Effects of Presence or Absence of Calyx on Harvesting Time of Cherry Tomato

Abstract

Cherry tomatoes require a longer harvesting time than large-sized tomatoes. Therefore, the labor and load of cherry tomato harvesting should be reduced. The characteristics of labor-saving harvesting procedures, such as the detachability of calyx and fruit stalk, differ with the cultivars of tomatoes for cherry tomatoes for table. In the present study, we investigated the time required for harvesting tomatoes with or without calyx. As a result, the time required for harvesting tomatoes without calyx was equivalent to or significantly shorter than that with calyx. The time required for harvesting tomatoes with calyx was longer for ‘Rosso Neapolitan’ and ‘Aiko’, with smaller aspect ratios. These results suggested that harvesting without calyx contribute to the reduction of labor and load in cherry tomato production.