A critical economic and biological trait that determines the crop's suitability for mechanized harvesting based on the resistance of berries to detachment from the pedicel.
In the reference
23
varieties
crop Blackcurrant,
where this is mentioned in the description.
When assessing shedding, the main indicator is the force required to detach a berry, measured in newtons. For industrial harvesting, a detachment resistance in the range of 0.49 to 1.47 N is considered optimal. Values below 0.49 N indicate high shedding and significant yield losses, while values above 1.47 N indicate excessive firmness, leading to skin damage and loss of market quality of the fruit.
High shedding requires a switch to manual harvesting, which increases labor costs. In addition to the genetic characteristics of the cultivar, the process is triggered by external factors: sharp cold spells during the ripening period, excessive irrigation causing skin cracking, and infestation of plants with downy mildew.
General information about the subject — on the page
Shattering.
Varieties of Blackcurrant mentioned in the description
Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.