Fruit Maturity sensor to support high quality
seed production
Fytagoras: introduction of a new Fruit Maturity sensor to support high quality seed production.
The sensor delivers quick, objective and non-invasive fruit measurements and, therefore, provide a tool that
enables selective harvesting of fruits. In this way too early and too late harvesting are avoided to ensure highest
seed quality and increased seed batch homogeneity.
Why use the Fruit Maturity sensor?
It is well know that immature and over-mature seeds for many crops show a reduced seed quality.
This reduced seed quality is often expressed in lower number of germinating seeds, increased
number of abnormal seedlings and reduced storability. The right moment for harvesting the seeds
is, therefore, of great importance in seed production. In addition, harmonized objective harvesting
procedures on the different production locations will result in more homogenous and higher quality
seed batches.
The determination of the right harvest moment is difficult, especially for crops that bear fruits containing the seeds. In order to determine the right harvest moment of fruits in a fast and non-invasive
manner, Fytagoras developed a fruit maturity sensor dedicated to seed production support.
Practical trials in e.g. pepper and melon showed that the (chlorophyll) fluorescence of the fruits, as
measured by the Fytagoras sensor, provide a nice prediction of the developmental stage
(=maturity) of the seeds in the fruit. The quick, objective and non-invasive fruit measurements,
therefore, provide a tool that enables selective harvesting of fruits. In this way too early and too late
harvesting are avoided to ensure highest seed quality and increased seed batch homogeneity.
Sylviusweg 72, P.O. Box 546, 2300AM Leiden, The Netherlands. Tel. +31-71-5274742, [email protected], www.fytagoras.nl