From orchard to market: Predicting Staccato sweet cherry quality post-harvest
Introduction
The goal of this study was to determine if growers could use the nutrient values of soil, leaf, and fruitlets to determine whether domestic or international markets would be better suited for their sweet cherry orchard blocks. Fruits that maintain high quality after storage (which is typically 28 days at 0.5 °C) are well suited for export markets and can generate higher revenue for growers. The Okanagan Valley is among the best regions for producing premium sweet cherries. With 7,000+ acres under production, it accounts for close to 100% of Canadian cherry exports and generates well over $100 million in yearly export sales. This region’s reputation as a top cherry producer has led to significant export opportunities, particularly to Asia where demand for high-quality fruit is rapidly growing.
As the overseas demand for sweet cherries grows, improved methods are needed to help growers decide when to sell cherries to domestic versus international markets. Currently, the only method growers can use to predict fruit quality post-storage is measuring fruit quality at harvest. However, fruit quality does not always hold post-storage. The model that is being developed in this study can help growers predict post-storage fruit quality more accurately and earlier on (i.e. weeks before harvest) based on nutrient content.
About this brief
This brief was prepared by Juliana Cao from the BC Food Web team, with the help of Mehdi Sharifi, and is based on the following scientific journal article:
- Sharifi, M., Wolk, W., Vakilian, K. A, Xu, H., Slamka, S., & Fong, K. (2024). Integrating soil, leaf, fruitlet, and fruit nutrients, along with fruit quality, to predict post-storage quality of Staccato sweet cherries. Horticulturae 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10111230.
Key Findings
- Scientists are creating a model that uses nutrient data from soil, leaves, and young fruit (fruitlets) to predict how well cherries will maintain their quality after storage. To see how well the model works, scientists tested its performance using data from soil, leaves, and/or fruitlets. The best predictions come from soil tests taken before fertilization and nutrient measurements from leaves and fruitlets collected 3–4 weeks before harvest.
- Once available, this tool will allow growers to assess post-storage fruit quality earlier in the season. This will help growers decide where to market their fruit and better prepare for domestic or international markets well before harvest.