Post harvest conservation of lettuce cultivated with organic compost

Abstract

This paper aimed to evaluate the effect of organic compost fertilization on the post harvest conservation of 'Babá' lettuce. The organic compost was applied at 0.0, 22.8, 45.6, 68.4 and 91.2 ton/ha (dry matter based), with and without a standard mineral fertilizer dosage. The fresh weight loss at room conditions and the chlorophyll degradation were evaluated in cold chamber (4^oC) until 84 hours and 12 days after harvest, respectively. Increasing rates of organic compost reduced the post harvest fresh weight loss up to 7%. The chlorophyll content decreased during storage when plants were grown with 45.6 and 91.2 ton/ha of organic compost plus mineral fertilizer, reaching values of 0.3 mg/g of fresh matter. The fertilization with organic compost and mineral fertilizer altogether resulted in plants with early senescence when stored in cold chamber. Increasing doses of organic compost resulted in plants with smaller fresh weight loss in shelf conditions.