sunlight for a
long time.
15. In large scale, construct temporary shed where to
house your harvest until they are not transported to the
market. Never leave your harvests in an open field.
16. Tools and materials used in
harvesting
• Different crops require different harvesting tools
and materials. The use of appropriate tools and
materials in harvesting will facilitate harvesting
and may help maintain good quality of harvests.
• The following tools could be used in harvesting
vegetable crops:
• Scissors
• Pruning shears
• Knives
17. Various considerations in
harvesting vegetables
1. Harvest the crop at the proper time of
the day. The time of the day when the
vegetables are harvested affects the quality
of the product. For example, sweet corn
should be harvested early in the morning
and late in the afternoon.
18. Various considerations in harvesting
vegetables
For fruit vegetables, harvesting the fruits
earlier or later in the day causes blemishes
which are not observable at harvest but show a
day or more after harvest. This is because the
peel is turgid and the pressure made on the fruit
from pulling the fruit out cause the blemishes.
19. 2. Harvest vegetables at proper maturity. The
most common cause of poor quality of harvest is
harvesting too early or too late. Produce should
be harvested at the proper stage of maturity
considering again the purpose and the desire of
the consumer.
20. Over maturity will take the vegetable
soggy in consistency, fibrous and flat in taste.
It also makes the vegetable subject to fast
internal breakdown during display or storage.
Some vegetables like cucumber, sweet corn, peas,
snap beans and asparagus represent other
vegetables which pass their best edible stage
quickly. Thus, they should be harvested daily or
every other day.
21. 3. Harvested vegetables should not be
allowed in the sun for a long period of
time. Sun exposure can cause injury,
especially to leafy vegetables. Sun exposure
enhances high transpiration in products
resulting to wilting.
• When harvesting tomatoes and pepper, it
is advisable to put them in the shade and
should not be allowed under the blazing
sun to avoid a disorder known as
sunscald.
22. 4. Preventing injury during harvest.
During harvesting, care should be followed to
avoid inflicting injuries to produce. Bruising or
crushing impairs vegetable quality and leads
to disease infection. Jostling the tubers during
harvesting cause unsightly flapping of the skin
(called feathers) in potato. Pick commodity
gently and should be laid down on the
container carefully, not tossed. The filled
container must not be thrown or walked on.
23. Deep piling can cause crushing of the
bottom layers. It can also cause “heat up”
because the heat of respiration can not
escape from the center and bottom of the
pile of vegetables.
Suitable tools and equipment (including
containers) should be on hand. Thus,
there is no substitute for adequate
planning, preparation and organization.
Each of the personnel should know his
job. Impress in them the need for careful
handling of the vegetables
25. Mechanical damages - alterations in the
appearance of a commodity due to careless
harvesting and handling of products such as
abrasions, cuts, bruises and the like.
Abrasion – partial to full separation of the outer
covering of the commodity.
26. Sorting – the process of separating and
grouping of commodities according to a set of
criteria according to as set of criteria recognized
by the industry or consumer.
Grade – the unit of classification
Standard – the quality requirement of each
grade.
Grading – the process of classifying vegetables
according to size, shape, color and appearance
27. Depending on the nature of the
crop, the harvest passes through
one or the other of the following
processes before it is used:
Trimming and cleaning
Sorting and grading
Drying, curing
Storing
28. Handling of Harvest
It is to the advantage of a farmer to know not only
how to grow his crops but also to handle his
harvests properly in order to get the most out of
them. Likewise, consumers in the largest
measure.
29. Handling of Harvest
The primary objective of post-harvest handling is
to maintain vegetable quality. Carelessness at
any phase after harvest can quickly change the
grade of the harvests. Typical quality parameters
include color, firmness, size, shape, flavor, aroma
and freedom from injury and disease.
30. Vegetable quality is most often reduced
by two factors:
• 1. Mechanical injury – Mechanical injuries include cuts,
abrasions, and punctures incurred during harvest and
handling operations and bruises caused by drops or
over-filled containers. These injuries provide entry
points for decay organisms and reduce storage life.
• 2. Poor temperature management - To attain such
quality of vegetables after harvest, they should be
stocked or placed in temporary shed to avoid wilting
and sun-scalding.
• Harvests should not be tossed but should be gently
laid down in containers with liners.
31. Post-harvest losses of vegetable
could be due to causes that are
technological in nature such as
decay, yellowing and wilting, or
non-technological such as lack of
transportation and storage
facilities, adverse weather
conditions, inefficiency of
distribution, and lack of market
demand.
