Grow your own fruit /

Includes index.

The farmer's fruit garden : what it should be in northern Illinois /

Caption title.

Fruit grower

Mode of access: Internet.

Fruit growing.

Mode of access: Internet.

A practical treatise on the management of fruit trees, with descriptive lists of the most valuable fruits for general cultivation; adapted to the northern states.

Cover title: Jaques' Fruits and fruit trees.

A year's work on a Kentish fruit farm, by a practical man. Being a reprint with a few additional notes of a series of weekly articles in the South Eastern Gazette.

Mode of access: Internet.

A treatise on the culture of the apple & pear : and on the manufacture of cider & perry /

Errata slip.

Fruit growing for amateurs /

Mode of access: Internet.

Report of the Woburn Experimental Fruit Farm /

Issued by: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1903-1907; Amalgamated Press, 1908-<1916>

New guide to orange culture; descriptive catalogue and price list of the Manville Nurseries, Lake George, Florida

Mode of access: Internet.

3D modelling of mango fruit skin blush in the tree canopy

The fruit of certain mango cultivars (e.g., 'Honey Gold') can develop blush on their skin. Skin blush due to red pigmentation is from the accumulation of anthocyanins. Anthocyanin biosynthesis is related to environmental determinants, including light received by the fruit. It has been observed that mango skin blush varies with position in the tree canopy. However, little investigation into this spatial relationship has been conducted. The objective of this preliminary study was to describe a 'Honey Gold' mango tree by capturing its three-dimensional (3D) architecture. A light path tracing model QuasiMC was then used to predict light received by fruit. The use of this 3D model was to better understand the relationship between mango fruit skin blush and fruit position in the canopy. The digitised mango tree mimicked the real tree at a high level of detail. Observations on mango skin blush distribution supported the proposition that sunlight exposure is an absolute requirement for anthocyanin development. No blush development occurred on shaded skin. It was affirmed that 3D mapping could allow for virtual experiments. For example, for virtual canopy thinning (e.g., 'window pruning') to admit more sunlight with a view to improve fruit blush. Improvements to 3D modelling of mango skin blush could focus on increasing accuracy, e.g., measurement of leaf light reflectance and transmission and the inclusion of the effect shading by branches.

Comparison of firmness meters for measuring ‘Hass’ avocado fruit firmness

The temporal passage of fruit through the supply chain and the selection of consumable fruit by shoppers depend primarily upon fruit firmness. Traditionally, fruit firmness measuring methods, like Effegi and conical probes, are relatively inefficient and destructive. Simple, accurate and non-damaging methods of measuring fruit firmness are ideally required to help assure eating quality to the consumer without fruit wastage. The firmness of 'Hass' avocado fruit at a range of ripening stages was measured with the various different firmness measuring techniques of the Sinclair iQ Firmness Tester (SIQFT), the Electronic Firmometer (EF), the Analogue Firmness Meter (AFM) and hand squeezing. Measurements were made by each method at different points on the same fruit. Destructive bruise assessment was performed 48 h later, thereby allowing sufficient time for fruit to express any bruising resulting from the act of firmness measurements. Non-linear relationships were determined between fruit firmness values measured with the different techniques. The adjusted R2 for the relationship between the SIQFT and the EF was 91.6%. For the SIQFT and the AFM, the adjusted R2 was 73.7%. It was 77.7% for the SIQFT and hand squeezing. A significantly (P<0.05) high incidence of bruising was associated with firmness assessment by the EF as compared with either the SIQFT or the AFM. Among the methods compared, the SIQFT was non-damaging compared with the EF and relatively efficient for measuring the firmness. This instrument merits consideration as a quality control tool of choice in 'Hass' avocado supply chains.

