Storage conditions and keeping time
Temperature, relative humidity and expected keeping time from the commodity summaries of Agriculture Handbook 66, together with ethylene compatibility.
Quantities
| Symbol | Quantity | Unit |
|---|---|---|
T | storage temperature | °C |
RH | relative humidity | % |
— | keeping time | days, weeks or months as published |
Two rows of conditions
For many crops the handbook gives both optimal conditions and those of common practice. Both rows are reproduced; no interpolation is performed between them, since two points are published rather than a function. Outside both rows no estimate is given.
Product form
Keeping time depends on form: carrots with tops keep 8…12 days, topped carrots 7…9 months (the same page of the source). The form is given together with the time.
Ethylene compatibility
The compatibility table on pp. 54–56 marks crops sensitive to ethylene and crops producing it in significant amounts. The marks are reproduced unchanged; crops not marked in the table remain unmarked.
Verifiability
Each row carries the page number of the source. This is the only way to check a value without reading the code.
Applicability and limitations
- Summaries have been transcribed for 30 of the 49 crops in the catalogue.
- For some crops the source states no keeping time: it depends on the cultivar.
- For a number of crops Handbook 66 contains no summary; neither conditions nor an ethylene mark are given for them.
- Store conditions are entered by the user and are not measured.
Sources
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, 2016. The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks. Agriculture Handbook 66 — full text open Open