POSTHARVEST HANDLING

OF DURABLE AND
PLANTATION CROPS
HORT 321
JAYHAN N. CANABE, L. Agr.
3 BAT-A INSTRUCTOR
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Postharvest handling
of selected durable
crops and plantation
crops

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TOPICS
A.Abaca
• Harvesting
Methods of extraction

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 TERMINOLOGIES
Abaca fiber filament
extracted from the stalks of
abaca plant. It is
internationally known as
Manila Hemp used in the
production of pulp for
industrial use, cordage, fiber
craft, and fabrics

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bundling
-packing of dried abaca fiber into desired
weight or volume.
Flag leaf
-last leaf appearing after planting which
indicates maturity or readiness of abaca for
harvesting

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Leaf sheat
-overlapping sheaths
that form the stalk
(pseudostem) of
abaca plant where
the fiber is obtained

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mat
-grouping of abaca
plants in a hill

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A. Abaca Production in the Philippines

Abaca also called as

Manila hemp, scientifically
known as Musa textilis of
the Family Musaceae, is
endemic in the Philippines,
resembling banana plant
but with slenderer stalk;
narrower pointed and
smaller leaves; and many-
seeded fruit. 8/31/2023
Scientific name
Musa textilis Nee

Maturity period
16-24 months after planting

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Main abaca producing countries*
Philippines — 87.17%
Ecuador — 12.77%
Costa Rica — 0.06%
Top abaca producing provinces in the philippines*
Catanduanes — 34.96%
Davao Oriental — 8.48%
Northern Samar — 7.73
Lanao del Sur — 6.70%
Davao del Sur — 6.10%
Top abaca producing regions in the philippines*
Bicol — 37.33%
Davao — 16.72%
Eastern Visayas — 12.50%
Caraga — 10.08%
ARMM — 10.07% 8/31/2023
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Planting material
-type of materials used to establish or
replace abaca plant in the field.
corm
rootstock; underground modified
stem that contains nodes and
internodes

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Eyebud
portion of the seed piece
containing one prominent
bud

seedpiece
section of a corm containing at
least three (3) viable eyebuds
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sucker
shoot from the mother plant

tissue-cultured
plantlet true-to-type plantlet
developed in laboratories
and transferred to nurseries
for hardening
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B. Postharvest Handling of Abaca
Under normal conditions, the first harvest can be done
between 16 to 24 months from planting, depending on
the type of planting material used, variety, climate, and
cultural methods, and elevation. Harvest mature stalks
only (showing indices of maturity) to avoid having bad
quality fiber and producing low fiber yield. Harvested
stalks should be stripped within the day.
The next harvests should be done at an interval of
3-4 months;
✓ to give the stalks sufficient time to mature,
✓ to avoid gaps in which weeds can proliferate, and
✓ to avoid overmature stalks.
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 A flag leaf last leaf appearing after planting which indicates
maturity or readiness of abaca for harvesting 8/31/2023
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C. Process of Abaca Fiber Extraction

❖Topping
The leaves of the
stalk to be harvested
are cut with the use of a
sickle fastened to the
top of a bamboo pole
called sungkit.
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❖Tumbling
The topped stalk is tumbled down
with the use of a bolo. Cut the
stalks at an angle, about 3 inches
above the ground to keep water
from accumulating in the cut
portion.

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❖Tuxying
This is the method of separating the
outer layer of the leaf sheath called the
tuxy from the inner layer. The tuxy
contains the primary fibers, and the
inner layer contains the secondary
fibers and the pulpy material.

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❖Decortication
It uses a decorticating machine wherein
abaca leaf sheaths are scraped by means of
rotating cylinder with blades.

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❖Stripping
In this method, the tuxies are inserted between
block and the stripping knife. The foot pedal is to
clamp the tuxy into place. The stripper then pulls the
tuxy away from the knife with full force, both hands
clasping the tuxy wound around a wooden pulling
aid. Stripping is important in removing impurities
tangled up with the abaca fiber. If these impurities
are not stripped away, they will affect the fiber's
performance by making it brittle. It can even affect
the looks of the finished product of the abaca.

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➢Hand stripping
Use of a 0, 24, or 17 serration stripping
knife. The tuxies are placed under the
stripping knife with pressure and extraction
is done by pulling the tuxies manually with
a pulling aide.

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➢Spindle-stripping
It is the use of semi-mechanized process of
extraction. The tuxies are fed into the
stripping knife of the machine and the
extraction is done with a spindle rotated by
a motor.

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❖Drying
After stripping, the fibers are dried in an
open space. Drying can be done in two
ways. The fibers can be sun-dried or air-
dried in shaded places. The fibers are
stored once fully dried. Drying helps
preserve the fibers because the more
water it has, the faster it will decay.

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BUNDLING AND STORAGE
The hanks of fibers are bundled manually at
size and weight according to the capability
of the farmer to carry them on his/her
shoulder for hauling or transporting.

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How to bundle:
• Hand twisted abaca twine is used for ropes.
Lay down 2 to 3 of these ropes on a clean
pavement next to each other at equal
distances.
• After, the fibers are arranged in such a way
that all their butt ends are in the same
position. Once they are laid down across the
ropes, fold them until the desired size of the
bundle is met and tie them together securely.
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❖Grading and Baling
When the abaca fibers are dry, they are
now separated and classified according to
the quality. This process is guided by
government and international standards.
This makes sure that traders do get the
quality of abaca that they paid for.

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 The abaca is baled for more convenient transport.
This can be done manually by tying up amounts of
abaca or by pressing machines. The standard bale of
abaca fiber is equivalent to 125 kilograms and
measures around 100 cm x 55 cm x 60 cm.
The whole process of preparing abaca fiber is
quite easy to follow. However, each step should be
done with precision. Each fiber is just as important as
the whole bundle. Superior quality must be observed by
doing each step properly. This is not easy as even the
machine-aided steps still require force and labor to be
executed. This only brings us more appreciation for the
craft of abaca fiber
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Any question?
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Reference

Philippine Fiber Industry

Development Authority & Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. 2016.
Abaca Sustainability Manual.