ECHO Development Notes (EDN) EDN Issue #156

Extending Postharvest Life of Fresh Fruit

Tim Motis

Extending the quality of fresh produce has implications for marketing as well as for household consumption. We have emphasized postharvest handling of tropical fruit; however, many of the principles and practices in this series of articles also apply to fruit-bearing vegetables and leafy greens (Figure 1). We introduced the topic series in issue 154 of ECHO Development Notes (EDN) with an article on harvesting at the right time, covering principles and indicators of fruit maturity. Postharvest quality is also influenced by how fruit is handled, from the time it is harvested until it is marketed and consumed. In this article, we focus on how produce should be handled at harvest.

Chicken Compost System

Chris Jordan adapted from Geoff Lawton

This chicken compost system is adapted from the system taught by Geoff Lawton, permaculture consultant, designer, author, and teacher. Jordan was taught this system by Geoff Lawton in one of his Permaculture Design Courses and then brought it and adapted it to the context of the ECHO Global Farm in North Fort Myers, Florida.

Allium cepa ‘Awahia’: A Short-Day Onion Option

Tim Motis

The common onion (Allium cepa L.) is an important vegetable used in food preparation worldwide. The main edible portion of the plant is the bulb, which grows in the soil and is formed by fleshy scales which are modified leaves (Wu et al., 2016). ECHO’s Global Seed Bank offers a variety called ‘Awahia’ that is adapted to warm climates and forms pink/red bulbs that have good storage qualities.

Microcontroller use

Andrew Lotze

Here Andrew Lotze shares his experience with microcontrollers in conjunction with BeerSheba Project work in Senegal. His thoughts are in reference to the EDN 155 [http://edn.link/2myd6p] article on agricultural applications for microcontrollers.