International Journal of Horticulture, 2016, Vol.6, No.26, 1-8
2
apple fruits were damaged during harvesting, handling, transportation and distribution due to inadequate post
harvest technology. All the apple production area lies in higher hills, where usually the fruits are harvested from
the orchard and transported to farmhouse for sorting, grading and packaging. Conical shaped traditional bamboo
baskets (Doko) are commonly used containers to carry apple fruits for transportation to collection centers by
porters on their back. Fruits bruise easily due to compression, impact and vibration forces during transportation
that potentially lead to bruising damage. Rough surface of the bamboo basket causes bruising and scaring on the
surface of fruit. Further, the sharp edge of the basket and its conical shape causes both bruising and compression
damage to the fruits. Moreover, the conical shape of bamboo basket results compression damage, which lies
towards the lower side of the basket. The damage may not be apparent and visible to naked eyes immediately after
transport; however effects are apparent during storage. The storability of apple is the reflection of the impact of
container and cushioning material during transportation. Therefore, this study was carried out to find the
effectiveness of different cushioning material for minimization of fruit damage during transportation from orchard
to collection centre on standard apple cultivars. In Kenya, less than 30% of the smallholder farmers in high
potential areas use fertilizers while in low potential areas fertilizer use is less than 20% (Onyango, 2009). The low
fertilizer use by the small-scale farmers can be attributed to lack of know-how and inability to afford the input.
The Kenyan government has been promoting fertilizer use by small farmers through availing fertilizer at
subsidized prices. For example, 50 kg of subsidized DAP is available at KSh. 2 500 (~25 USD) while private
traders sell at between KSh. 3 500 (~35 USD) and KSh. 3 700 (~37 USD). The subsidized fertilizer can only be
purchased from the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) which is a local public institution. However,
NCPB stores are far apart and farmers have to travel long distances; this discourages many small scale farmers
from accessing this fertilizer and, left with no option, they buy expensive fertilizer from the local retail outlets.
Due to the high cost of fertilizer from the private traders, farmers end up buying and applying less than the
recommended fertilizer rates. Of all fertilizer used in Kenya, 51.7% goes to cereals, 17% goes to tea, 3.4 goes to
coffee, 6.8% to special crops including flowers and 21.1% to all other crops (Sikobe, 2009). Among food crops,
policy makers have put a lot of emphasis on maize (Sikobe, 2009; Ariga and Jayne, 2010) probably because it is
the major staple food crop in Kenya. Interestingly, fertilizer use in potatoes is low despite the crop an important
security food crop (FAO, 2013). There has been a general decline in potato production in Kenya (Gregory et al.,
2013) because of a number of constraints among them low soil fertility (FAO, 2013). In addition, fertilizers are
usually applied below the recommended rate (90 kg N ha
-1
+230 kg P
2
O
5
ha
-1
) for potato production in Kenya
(Kaguongo et al., 2008).
1 Materials and Methods
Studies were carried out for three successive years (2012-2014) at Horticulture Research Station, Rajikot, Jumla,
Nepal (2 390 m a.s.l., 290 17’N, 82013’E) to investigate the effect of different cushioning materials on bruising
damage of fruits during transportation from orchard to collection centre and thereafter on storage. Fruits of Red
delicious, Royal delicious and Golden delicious were harvested on 3rd week of September from the Mother Stock
Maintenance Block of Gairagaun, Jumla (2.8 miles). Fruits were harvested from all sides of the tree and healthy
fruits of almost uniform size, color and shape were selected for the study. Fruits were thoroughly cleaned with
Muslin cloth after harvesting. Study was designed as factorial RCBD (3 cultivars, 5 cushioning materials) with
four replications. About 25 kg fruits were weighted and packed in conical shaped bamboo baskets with green
grass (2” thick), woolen shawl, news paper, plastic foil (0.08 mm thick) and without liner. Baskets were
transported to collection centre by porters on their back. Data on number of damaged fruits due to bruising was
recorded one day after transportation, as the damage may not be seen immediately after transport. Again,
undamaged 20 fruits from each replicate were selected and stored under room condition for 3 months (11.8°C and
65% RH) to find out effect of cushioning materials and variation in cultivars. Observations were made on
physiological weight loss and spoilage after storage. Consumer’s acceptability (Juyun Lim, 2011) was recorded by
a panel of five judges on the basis of Hedonic ratting (1 to 9 scales in which 9 stands for like extremely and 1
stands for dislike extremely). Firmness of fruit was measured with hand Penetrometer (FT-327, Italy) having
