O vinho fino é aquele produzido com uvas Vitis Vinifera. Um bom vinho deve apresentar um equilíbrio entre as suas características químicas e organolépticas. A uva precisa estar em condições físicas e bioquímicas adequadas para que o vinho resulte em qualidade máxima. O transporte e o tempo de espera para o processamento nas vinícolas constituem-se fatores importantes para a produção de vinhos. O trabalho teve como objetivo identificar o impacto destes fatores na qualidade dos vinhos finos produzidos no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. A metodologia contemplou análises qualitativas e quantitativas realizadas com vinhos tintos e brancos produzidos com uvas nas safras de 2013 e 2014. Foram identificados fatores críticos que devem ser observados durante o transporte e o pré-processamento, os quais são vitais para a manutenção e integridade das uvas. Os resultados revelaram que o transporte e o tempo de espera para o processamento das uvas, modificam as características físico-químicas e sensoriais dos vinhos. As alterações observadas foram de diferentes intensidades em função das safras, da uva (Chardonnay e Merlot), da distância entre o local da colheita e da vinícola, e das temperaturas durante o transporte e o tempo de espera. / The fine wine is the one produced with Vitis Vinifera grape. A good wine must present a balance between chemical and organoleptic characteristics. The grape must be in adequate physical and biochemical conditions for the wine to reach the highest quality. The transport and the waiting time for processing at the wineries are important factors for the production of wines. The study aimed to identify the impact of these factors on the quality of the fine wines produced in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The methodology included the qualitative and quantitative analysis carried out on red and white wines produced with grapes from the 2013 and 2014 harvest. Critical factors that should be observed during transport and pre-processing were identified, which are vital for the maintenance and integrity of the grapes. The results reveal that the transport and waiting time for processing changed the physical, chemical and sensorial characteristics of the wine. These changes were of different intensities depending on the crop, of the grape (Chardonnay and Merlot), the distance between the place of harvest and the winery, and the temperatures during transport and waiting time.

Thesis (MSc .(Plant Production)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Delayed fruit harvest (DFH) or on-tree-fruit storage is a strategy being considered to extend the harvest season of late maturing ‘Reed’ avocado. However, avocado fruit growth beyond physiological maturity is accompanied by alterations in chemical and physical properties. Thus, the study aimed to investigate the effects of delayed harvest on tree productivity, mineral nutrition and post-harvest quality of late maturing ‘Reed’ avocado and further to evaluate the fruit quality response to varying ripening temperature regimes. As treatments, fruit were harvested early, mid and late in the season, with one month apart from each harvest during 2013 and 2014 seasons. Yield and fruit size were recorded at harvest. During each harvest time, two sets of fruit samples were collected to determine the fruit nutritional content while the second set was cold stored at 5.5°C for 28 days. After storage, fruit were ripened at 16, 21 or 25°C and evaluated for post-harvest disorders, pathological diseases and fruit physico-chemical properties. Yield dropped from 42 to 12 kg/tree from early to late harvest during 2013, while treatments showed no effect during 2014. Furthermore, treatments had no effect on fruit size during both seasons. Phosphorus content decreased by 40 and 23% from early to late harvest time during 2013 and 2014 seasons, respectively. Similar decreasing patterns were observed for K, Ca and Mg content. Zinc content remained constant during 2013; however, mid-season fruit maintained higher zinc levels during 2014 season when compared to early and late harvest time. Protein content was constant for early and mid-season fruit but significantly decreased during the late harvest in both seasons. Moisture content decreased from 74.0 to 65.0% from early to late harvest during both seasons. Starch, oil and ash content were high during late harvest time in both seasons; while crude fibre was high during the mid-harvest time when compared with early and late harvest time. Internal chilling injury increased with maturity and ripening temperature. In both seasons, higher temperatures induced higher anthracnose incidences during early and mid-harvest compared with late harvest time. Similarly, vascular browning was high on fruit ripened at 16°C during early and mid-harvest time but decreased on late harvest fruit during 2013. However, low ripening temperatures induced high incidences of vascular browning during 2014 season. Stem-end rot was high on fruit ripened at 16°C than 21 and 25°C during 2014 season. xvi Physico-chemical quality parameters showed similar behaviour in both seasons. Fruit lightness increased with ripening time regardless of ripening temperature during the early harvest, but remained constant during mid and late harvest. Hue angle (h0) and Chroma (C*) values were slightly reduced during ripening. Fruit ripened at 25°C had the highest respiration rate and reached a climacteric peak earlier (day 2) than fruit ripened at 21 and 16°C (day 4). Fruit firmness and weight loss were high and rapid at 25°C followed by 21 and 16°C regardless of the harvest time. Delayed harvest had no effect on yield and fruit size. Generally, nutritional content of avocado fruit increased with fruit maturity. Furthermore, fruit maturity played a major role in the response of fruit to ripening temperature. Higher temperature enhanced fruit ripening, but was conducive for development of post-harvest diseases. Keywords: Harvesting time, nutrition, yield, fruit size, ripening temperature, post-harvest quality

Master of Science / Department of Computing and Information Sciences / Daniel Andresen / This report considers a native Android application called “KSUSoy YieldCalc” that assists in yield estimation of soybean before harvest following conventional approach. Android is one of the most popular installed base of any mobile platform, powering many mobile devices in more than 190 countries for users of diverse economic backgrounds, making it more popular than iOS devices (Android developers n.d.).The project “KSUSoy YieldCalc” adopted the Android platform as its base to serve farmers, agronomists, and consultants and deliver performance to save time and enhance farmers’ their confidence. The native application uses “conventional approach” of estimation of yield for calculations and eliminates the need for having Internet connection to access, thereby increasing the application’s flexibility. The project utilized Android Software Development Kit (SDK) as its development platform with extensive Java and Extensible Markup Language (XML) coding. The Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University (KSU) tested the application with promising results. Dr. Ignacio Ciampitti of the Department of Agronomy at KSU currently demonstrates the application to farmers. User feedback has been very satisfactory to date.

Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Thompson Seedless and Regal Seedless are two white seedless table grape cultivars widely produced in South Africa. Both cultivars are susceptible to berry browning, especially Regal Seedless. Browning leads to annual financial losses for table grape growers. Although a correlation between harvest maturity and the occurrence of browning seems to exist, it is still unclear whether maturity levels are the actual contributing factor. The aim of the study was to establish if harvest maturity and crop load could influence the occurrence of browning of both cultivars. The impact of harvest maturity and crop load on phenolic compound concentration in the berry skin of both cultivars was also investigated. Total external browning of Regal Seedless and Thompson Seedless occurred in much higher percentages than internal browning. Regal Seedless showed a tendency to decreased total external browning with harvest maturity. The main reason for this is that