• Title/Summary/Keyword: Postharvest agriculture

Search Result 90, Processing Time 0.036 seconds

Current State of Postharvest Fruit and Vegetable Management in East Africa

  • Wakholi, Collins;Cho, Byoung-Kwan;Mo, Changyeun;Kim, Moon S.
    • Journal of Biosystems Engineering
    • /
    • v.40 no.3
    • /
    • pp.238-249
    • /
    • 2015
  • Purpose: Fruit and vegetable production is a fast-growing sector in East Africa, and it bears considerable local and international market potential. In an effort to analyze the challenges within this sector and suggest possible solutions, this study reviews the postharvest handling technologies commonly used with fruits and vegetables in East Africa. Methods: During the course of this study, small-scale farmers were identified as the most prominent producers of fruit and vegetable crops in the region. Results: We found that many of these small-scale farmers employed relative simple and inexpensive techniques in handling their limited volumes of produce. Several factors could be addressed to reduce postharvest losses, including weak policies, inferior infrastructure, and poor market strategies. However, the lack of basic knowledge (including demographic, scientific, and economic knowledge) among the stakeholders (e.g., researchers, farmers, governments, nongovernment organizations, and merchants) on how to develop, implement, use, and sustain the recommended handling technologies is probably the most problematic. Conclusions: We recommend that high priority be placed on closing the knowledge gap, which could enhance the efforts of all the stakeholders to address and reduce postharvest losses.

Fungal Infection Occurrence on New Cultivars of Kiwifruit Correlated with Fruit Soluble Solids Content and Firmness

  • Kim, Min-Jung;Kwon, Youngho;Shin, Mi Hee;Kim, Jin Gook;Kwak, Youn-Sig;Kwack, Yong-Bum
    • Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
    • /
    • v.50 no.4
    • /
    • pp.215-225
    • /
    • 2017
  • Kiwifruit is prone to damage by frost in the harvest season and the occurrence of postharvest diseases. Accordingly, new cultivars overcoming these disadvantages have been developed. Compared to existing cultivars, studies on diseases in new cultivars are very limited. Thus, goal of this study was investigation of fungal infection occurrences in new cultivars. Kiwifruit was harvested in 2014 and 2015 year, respectively. In both years, cvs. Goldone and Redvita showed more resistance against fungal infection but cv. Gamrok was more sensitive compared with cv. Hayward. Major fungi were identified as Botryosphaeria dothidea, Phomopsis sp., Alternaria alternata and Nigrospora sp. Firmness and soluble solids content were also influenced by the occurrences. This study's findings are important for providing practical information on new cultivars in the kiwifruit industry.

First Report of Rhizopus oryzae as a Postharvest Pathogen of Apple in Korea

  • Kwon, Jin-Hyeuk;Kim, Jin-Woo;Kim, Won-Il
    • Mycobiology
    • /
    • v.39 no.2
    • /
    • pp.140-142
    • /
    • 2011
  • Soft rot in apple caused by Rhizopus oryzae was found for the first time in Korea. A detailed description of the specimen is given along with its internal transcribed spacer rDNA sequence. The fungus was identified as Rhizopus oryzae based on the mycological characteristics, molecular data, and pathogenicity testing.

Isolation and Identification of Postharvest Spoilage Fungi from Mulberry Fruit in Korea

  • Kwon, O-Chul;Ju, Wan-Taek;Kim, Hyun-Bok;Sung, Gyoo-Byung;Kim, Yong-Soon
    • Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
    • /
    • v.37 no.3
    • /
    • pp.221-228
    • /
    • 2018
  • BACKGROUND: Spoilage fungi can reduce the shelf life of fresh fruits and cause economic losses by lowering quality. Especially, mulberry fruits have high sensitivity to fungal attack due to their high water content (> 70%) and soft texture. In addition, the surface of these fruits is prone to damage during harvesting and postharvest handling. However, any study on postharvest spoilage fungi in mulberry fruit has not been reported in Korea. This study aimed to examine the spoilage fungi occurring in mulberry fruits during storage after harvest. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, we isolated postharvest spoilage fungi from mulberry fruits stored in refrigerator (fresh fruits) and deep-freezer (frozen fruits) and identified them. In the phylogenetic analysis based on comparisons of the ITS rDNA sequences, the 18 spoilage fungi isolated from mulberry fruits and the 25 reference sequences were largely divided into seven groups that were subsequently verified by high bootstrap analysis of 73 to 100. Alternaria spp. including A. alternate and A. tenuissima, were the most frequently isolated fungi among the spoilage isolates: its occurrence was the highest among the 18 isolates (38.9%). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study will be helpful for increasing the shelf life of mulberry fruits through the application of appropriate control measures against infection by spoilage fungi during storage.

Development of Long-Term Storage Technology for Chinese Cabbage - Physiological Characteristics of Postharvest Freshness in a Cooler with a Monitoring and Control Interface

  • Lim, Ki Taek;Kim, Jangho;Chung, Jong Hoon
    • Journal of Biosystems Engineering
    • /
    • v.39 no.3
    • /
    • pp.194-204
    • /
    • 2014
  • Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop long-term storage technology for Chinese cabbage in order to extend the period of availability of freshly harvested products. The scope of the paper deals with the use of a cooler with a remote monitoring and control interface in conjunction with use of packaging film. Methods: A cooler with a real time monitoring system was designed as a low-temperature storage facility to control temperature and relative humidity (RH). The effects of storage in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic boxes, 3% chitosan dipping solution, polypropylene film (PEF) with perforations, and mesh packaging bags on physiological responses were investigated. The optimal storage temperature and humidity for 120 days were below $0.5^{\circ}C$ and 90%, respectively. Physiological and biochemical features of cabbage quality were also analyzed: weight loss, texture, and sugar salinity, chlorophyll, reducing sugar, and vitamin C contents. Results: The cooler with a remote monitoring and control interface could be operated by an HMI program. A $0.5^{\circ}C$ temperature and 90% humidity could be remotely controlled within the cooler for 120 days. Postharvest freshness of Chinese cabbages could be maintained up to 120 days depending on the packaging method and operation of the remote monitoring system. In particular, wrapping the cabbages in PEF with perforations resulted in a less than a 5% deterioration in quality. This study provides evidence for efficient performance of plastic films in minimizing post-harvest deterioration and maintaining overall quality of cabbages stored under precise low-temperature conditions with remote monitoring and a control interface. Conclusions: Packaging with a modified plastic film and storage in a precisely controlled cooler with a remote monitoring and control interface could slow down the physiological factors that cause adverse quality changes and thereby increase the shelf life of Chinese cabbage.