Mass and volume modeling of tomato based on physical characteristics

There are instances in which it is desirable to determine relationship between various physical characteristics of vegetables and fruits. Although vegetables and fruits are often graded on the basis of size and projected area, it may be more economical to develop a machine which would grade by produce mass or volume. Therefore, relationships of mass and volume with other physical characteristics are needed. In this study, Market-King variety of tomato were selected and fruit dimensions and projected area were used to develop a number of models for predicting mass and volume of tomato. Three general models were established; Single and multiple variable regressions of tomato dimensions, single and multiple variable regressions of projected areas and modeling tomato mass and volume based on its measured volume and mass. Results revealed that for the first model that mass and volume can be best modeled on the basis of intermediate and minor diameters. Results for model #2 show that model based on 2nd projected area is a preferred model for mass and volume estimation. The third model which is based on ellipsoid volume can estimate tomato mass satisfactorily(R^2=0.98). This study indicated that for estimating tomato mass the third model can give best results. On the other hand, for estimating tomato volume, the 2nd projected area can give best results.