From Farm to Fork: Irrigation Management and Cold Storage Strategies for the Shelf Life of Seedless Sugrathirtyfive Table Grape Variety

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper presents a well designed and conducted study. The paper presents interesting results of the study on seedless table grape cultivar. Water management is a very important issue and the study shows the impact of water stress on the growth of grapes.

This research examined the journey “from farm to fork” of Sugrathirtyfive variety (Autumn Crisp® brand), exploring the combined effects of Irrigation Volumes (IV), SO2 Generating Pads (SGP) and Cold Storage Duration (CSD) on the quality of grapes.

In my opinion studying the whole process and SGP and CSD together is original for this variety of table grape.  Moreover, the study findings are important and original. It would be interesting to study slight modifications of the storage conditions and the impact of the vegetation process (conditions) on the storage lenght.

The conclusiosn are consistent with the evidence and they give response to the questions addressed. There are 56 positions in references.  For this type of study it is more than enough.

There are numerous tables and figures.  They are well constructed and easy to interpret.

Author Response

The authors wish to thank the reviewer for his positive evaluation of the article

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear Authors,

Table grapes are an important crop for humanity and will always represent a focus point of research. This issue is so actual and, unfortunately, will remain actual many years from now on, due to climate change. The research released in the article could be useful for table grape growers in deciding the proper maintenance technologies in challenging areas.

The article has an interesting view of data and is well-documented for a better understanding of the presented research.

The main question addressed by the research is integrating irrigation effects with post-harvest storage conditions, which represents an original and relevant research frontier in table grapes production that needs deep investigation.

The studied subject adds significant results in table grapes production area compared with other published material, due to the multiple research factors (irrigation type, type, and storage time).

The paper is well described and the methods used are scientifically appropriate. Only a few points should be addressed by the authors:

2.1. – section – the authors should indicate the age of the vineyard (it is an important factor for a better understanding of the results).

M&M  The authors state that: ”Among these new table grape varieties, Sugrathirtyfive is a patented (commercial name Autumn Crisp® - United States Plant Patent USOOPP20491 P2) late-season white seedless table grape variety, with extra-large, oval, milky-green berry with excellent flavor, firmness and berry attachment”. It could be useful to consider further controls to evaluate the volatile compounds of grape berries depending on the factors (irrigation, type, and storage time).

Results:

-        The authors could indicate the grape yield/grapevine depending on the irrigation type, this factor has a significant influence on grape yield.

The conclusions are not present in the paper.

The references are appropriate to the topic of the article. 

Author Response

Table grapes are an important crop for humanity and will always represent a focus point of research. This issue is so actual and, unfortunately, will remain actual many years from now on, due to climate change. The research released in the article could be useful for table grape growers in deciding the proper maintenance technologies in challenging areas.

The article has an interesting view of data and is well-documented for a better understanding of the presented research.

The main question addressed by the research is integrating irrigation effects with post-harvest storage conditions, which represents an original and relevant research frontier in table grapes production that needs deep investigation.

The studied subject adds significant results in table grapes production area compared with other published material, due to the multiple research factors (irrigation type, type, and storage time).

The paper is well described and the methods used are scientifically appropriate. Only a few points should be addressed by the authors:

2.1. – section – the authors should indicate the age of the vineyard (it is an important factor for a better understanding of the results).

We reported in the text that the vineyard is 9 years old. See line 124

M&M  The authors state that: ”Among these new table grape varieties, Sugrathirtyfive is a patented (commercial name Autumn Crisp® - United States Plant Patent USOOPP20491 P2) late-season white seedless table grape variety, with extra-large, oval, milky-green berry with excellent flavor, firmness and berry attachment”. It could be useful to consider further controls to evaluate the volatile compounds of grape berries depending on the factors (irrigation, type, and storage time).

It's an interesting research cue, which would add important information to the characterization of the variety.

Results:

-        The authors could indicate the grape yield/grapevine depending on the irrigation type, this factor has a significant influence on grape yield.

To minimize the effects of other variables compared to the different irrigation regime, the two experimental plots designated for different irrigation inputs (Normal Irrigation and Smart Irrigation) were standardized for bud load (30) and consequently for bunches. This did not yield significant differences in terms of production per plant, as evidenced by Figure 3 in the text (see thesis NI-C-T0 - Normal Irrigation and SI-C-T0 - Smart Irrigation). Since the experiment primarily focused on grape quality rather than production quantity per se, the number of plant replicates for production assessments should have been considerably higher and more targeted than those employed in this study, which were primarily focused on the berry as the statistical replication unit. This was necessary to obtain statistically meaningful results if the objective was to assess the actual influence of different irrigation volumes on production per vine. Unfortunately, as this was not the focus of this research, we do not have data on an adequate number of plant replicates per plot to calculate production precisely for statistical analysis, but only indicative values referring to a few plants.

The conclusions are not present in the paper.

The Instructions for Authors of the journal consider the Conclusions section as optional, that’s why we included them at the end of the Discussion chapter (see Lines 635-648). The section Conclusions was created by including the last paragraph of the former version of the paper (Lines 640-654).

The references are appropriate to the topic of the article.

Reviewer 3 Report

This work presents research on sustainable water management and cold storage practices in table grape production, particularly focusing on the Sugrathirtyfive variety. While the study addresses important issues related to irrigation optimization and shelf life extension, there are several areas that could be improved

1- Title should be shorten.

2- Please clarify the research gab and problem statement in the introduction section.

3- In colour measurement chapter, colour difference should be calculated.

4- The conditions of the environment in which the sensory evaluation was conducted should be stated.

5- Conclusion section should be included in the manuscript.

Minor English editing is needed.

Author Response

This work presents research on sustainable water management and cold storage practices in table grape production, particularly focusing on the Sugrathirtyfive variety. While the study addresses important issues related to irrigation optimization and shelf life extension, there are several areas that could be improved

1- Title should be shorten.

The title was shortened as follows: “From farm to fork: Irrigation management and Cold Storage Strategies on the Shelf Life of Seedless Sugrathirtyfive Table Grape variety”

2- Please clarify the research gab and problem statement in the introduction section.

The following sentence substituted the former paragraph at lines 102-103 (now lines 110-115)

“Until now, researches on table grapes have considered irrigation factors, methods and storage duration individually, or at most, separating the phases related to vineyard irrigation management from the subsequent post-harvest phase. Therefore, integrating irrigation effects with post-harvest storage conditions, especially concerning a newly introduced seedless grape variety on the market, represents a research frontier that merits deeper investigation.”

3- In colour measurement chapter, colour difference should be calculated.

A univariate statistical analysis of each single CIELAB coordinate describing differences between the theses were reported and commented at Lines 322-330 (Table 1) in relation to each single factor and their interaction: Moreover, the factors were combined, “In pursuit of a comprehensive assessment and identification of the most effective combination among the factor levels” and CIELAB coordinates results commented at Lines 392-398

4- The conditions of the environment in which the sensory evaluation was conducted should be stated.

The following sentence was included in the text at Line 230-235: “The sensory evaluation was conducted on blind samples within specially equipped individual workstations with neutral-colored walls and odor-neutral surfaces. The environmental temperature was maintained at a comfortable 22°C, ensuring optimal conditions for evaluation. Brightness within the room was adjusted to an appropriate level, and extraneous noise or distractions were minimized, adhering to the guidelines outlined by ISO 2007.”

5- Conclusion section should be included in the manuscript.

The Instructions for Authors of the journal consider the Conclusions section as optional, that’s why we included them at the end of the Discussion chapter. The section Conclusions was created by including the last paragraph of the former version of the paper (Lines 639-654).

Reviewer 4 Report

The manuscript is very well written and presents a very interesting and useful study. However, some minor points need to be improved before publication mainly related to methodology aspects.

1.       Line 55. What does the acronym SMART stand for in the context of irrigation? If it is not an acronym, leave in lower case.

2.       I highly recommend adding a figure with Sugrathirtyfive variety. (in addition to the graphical abstract)

3.       Line 109. Please specify what exactly authors refers with nutraceutical content in this study.

4.       Line 122. Specify USDA

5.       Line 128-129. Add more information regarding Normal irrigation. It is understandable that  it is based on the  knowledge and experience of the farmers but it is necessary to provide at least the variables they take into account.

6.       Lines 127-135. Modify the line spacing.

7.       Line 166- mj?

8.       2.2. section. Specify how was the berries storage? Temperature and packaging material?

9.       Table 1. Homogenize the number of decimal digits for the whole table. Make sure that all used acronyms are described in the table name.

10.   Line 468-471. Move to the methodology section.

11.   Homogenize SO2 using subindex through the document (ex. line 601)

12.   Conclusion is missing. The authors must include a paragraph highlighting the scientific conclusion and applicability.

Author Response

The manuscript is very well written and presents a very interesting and useful study. However, some minor points need to be improved before publication mainly related to methodology aspects.

1. Line 55. What does the acronym SMART stand for in the context of irrigation? If it is not an acronym, leave in lower case.

Given that the word SMART is not an acronym, we have rewritten it in lowercase (except for the initial capital letter) throughout the text. Similarly, for stylistic consistency, we have done the same for the term NORMAL in the thesis.

2. I highly recommend adding a figure with Sugrathirtyfive variety. (in addition to the graphical abstract)

A photo of the Sugrathirtyfive variety in the field during harvest, along with carpometric measurements, has been included in the text (Figure 1). Consequently, all figure numbering in the text has shifted by one

3. Line 109. Please specify what exactly authors refers with nutraceutical content in this study.

We specified in the text “(polyphenols, flavonoids and antioxidant activity)” see line 119

4. Line 122. Specify USDA

Provided: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), line 133

5. Line 128-129. Add more information regarding Normal irrigation. It is understandable that it is based on the knowledge and experience of the farmers but it is necessary to provide at least the variables they take into account.

As reported in the text, in the Normal Irrigation, a quantity of water was provided, the volume and duration of which were left to the experience of the grower and their agronomic practices. Therefore, no measured environmental variable was taken into consideration by the grower. We provided the following clarification at lines 141-144 “tendentially at fixed intervals approximately every 7 days depending on the occurrence of rain, starting from June 24th (175th julian day) until the last irrigation intervention on Oc-tober 10th (283rd julian day), for a total of 14 watering rounds”.

6. Lines 127-135. Modify the line spacing.

Done

7. Line 166- mj?

Corrected with mJ (milliJoule)

8. 2. section. Specify how was the berries storage? Temperature and packaging material?

We provided all these information in Section 2.4

9. Table 1. Homogenize the number of decimal digits for the whole table. Make sure that all used acronyms are described in the table name.

We standardized the decimal numbers according to the variable throughout the text. We provided descriptions for all the acronyms in both the tables 1 and 2

10. Line 468-471. Move to the methodology section.

Moved. Now lines 228-230

11. Homogenize SO2 using subindex through the document (ex. line 601)

Provided

12. Conclusion is missing. The authors must include a paragraph highlighting the scientific conclusion and applicability.

The Instructions for Authors of the journal consider the Conclusions section as optional, that’s why we included them at the end of the Discussion chapter. The section Conclusions was created by including the last paragraph of the former version of the paper (Lines 639-654).

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Accept in current form