Causes of Post-harvest Losses
32. Causes of Post-harvest Losses
Some of the post-harvest losses of
vegetables are due to changes in the
commodity that are obvious such as
yellowing, softening, rotting and
sprouting, all of which will result in the
direct loss of commercial value of the
vegetable. Such losses usually
contribute considerably to the total
post-harvest losses of the vegetable.
33. Causes of Post-harvest Losses
• Deterioration in texture, flavor and aroma
which affect the quality of the vegetable
may occur. Example of such loss is the
development of pithiness in radish, celery,
and cucumber and the toughening of
beans. These changes are accompanied
by a decrease in the nutritive value of
vegetables. These types of losses are
called physiological losses since they are
caused by changes in physiological
processes.
34. Causes of Post-harvest Losses
• Losses due to rough and careless
picking, packing, loading or unloading
are common. The damages may be in
the form of cuts, punctures, cracks,
splits, changes in form and shape
(distortion) or partial to full separation
of the outer covering (abrasion). An
alteration in the appearance of a
commodity may occur. These types of
damages are called mechanical
damages.
35. Causes of Post-harvest Losses
Usually, rots are the greatest single
cause of loss. However, most micro-
organisms enter through
mechanically damaged tissue.
Weakened tissues caused by natural
(physiological) deterioration are also
very susceptible to microbial attack.
Physiological changes of vegetables
other than wilting that cause
deterioration.
36. Vegetables Signs of Deterioration
Leafy vegetables Yellowing
Cauliflower and broccoli Opening and florets, softening
Sweet corn and young corn cob Loss of sweetness
Okra Softening
Cucumber Yellowing
Beans Toughening, yellowing
Chayote, tomatoes, pepper Seed germination
Asparagus Elongation and feathering
Onions, garlic, sweet potato,
ginger
Sprouting and rooting
Carrot softening
37. Cleaning the Harvest
• Post-harvest operation is done
specifically with celery, green,
onions, radish and carrot. It may be
done with other vegetables especially
those harvested during wet
conditions.
38. Cleaning the Harvest
• The purpose is to expose the whitish
color of roots, remove soil, dirt, spray
or dust residues, refresh the products
and improve the appeal to the
customer.
39. Cleaning the Harvest
Wiping the vegetables with a clean,
dry and soft cloth often gives better
results than washing. This is most
suitable for tomatoes, melons and
other fruit vegetables.
40. Trimming
• Trimming is done mostly to leafy vegetables
such Chinese cabbage, pechay, celery,
broccoli, cabbage, green onions and some
rot crops like carrots and radish. The
purpose is to remove undesirable and ugly
parts such as damaged, discolored,
malformed parts and vegetable parts that can
cause injury to ensure the attractiveness of
the products
41. Trimming
• Trimming also includes the removal of
disease-infected parts to avoid the
spread of the disease during the
transport or storage of the commodity.
• Trimming lessens the expense for
transporting and handling and most
especially improves the appearance or
maintain the good quality of the
products.
42. Sorting and Grading
Sorting is the process of separating
and grouping commodities according
to a set of criteria recognized by the
industry or consumer. The set of
criteria are termed standard.
43. • The grade is the unit of classification
while the standard defines the quality
requirement of each grade. Quality is
usually defined in terms of color, size,
shape, maturity and amount of defects.
In grade, there are usually 1-5 grades.
Fancy, Grade No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 or off-
grade or unclassified. The off-grades
are usually left in the field for the
animals.
44. • Honest grading will pay dividends. Graded
products of good quality often sell better
than poorly graded products. If the products
are intended for export or for processing
plants or for institutional buyers such as
hotels, restaurants and military bases, the
grade standards developed by the Bureau of
the Standards have to be followed. Top
grades (grades 1-2) are sold to these buyers
at a premium price. Lower grades (grades 3-
4) are disposed to public market for
common buyers.
45. Unmarketable vegetables should be
discarded at the farm to avoid
transportation expenses.
Vegetables of poorer quality
should no be mixed with those of
good quality. This will not only
lower the price but will also hasten
deterioration of the good ones.
46. Packing
• This is the practice of putting the
produce to appropriate container before
shipping or storing. This promotes
efficiency and accurately in shipping or
storing.
• Although packing adds additional
expenses to the vegetable grower or
middlemen but it prevents considerable
losses due to bruises and at the same
time maintains the quality and
appearance of the vegetables.