Innovation & workplace culture in the Australian interactive entertainment industry : the Halfbrick story

A recent success story of the Australian videogames industry is Brisbane based Halfbrick Studios, developer of the hit game for mobile devices, Fruit Ninja. Halfbrick not only survived the global financial crisis and an associated downturn in the Australian industry, but grew strongly, moving rapidly from developing licensed properties for platforms such as Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Playstation Portable (PSP) to becoming an independent developer and publisher of in-house titles, generating revenue both through App downloads and merchandise sales. Amongst the reasons for Halfbrick’s success is their ability to adaptively transform by addressing different technical platforms, user dynamics, business models and market conditions. Our ongoing case-study research from 2010 into Halfbrick’s innovation processes, culminating with some 10 semi-structured interviews with senior managers and developers, has identified a strong focus on workplace organisational culture, with staff reflecting that the company is a flat, team-based organisation devolving as much control as possible to the development teams directly, and encouraging a work-life balance in which creativity can thrive. The success of this strategy is evidenced through Halfbrick’s low staff turnover; amongst our interviewees most of the developers had been with the company for a number of years, with all speaking positively of the workplace culture and sense of creative autonomy they enjoyed. Interviews with the CEO, Shainiel Deo, and team leaders highlighted the autonomy afforded to each team and the organisation and management of the projects on which they work. Deo and team leaders emphasised the collaboration and communication skills they require in the developers that they employ, and that these characteristics were considered just as significant in hiring decisions as technical skills. Halfbrick’s developers celebrate their workplace culture and insist it has contributed to their capacity for innovation and to their commercial success with titles such as Fruit Ninja. This model of organisational management is reflected in both Stark’s (2009) idea of heterarchy, and Neff’s (2012) concept of venture labour, and provides a different perspective on the industry than the traditional political economy critique of precarious labour exploited by gaming conglomerates. Nevertheless, throughout many of the interviews and in our informal discussions with Halfbrick developers there is also a sense that this rewarding culture is quite tenuous and precarious in the context of a rapidly changing and uncertain global videogames industry. Whether such a workplace culture represents the future of the games industry, or is merely a ‘Prague Spring’ before companies such as Halfbrick are swallowed by traditional players’ remains to be seen. However, as the process of rapid and uncertain transformation plays out across the videogames industry, it is important to pay attention to emerging modes of organisation and workplace culture, even whilst they remain at the margins of the industry. In this paper we investigate Halfbrick’s workplace culture and ask how sustainable is this kind of rewarding and creative workplace?

Shelf life of minimally processed honeydew, kiwifruit, papaya, pineapple and cantaloupe

Shelf life of minimally processed (peeled, deseeded, and diced) honeydew melon, kiwifruit, papaya, pineapple, and cantaloupe stored at 4°C was studied. Sensory assessments were carried out at 3-day intervals by highly trained panels until the end of shelf life. Microbiological counts were made immediately after dicing fruit and at the end of shelf life. Results indicated that both the length of shelf life and type of spoilage were related to fruit species. Minimally processed fruit had longer shelf life at 4°C than at temp. recommended for whole fruit when these were >4°C. Spoilage of 4°C-stored kiwifruit, papaya, and pineapple pieces was found to be not as a consequence of microbial growth

Developing improved supply chains for temperate fruits in transitional Asian economies of Thailand and Vietnam.

Asia's increasing demand for both tropical and temperate fruit is projected to grow significantly. Compared with most developed countries, the production of temperate fruits (peach, nectarine, plum and apple) has expanded rapidly in China over the past 20 years. In contrast, current production of plums and peaches in neighbouring countries (Thailand and Vietnam) is very low but their fruit enters the market earlier. Thailand and Vietnam have enormous potential to satisfy a market window in the northern hemisphere period from March to May inclusive when there is little or no stone fruit on the Asian market. In Vietnam, fruit is harvested in an immature state to avoid disease and fruit fly problems and consequently lacks size and flavour. Approximately 30-40% of locally produced fruit in Vietnam does not reach market due to disease and poor handling during picking and transport. In Thailand, much of the infrastructure needed to transport, store, process and market temperate fruits successfully are now in place. However, there are currently no cool chain management or quality assurance systems to ensure a fresh product reaches the consumer with minimal deterioration. In Vietnam, growing stone fruit under the traditional system with little or minimal inputs, the farmer may receive between AUD3,000-5,000 per ha. In comparison, under higher input systems incorporating fertiliser, irrigation and pest and disease management, net returns can be increased seven-fold. Strengths and weaknesses of the current supply chains in these two countries are discussed.