Technology and

Livelihood Education
Agri – Fishery Arts
(Agricultural Crops Production)
Produce Vegetables Crops
ACTIVITY SHEET IN TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION

AGRICULTURAL CROP PRODUCTION

Quarter 4 ( Grade 10)

Produce Vegetable Crops
Name: __________________________ Grade Level and Section: ________

School: _________________________ Date: ______

Teacher: ________________________ Score: ______

Time Duration: 4hrs.

I. Title: harvest Vegetable Crops

Learning Competency/Code: Determine maturity indices of vegetable

crops. Harvest vegetable crops. Explain the importance of maturity seeds.
Differentiate the types of maturity. The learner independently performs
harvesting of vegetable crops based on set standards as specified in the
vegetable production manual.

II. Instructions: To achieve the objectives cited above, you are to

do the following:
Take your time reading the lessons carefully.
Follow the directions and/or instructions in the activities and
exercises diligently and answer all the given tests and exercises.

III. Activities
Let’s know this!

Activity 1:

Do you have vegetable plants in your backyard? Have you tried

harvesting some fruits, flowers, or shoots? What were your basis in
harvesting them?

Pick one topic to discuss and write it to your paper.

Topic 1 – Why harvest vegetable crops at proper maturity?

Topic 2 – Discuss the specific maturity index of selected vegetable

crops.

Topic 3 – Why practice the principles of tender loving care (TLC)

Reading Resources and Instructional Activities

Maturity Indices.

Maturity is derived from a latin word “matures” which means

ripening. It is the stage of the fruit development, which ensures attainment
of maximum edible quality at the completion of ripening process.

Maturity indices are also referred as “maturity standards”. Signs

can help in determining maturity of vegetable crops. Knowledge in maturity
indices is vital because the market value depends upon the quality of the
produce. It is necessary to harvest vegetables at proper stage of maturity to
facilitate proper ripening, distant transportation and maximum storage life.

According to anonymous (2007), maturity is the stage at which a

crop is harvestable. Maturity index is an observable indication or sign that a
particular crop is ready for harvest in terms of size, color, weight, texture,
and shape in some vegetable crops.

Importance of maturity indices:

1. Ensure sensory quality (flavor, color, aroma, texture) and nutritional

quality
2. Ensure an adequate postharvest shelf life
3. Facilitate scheduling of harvest and packing operations
4. Facilitate Marketing

Types of Maturity

Physiological Maturity. The stage in the growth and development of a

crop that marks the beginning of aging of the tissue. It is generally
referred to as ripening.

Commercial Maturity. The stage in the development of a crop in relation

to time of harvest according to use or market demand. For example, most
often, potatoes are harvest even if the particular variety planted did not
reach its expected age of maturity when the demand is high. In the case
of beans, the pods can be harvested as young pods or dried beans seeds.

In beans and peas, there are three stages of maturity as follows:

1. Tender pods – when the product desired is the tender pods (e.g. pole
and bush sitao, snap beans )
2. Tender seed stage – when the product desired is the tender seeds
(e.g. lima beans, cadios )
3. Ripened seed stage – when the product desired is the ripened seeds
which are mainly used as seeds (e.g. mungbean, cowpea)
 Maturity Determination

1. Visual Methods
 Skin Color - This factor is commonly applied to fruits,
since skin color changes as it ripens or matures.
 Size – The shape of the fruit can change during maturation
and can be used as a characteristic to determine harvest
maturity.
 Fruit Size - Some Vegetables will reach a certain size,
which can be used as index for optimum time of harvest.
The presence of abscission zones between the stem and the
stem end in some fruits such as tomato, peas and beans
have observed to become prominent at maturity.

2. Feel Method
This method is done mainly by touch of the fingers with
respect to firmness, crispness and sound. For example, in
bottle gourd, tomatoes, beans and peas, the matured fruits will
easily give way when a slight pressure is applied to detach the
fruits with fingers.

3. Chemical Analysis
In this method, the acidity , starch and sugar content
are measured. High sugar content indicates maturity. Acid
content in some fruits falls with maturity, thus, low acid
content indicated maturity.

4. Physical Means
 Use of pressure tester – use to measure the softness of a
fruit.
 Specific Gravity – in practice, the fruit or vegetable is
weighed in air divided by the weight in water gives the
specific gravity. As a fruit matures its specific gravity
increases. This parameter is rarely used to determine time
of harvest, but could be used in cases where development of
a suitable sampling technique is possible.

5. Computation
 Days from flowering to harvesting
 Days from planting to harvesting

Maturity Indices of Vegetable Crops

Maturity is the attainment of the particular size or stage after which

ripening takes place. The quality of the produce cannot be improved but it
can be presented when harvesting is done at proper stage of maturity.
 CROP MATURITY INDICES

Okra - Reached desirable size and the

tips of which can be snapped
readily

Tomato - Pulp surrounding the seeds is

jelly – like, seeds slip away from
the knife
- For long distance shipment, it is
harvested at mature green stage
- The ripe stage indicates that
most of the surface is pink or
red and firm

Eggplant, Ampalaya, Chayote - Immature (over mature if color

dulls or changes and seeds are
tough)

Upo. Patola - Immature (over mature if

thumbnail cannot penetrate
flesh readily)

Cowpea, sitao, snap bean, batao, sweet - Well – filled pods that snap
pea, winged bean readily

Sweet pepper - Deep green color turning dull

green or red

Sweet corn - Exudes milky sap when

thumbnail penetrate kernel

Lettuce, Pechay, Mustard - Big enough but before flowering

unless flowers are desired

Cabbage - Head compact (over mature if

head cracks)

Celery - Big enough but before it

becomes pithy

Radish, Carrot - Large enough and crispy (over

mature if pithy)

Potato, onion, Garlic - Tops begin to dry and topple

down

Yam bean, Ginger - Large enough (over mature if

tough and fibrous)
Activity 2.

Make a list of Vegetables that are present in your garden. Write down the specific
maturity index of each crop.

IV. Learner’s Reflection

Activity 3.

Just select one from the activities listed below.

1. Write a slogan pertaining to maturity index of specific vegetable crop. Put

your slogan in a short coupon bond. Share your output in the class.
2. Make a poster of an ideal vegetable garden where maturity indices of
selected vegetable crops can be observed. Use one – half of a white cartolina.

Activity 4.

Proceed to the nearby vegetable garden area and determine the specific maturity
index of the vegetables grown in the area. Ask whether the fruits or crops are ready
to harvest. List down the crops/vegetables ready for harvesting and opposite each
crop indicate its maturity index. Prepare a table for this activity.

V. References:

AGRICULTURAL CROP PRODUCTION

http://cms.cnr.edu.bt/cms/postharvest/%3FTTopics 4. Retrieved

March 3,2004

Prepared By:

JOVANE HUSOL BARRIOS

T.L.E. Teacher