net-like browning, which is the greatest contributor to total external browning, decreased with harvest maturity, in all three seasons. External browning of Thompson Seedless increased with harvest maturity in both seasons. Contact browning was the greatest contributor to total external browning of Thompson Seedless. Crop load did not significantly influence berry browning of Regal Seedless or Thompson Seedless grapes. The flavan-3-ol concentration (catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin B1 and procyanidin B2) in Regal Seedless generally increased with harvest maturity, whereas in Thompson Seedless the general tendency was a decrease in the flavan-3-ol concentration with harvest maturity. The development of phenolic compound concentration with maturity could not be correlated with the occurrence of berry browning. Crop load did not affect flavan-3-ol concentration. When the flavan-3-ol concentration of Regal Seedless and Thompson Seedless were compared at different harvest maturities the concentrations of flavan-3-ols were clearly much higher in the skin of Regal Seedless than in the skin of Thompson Seedless (for both the 2008 & 2009 seasons). Comparison of the browning incidence with harvest maturity for these two cultivars (see above) clearly reveals that external browning of Regal Seedless occurred in much higher percentages than on Thompson Seedless. Regal Seedless had much higher levels of external browning than Thompson Seedless. The concentration of flavan-3-ols in the skin of white seedless cultivars may be an indication of the cultivar’s susceptibility to external browning. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Thompson Seedless en Regal Seedless is twee wit pitlose tafeldruif kultivars wat ekstensief in Suid-Afrika verbou word. Verbruining kan ‘n probleem wees by beide kultivars, spesifiek Regal Seedless. Die faktore wat aanleiding gee tot verbruining is nog nie duidelik bepaal nie. Alhoewel dit lyk of daar ‘n korrelasie tussen rypheidsgraad van die oes en verbruining kan wees is dit steeds onduidelik of oesrypheidsvlakke die werklike oorsaak van verbruining is. Die doel van die studie was om vas te stel of die rypheidsgraad van die oes en oeslading verbruining van beide kultivars kan beïnvloed. Die effek van oes rypheidsgraad en oeslading op konsentrasie van fenoliese verbindings in die korrelskil van beide kultivars is ook ondersoek. Totale eksterne verbruining van Regal Seedless en Thompson Seedless het in baie hoër persentasies voorgekom as interne verbruining. Daar was ‘n tendens by Regal Seedless dat totale eksterne verbruining verminder het soos die oes ryper geraak het as gevolg van netagtige verbruining, wat die grootste bydrae tot totale eksterne verbruining veroorsaak het. Netagtige verbruining se voorkoms het verminder oor al drie seisoene. Eksterne verbruining van Thompson Seedless het toegeneem met oes rypheid in beide seisoene. Kontak verbruining het grootste byrdae gelewer tot totale eksterne verbruining van Thompson Seedless. Oeslading het nie ‘n betekenisvolle invloed op verbruining van Regal Seedless en Thompson Seedless gehad nie. Die flavan-3-ol (katesjien, epikatesjien, prosianidien B1 en prosianidien B2) konsentrasie van Regal Seedless het met oes rypheid toegeneem. By Thompson Seedless was daar ‘n afname in die flavan-3-ol konsentrasie met oes rypheid. Daar was geen korrrelasie tussen die konsentrasie van fenoliese verbinding en die voorkoms van verbruining vir beide kultivars. Oeslading het nie ‘n betekenisvolle effek op die konsentrasie van fenoliese verbindings gehad nie. Vergelyking van die flavan-3-ol konsentrasie van Regal Seedless en Thompson Seedless by verskillende rypheidsgrade wys dat die konsentrasie baie hoër in die korrel skil van Regal Seedless as in die van Thompson Seedless (vir beide 2008 & 2009 seisoene). Die vergelyking van die voorkoms van verbruining met oesrypheid van beide kultivars wys duidelik dat eksterne verbruining van Regal Seedless in baie hoër persentasies voorkom as in Thompson Seedless. Flavan-3-ol konsentrasie in die skil van wit pitlose kultivars kan ‘n aanduiding wees van die kultivar se moontlike risiko vir die voorkoms van eksterne verbruining.

Compared to natural forests, fast-growing plantations of exotic species such as Pinus radiata are often perceived as marginal habitat or unsuitable habitat for most native species. By studying Coleoptera (beetles) in a variety of landscape elements (pasture, native forest and different aged Pinus radiata stands) in a highly modified and fragmented landscape in New Zealand I aimed to determine the value of exotic plantation forests for native biodiversity, and how these species are affected by different sized clearfell harvest areas. Pitfall trap sampling of beetles showed that plantation forest stands can provide suitable complimentary habitat to native forest for many species. Rarefied species richness of Carabidae, Scarabaeidae and Scolytinae was not significantly different between habitats, however, habitat types differed significantly in their beetle community composition. Comparing different production habitats, Pinus radiata stands had a beetle community composition most similar to native forest. However, a small minority of species, e.g., Dichrochile maura, were restricted to native forest habitat highlighting the importance of retaining indigenous ecosystems within plantations. Unlike human modified habitats, native forests did not provide suitable habitat for exotic species. Clearfell harvesting is controversial and its impact on biodiversity is a key constraint for many forest certification programs, such as that administered by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Despite this, no replicated manipulative experimental studies of the impact of different sized clearfell harvest areas on biodiversity have been undertaken at scales relevant to the New Zealand forest industry. One potential model of the impact of different clearfell harvest sizes is the concept of a threshold size. A threshold scenario may occur where clearfell harvest impacts increase at a rate disproportionate to the change in clearfell size over a small range of harvest areas, but impacts remain relatively unchanged either side of the threshold zone. I sampled Coleoptera in experimentally created 0.01, 0.05, 0.5, 5.0, 50 and 500 ha clearfells within Pinus radiata plantations in the central North Island of New Zealand. The wide range of clearfell harvest sizes, including some very small areas, such as 0.01 ha was instigated in an attempt to document potential clearfell harvest size thresholds. Rarefied native beetle species richness was higher in harvest areas compared to adjacent mature plantation stands. The beetle species richness in 5 ha and 500 ha harvest areas was significantly greater species than that in small 0.01 - 0.5 ha harvest areas. Although, the high beetle diversity recorded in 500 ha clearfells should be treated with caution due to confounding spatial autocorrelation. The degree of change in beetle community composition increased with increasing clearfell harvest area. Beetle assemblages in large harvest areas were less similar to their paired adjacent mature forest than smaller harvest areas. Although, constrained multivariate ordination techniques did show a short-term change in beetle species composition between recently clearfelled harvest areas of as little as 0.05 ha and adjacent mature P. radiata stands. The colonisation by open-habitat disturbance-adapted species was a key driver of this change, some species dispersed into clearfelled stands in significant densities within days post-harvest. Overall, there were no distinct short-term trends to the change in species richness as a function of increasing harvest area that would suggest an ecological impact threshold response. If short-term outcomes of clearfell harvesting are ameliorated by successful recolonisation, the long-term spatial arrangement of different aged stands becomes more important for the maintenance of biodiversity at the landscape level than short-term consequences of harvesting. By sampling selected beetle taxa in 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 26 year-old stands, I found that the abundance of seven out of eight of the species selected for analysis recovered to levels similar to those in adjacent mature forest within the timeframe of a single harvest rotation. Individual species utilised different aged stands, indicating different life-history strategies. For example, open-habitat, disturbance-adapted species such as Cicindela tuberculata and Sitona discoideus were prominent in young stands, and forest species such as Pycnomerus sophorae and Paracatops phyllobius were highly abundant in older stands. These alternative life-history strategies highlight the benefits of maintaining a mixture of different aged stands to increase biodiversity at the landscape level. This thesis fills an important gap in our knowledge of biodiversity in production landscapes. I show that plantation forests have value as complimentary habitat to native forest and they make an important contribution to the maintenance of biodiversity at the landscape level. Although clearfell harvesting is a severe disturbance to the forest ecosystem, the long-term recovery of beetle populations suggests that harvesting is not the key limiting factor to the enhancement of biodiversity in the plantation forests studied. This unusual situation is possibly the result of prior land-use history, as many plantations were established on degraded pastoral land, and harvest-sensitive species are unlikely to have survived this initial land-use change. As such, the severity of the long-term impacts of clearfell harvesting on biodiversity are likely to be context specific and will vary accordingly. The importance of spatial heterogeneity of habitat elements, including different aged plantation stands and native forest remnants, needs to be investigated in more detail to determine what limits biodiversity in this plantation landscape. Key points to consider are the proximity to, and proportion of, native forest cover in the landscape and the degree of connectivity among native remnants. It is these landscape-level attributes that may determine biodiversity at a regional scale, and more emphasis should be placed on landscape scale factors and there interaction with stand specific forest management practices. For example, the spatial mosaic of harvesting areas may need to be of a finer-scale when there are fewer native remnants within the landscape.

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