Resumen
- Preliminary diagnosis or postharvest handling or blackberries (Rubus sp.) in Santa Maria de Dota and EI Guarco. A preliminary study on postharvest handling of blackberries (Rubus sp.) was made, and the efect of the fruit column height on the fruit quality during storage was evaluated at 24°C. 91.7% of the growers have wild oochards with yields of 1 to 2 tm/ha/year. 75.1 % of them produce mainly the 'Vino' variety, mixed with a few plants of 'Castilla' and 'Caballo' varieties. The harvest is done by hand, using unappropriate containers which cause mechanical damage to the fruit. The harvest indices are not clear nor precise, there is excessive handling of the fruit, and there are no cooling facilities. It was found that the greater the heigth of the fruit column, the larger the fruit juice accumulation during storage, and the lower the percentage of healthy fruit after two days at 24 °C. It was concluded that there is a deficient postharvest handling of the blackt;lerries, and that the damage of the fruit is greatly affected by the height of the fruit column. It was recomended to clearly define the harvest indices and fruit selection criteria, to improve the harvest and handling containers, to avoid any unnecessary ttansfer from one container to another, to design and evaluate new consumer containers for the domestic market and to determine the best temperature and relative humidity conditions for the handling of the 'Vino' variety blackberries for export.