47. It has been observed that the type of container
used may greatly influence product loss during
handling and transport. The best packaging
materials for most vegetables are the crates
(wooden or plastic crates) with lining at the
bottom and inner sides to avoid injury of the
produce. However, in trading, polyethylene
bags are now commonly used for packing
vegetable products. Do not mix different
grades in a container, putting the first class
above and lower class at the bottom of the
container. In doing such, your reputation as a
trader will not be questionable and you will be
patronized again.
48. Curing
• This is a technique of subjecting newly
dug tubers or roots to intermediately high
temperature and high relative humidity to
heal bruised or wounded produce to
prolong storage life. The recommended
temperature range may be from 15-19°C
for tubers, sweet potato roots and onion
bulbs.
49. Transporting
• Transporting refers to the movement of the
harvested vegetables from the farm, sorting or
grading stations, packing house, trading
posts, bus stores, warehouses to the point of
sale.
• More often than not, vegetables are
transported in trucks, passenger jeeps and
buses. In this case, much damage is incurred
by the product. A significant observation in
transporting that should be looked into and
improved is the practice of traders or
merchants in loading packaged vegetables.
50. These are: 1. indiscriminate throwing of
packed vegetables into trucks, jeeps or
buses; 2. tramping of the packs by
people handling the loading job, and 3.
putting heavy packs over smaller ones.
If these can be minimized, a lot of loss
from vegetable damage maybe saved
and the quality of the products will be
preserved.
Transporting
51. Storage
The technique of delaying or postponing
the distribution, movement or sale of
vegetables is by keeping them in
appropriate environment. The purpose is
to control supply, stabilize price and bring
our produce when market price is high.
But this technique is not true to all
vegetable products because there are
several vegetables that are easily
destroyed or perishable that can not be
stored for a long time.
52. MARKET VEGETABLE
PRODUCTS
• Market – a place where people meet to
sell or buy things.
• Marketing – the buying and selling of
goods or the transfer of goods from one
who produces to the one who uses the
goods.
53. Types of market
A market is a place where people meet
to sell or buy things. If the market is
within the town or municipality, it is
called local market. In this type of
market, a farmer can sell his farm
produce directly to the consumers
by bringing their produce to
another town or municipality, this
type of market is called nearby town
market.
54. Marketing involves the methods of
selling farm products. In farmer’s
language, marketing is the bringing
and selling of goods from the
producer to the consumers.
55. From this early form of simple
exchange comes marketing as
we know it today. We can find
this type of people daily not
only in our simple local
markets but also throughout
the world. But where farming
(crops, animals and fish)
predominates, a much wider
market is required.
56. • Leafy vegetables and other perishable
farm products should be marketed or
sold as soon as they are harvested
because of the following reasons:
• they can be sold at a better price in the
market when still fresh or newly
harvested
• leafy vegetables retain higher amounts
of vitamins and minerals when they are
fresh
• fresh leafy vegetables are more
attractive to consumers.
57. Methods of marketing
Marketing is the buying and selling of
goods or the transfer of goods from the
producers to the end users. There are
several methods or systems of selling farm
products. What method/system to use is
mostly of the producer’s personal choice
depending upon what is most convenient
for him. In most cases, this depends upon
the present economic situation of the
farmer/producer. These methods are:
58. • This method of marketing is commonly used by
small-scale growers of farm crops. They sell
directly to the consumers by bringing their
products to the local or nearby public markets.
They are in direct contact with the4 end-users
and know immediately what they want. Since the
farmer does the job of transporting and
marketing his produce from the farm directly to
the consumers, he gets all the profits from his
crops.
1. Retailing directly to
consumers.
59. • However, one disadvantage of this method
is that the farmer devotes more time and
spends more money on transportation in
marketing his own produce; he could use.
Instead, his time and money for improving
his farming management practices.
60. • Some farmers sell their produce to wholesalers
or middlemen who come to the farm, harvest
the crops themselves and sell them to the
market. In the Philippines, we call this
“pakyawan” system of marketing. This method
is advisable when the point of consumption is
far from the point of production. This method
assures the farmer of a ready market and is
relieved of the many risks of losing money
because of shrinkages, damages, changes in
prices and additional costs of transportation.
2. Selling to middlemen or
wholesalers.
61. • However, since the wholesalers are
the ones selling the products direct
to the end-users that farmer gets
only a small share of what the
consumers pay.
62. 3. Selling in the farm.
• This method is commonly practiced by small-
scale farm crop producers and consumers.
Sales are negotiated by sellers and buyers on
face to face and on cash-and-carry basis.
Prices are specified at the time of the sale.
Sales are for immediate deli8very or for
continuous supply over an extended period.
Through this method the farmer is freed from
additional costs of transportation, but it
creates a high risk since the time and method
of harvesting and changes in prices of the
produce are unpredictable.
63. 4. Selling through a contracting
company.
• Information and communication are
important aspects of this method of
marketing. This method brings the
producer into contract with a company
who usually specifies what farm crops the
farmer will raise. Contracts are varied,
from simple, verbal agreements to written
documents specifying in detail the
conditions to be fulfilled by both parties.
64. Usually, in the contract, items such as
the following are specified:
Crops to be planted
Date of planting
Time and method of harvesting
Time of delivery for the continuous
supply of the products agreed upon
Prices for the produce.
65. Through this method of
marketing, the farmer or
producer is assured of a market
for his products; at the same
time, he is relieved of the risks of
marketing and changes in prices.
However, the farmer is deprived
in some instances of a chance to
raise his prices according to the
prevailing prices unless this is
specified in the contract.
66. 5. Selling through cooperatives.
This method of marketing usually
operates at low3 cost so that a
farmer-member gets enough profits
and at the same time, the end-users
get cheaper commodities. Marketing
through cooperatives is carried on
usually in the barrio or town where
farmer-members deliver their produce
at the buying station.
67. • Through this method, the members are
assured of a market of their products
and are relieved of the risks of
marketing operations. The cooperative
marketing method has been proven to
be effective and helpful to producers or
consumers with limited capital.
69. KEEP FARM RECORDS AND
ACCOUNTS
Farm records – written
statements or collection of
facts and figures on a subject
for a definite purpose
Farm accounts – written
financial statements
70. Importance of keeping farm records and
accounts
Financial, farm operation records
and reports are very important in
a business. They enable the
project manager to keep track of
all transactions made by the
enterprise or project. Thus, the
manager has reliable and updated
information on the financial
status of the project.
71. • In collecting data for record keeping,
request the vegetable grower to record
his farm activities and transactions for
a year. Daily recording is ideal but
experience shows that weekly recall
and recording has been found to be
satisfactory.
72. Classification of costs
• Costs in production may be classified into
four major categories:
• 1. Fixed costs – refer to costs incurred
whether or not production takes place. The
fixed costs in vegetable production would
include land tax, government irrigation fee,
and depreciation and interest charges on
equipment such as tractor or irrigation
pump and the maintenance cost of work
animals.
73. 2. Variable costs
.
• refer to costs which vary depending on the
quantities of production. Land rent is a variable
cost if there is shared management. Seeds,
fertilizers, insecticides, and hired labor are also
examples of variable costs. Other variable costs
would include harvesting and threshing,
operating cost for equipment like the tractor and
irrigation pumps and pest control.
74. 3. Cash
• current money in hand or money readily
available. It is the item that most farmers lack,
especially before planting. Farmers resort to
borrowing money from various sources to cover
expenses for crop production. Interest of
borrowed money is considered cash. Hired labor
is classified under cash.
75. 4. Non-cash
• includes interest on operating capital, if the
capital is not borrowed. Likewise, the farmer’s
labor and family labor are non-cash costs.
76. • 1. Variable cost
• a. cash
• seeds
• fertilizers
• pesticides
• hired labor and
equipment
• land preparation
• planting/transplanting
• care of crop
• harvesting &
threshing
• hauling
• b. non-cash
• family labor
• land preparation
• planting/transplanting
• care of crop
• harvesting &
threshing
•
77. • 2. Fixed cost
• a. cash
• irrigation fee
• land tax or land rent
• interest on capital
• b. non-cash
• care of carabao
• care of implements
• depreciation of implements
78. • In computing the net income,
consider the gross income, the cost
of production, and the cost of
marketing. To get the gross income,
multiply the number of kilograms of
your product by the price per kilo.
Determine the total cost of
production; include both fixed and
variable costs. Deduct total cost of
production from gross income to get
net income.
79. Data to be Collected/Recorded
The farmer cooperator has to keep records
and accounts of his enterprise. Farm
records and accounts are written
statements of facts and figures on a subject
for a definite purpose. The data to be
included and the sequencing of the data or
information depend on your purpose. They
may include data on money, dates and
events, or quantities of farm produce.
80. • Examples are
• 1. inventory record
• 2. farm sales
• 3. farm expenses
• Farm accounts are written financial statements.
Examples are:
• 4. fertilizer accounts
• 5. insecticide accounts
81. • Money values are included in these accounts
from purchase records, fertilizer records and
insecticide records.
