Objective:
The objective was to evaluate the loss of moisture in pine cone during the storage after harvest, comparing the storage inside a warehouse or just under a shed. This information is intended to support the producer in deciding when to sell, at the beginning, during or at the end of the commercialization campaign, taking into account not only the market price / kg but also the weight loss of the pine cone due to the loss of moisture.
Context:
In Portugal, most of the pine cone businesses are still carried out without real knowledge of the quantity traded, which makes it difficult to monitor the market price, since the sales values considered (€/kg) do not always correspond to the real price.
Currently it is not possible to predict the pattern of evolution of the price of the pine cone annually throughout the campaign. The option to harvest the pine cone and store it for later marketing will have to consider the decrease in the weight of the pine cones associated with the moisture loss.
The local landowners association APFC, took the initiative of this study, weekly monitoring the pine cones weight evolution in each set (warehouse or shed).
Contacts:
Conceição Santos Silva, mcsilva@unac.pt, http://www.unac.pt/
Further information:
- Song, K., Yeom, E., Seo, S.J., Kim, K., Kim, H., Lim, J.H., Lee, S.J., 2015 – Journey of water in pine cones. Nature Scientific Reports. DOI:10.1038/srepo9963.
- UNAC, 2014 - Guia de colheita e comercialização da pinha. Lisboahttp://www.unac.pt/index.php/documentos/publicacoes/46-guia-de-colheita-e-comercializacao-de-pinha/file