Harvest stage and postharvest handling approaches to enhance quality of pepper (Piper nigrum L.) in Morogoro district

Dissertation

Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is an important spice crop whose quality can be affected by harvesting and post- harvesting practices. About 50% postharvest loss of black pepper has been reported in Morogoro district. In order to solve the black pepper quality and postharvest losses, smallholder farmers' harvesting and post harvesting practices were assessed for their effect on quality losses. Specifically, this study aimed to (i) generate baseline socio-economic information on harvest and postharvest handling practices of pepper among smallholder farmers in Morogoro District and (ii) assess the effect of pepper harvesting stages on postharvest quality of three black pepper cultivars commonly grown in Morogoro District. econd study characterized fruit growth and development behaviours of black pepper cultivars grown in Morogoro district. A 4x7 factorial experiment arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used. The third study was carried out to determine the effect of harvesting stages on post-harvest quality of three pepper cultivars grown in the Morogoro district. A 3 x 2 factorial experiment with three replicates arranged in a complete randomized design (CRD) was deployed. Qualitative and Quantitative data collected from five wards of Mkuyuni and Matombo divisions economic information on harvest and post-harvest Ten villages were involved in the study to generate the socio- practices used by farmers. The data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, Key Informants (KI), and Focus Group Discussions (FGD). The s iii during the experiments were subjected to Statistical Package for Social Sciences and ANOVA, respectively followed by mean separation for the later based on Turkey's HSD test. The results showed that the majority (86.6%) of the farmers in the study area harvested pepper when at least one berry on a spike turned red. Also, most pepper drying was done in the sun using local mats (86.2%), and stored in polypropylene bags (98.6%). Mould growth was reported as the leading cause of storage postharvest losses (95.75%). Results on fruit growth and development showed that the pepper cultivars grown in Morogoro take 8 to 9 months to reach maturity defined by the presence of at least one ripe berry per inflorescence. The number of well-developed berries per spike and spike length differed significantly (p<0.001) between cultivars. 'Ismailia' had many berries (36.11/spike), followed by 'Babu kubwa' (27.3/spike), 'Babu ndogo' (26.88/spike), and 'Babu kati' (22.25/spike). 'Babu kubwa' had the longest (9.10 cm) spikes followed by 'Babu kati' (7.63 cm), 'Ismailia (6.47 cm), and 'Babu ndogo' (5.36 cm). Berry size and firmness differed significantly (p< 0.001) across cultivars and growth periods. Ismailia had the largest (0.566 cm) and firmest (6.973 kg/mm2) berries compared to other cultivars at mature stage. Berry colour changed significantly (p< 0.001) with stages of development, where berry colour of all cultivars changed from green when young to yellow on the 9th month. These findings can guide farmers in determining the best time to harvest each cultivar. iv Results also indicated significant interactions between harvest stages and cultivars (p< 0.001) on moisture content. Pepper berries harvested at the mature stage had significantly low initial moisture (71.6%) resulting in fewer drying days (5 days). Harvesting pepper at mature stage enhanced quality of black pepper; particularly berry colour, firmness, dry recovery, and moisture content. Farmers should therefore harvest their pepper berries at maturity peak to maximize physical and organoleptic qualities. Studies are suggested on. on quantities and qualities of volatile oils at different growth stages of pepper is recommended.

Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT)