Preharvest Modulation of Postharvest Fruit and Vegetable Quality is the first book to focus on the potential yield quality, quantity and safety benefits of intervention during growth. Of the many factors responsible for overall quality of produce, about 70 percent comes from pre-harvest conditions. Written by an international team of experts, this book presents the key opportunities and challenges of pre-harvest interventions. From selecting the most appropriate growing scenario, to treating plants during the maturation process, to evaluating for quality factors to determine appropriate interventions, this book provides an integrated look at maximizing crop yield through preventative means. In fact, with the very best of postharvest knowledge and technologies available, the best that can be achieved is a reduction in the rate at which products deteriorate as they progress through their normal developmental pattern of maturation, ripening and senescence. Therefore, it is very important to understand what pre-harvest factors influence the many important harvest quality attributes that affect the rate of postharvest deterioration and, subsequently, the consumers' decision to purchase the product in the marketplace. - Presents the important pre-harvest factors that influence harvest quality - Includes up-to-date information on pre-harvest factors that modulate post-harvest biology - Identifies potential methodologies and technologies to enhance pre-harvest interventions

Starting in the 1940s, humans have aimed to increase agricultural productivity. However, along with the benefits gained, there have been several criticisms since the 1970s, especially about food security and environmental impacts. Nowadays, the demand for food is increasing while the quantity and quality of agricultural production is declining due to human-induced environmental problems, i.e. climate change and water scarcity. Moreover, our modern fruit industry needs to improve quality and quantity of fruit production while also protecting ecosystems by reducing environmental impacts. Hence, this book intends to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of the new and eco-friendly technologies in the modern fruit industry.

Due to polymorphism, apples have extraordinary diversity. Depending on variety, apple fruits can differ in color, shade or size; apples even can be oval or pear-shaped. There are more than 10,000 varieties of apple, which vary in taste, shape, juiciness, texture, color, firmness and other qualities. For these reasons, apples have been diversely studied, and many improvements have been made such as the introduction of high density cropping; rootstock breeding; or varietal development. Therefore it is important to understand and document the production methods adopted and implemented in recent times for harvesting maximum benefits of the crop. Apples: Preharvest and Postharvest Technology documents production practices along with detailed illustration on varieties, rootstocks, important cultural practices and post-harvest management. This book will serve as a complete guide for apple production from farm to fork and will help students, scholars, researchers and scientists working in this domain. The book will also help growers all over the world to understand best practices for apple production, to harvest maximum yields, and in turn, to increase their returns.

Postharvest Management of Fresh Produce: Recent Advances critically addresses the latest issues, challenges, and technological advancements in postharvest management of fresh commodities, especially fruits, nuts, and vegetables. The book covers the intriguing correlation of preharvest treatments, maturity indices and postharvest operations that significantly affect the postharvest quality of fresh produce. Further topics include packaging, logistics and storage technologies, the role of microbial communities, and 'omics' strategies in postharvest disease management. Special attention is given to the latest trends of nanotechnology, internet of things (IoTs), and blockchain technologies in food supply chain management of perishable products. The book is a great resource for young and experienced professionals in academia, industry, and UG/PG students to explore a diversified range of topics in postharvest strategies relevant to food processing, food technologies, agro-processing and quality control. - Thoroughly explores major preharvest losses due to non-availabilities of the latest technologies - Describes the latest trends in the supply chain to minimize preharvest losses - Provides an overview on smart technologies such as nanotechnology, IoTs and blockchain technology

This second volume on the topic will be extremely useful for the researchers and postgraduate students working on vegetable crops with a special focus on climate change. Today, the entire world is suffering from global warming and its consequent, climate change. This has emerged as the most prominent global environmental issue and there is an urgent need to mitigate its impact on agriculture. Over the past 20 years South Asia has had a robust economic growth, yet it is home to more than one fourth of the world’s hunger and 40% of the world’s malnourished children and women. Persistent climatic variability, which results in frequent drought and flood, is among the major reasons for this phenomenon. Vegetables are in general more succulent (have 90% water) and more sensitive to climatic vagaries and sudden changes in temperature, as well as irregular precipitation at any phase of crop growing, can affect the normal growth, flowering, pollination, fruit setting, fruit development and fruit ripening which eventually decreases the yield. The irregular precipitation also causes the soil salinity and is a major challenge in many vegetable growing areas. To mitigate the harmful impact of climatic change there is an urgent need to develop adequate adaptation strategies for adverse effect of climate change and preference should be given to the development of heat, cold, drought, flood and salinity stress tolerant genotypes along with climate proofing through conventional and non-conventional breeding techniques, as well as exploiting the beneficial effects of CO2 enhancement on crop growth and yield. Available evidence shows that there is high probability of increase in the frequency and intensity of climate related natural hazards due to climate change and hence increase the potential threat due to climate change related natural disasters in the world. At present protected cultivation and grafted seedlings are also popularizing among vegetable growers because of the huge scope as well as, molecular breeding, emerging insect-pests & diseases and postharvest quality of vegetables under this climate change scenario. Moreover, underexploited vegetables, perennial vegetable and tuber crops have a more tolerant ability to climate vagaries compare to major vegetables which are also discussed in this book.

Improving Stress Resilience in Plants: Physiological and Biochemical Basis and Utilization in Breeding addresses the urgent need for improved understanding of major plant stress tolerance mechanisms, the identification of the genes and gene products that are key to improving those mechanisms and means of optimizing those genes through molecular approaches. With a focus on plant physiological and biochemical attributes at both cellular and whole plant levels, this book includes the latest information on crosstalk between the various signaling molecules and quantitative trait locus (QTL). Further, it explores the extension of these mechanisms to breeding approaches, confirming overall understanding and inspiring further research. Written by a team of global experts, and presented in three thematic sections, the book provides insights into physical adaptations, metabolism and pathways, and breeding techniques including CRISPR and conventional approaches to reduce the negative effects of stresses and improve crop yield even under stress conditions. Improving Stress Resilience in Plants: Physiological and Biochemical Basis and Utilization in Breeding is ideal for researchers, academics and advanced students seeking to improve stress tolerance among crop plants and developing key future strategies for sustainable food production. - Explores key strategies, including signaling molecules and Quantitative Trait Locus (QTLs) - Highlights stress mitigating agents for improved crop yield - Provides an integrated and holistic overview, enabling and inspiring further research toward improved food security

This book presents an exhaustive analysis of the trends in the development and use of natural and synthetic polymer systems aimed at sustainable agricultural production. The polymers have allowed the development of controlled and released systems of agrochemicals such as pesticides, fertilizers and phytohormones through micro and nanoencapsulated systems, which protect and stimulate the growth of crops at low costs and without damage to the environment. Hydrogel systems from natural and synthetic polymers have also had their place in the agricultural industry, since they allow to maintain the humidity conditions of the crops for their correct development in drought times. Mulch films made of polymers have also become important in the control of weeds and pests in crops, as well as the use of edible coatings applied to fruits and vegetables during post-harvest, which reduce the losses of these perishable foods. Currently, the systems indicated, as well as others, are already used on a large scale. However, research studies in this area have been limited compared to other polymer applications. This book collects useful information for researchers, students and technologies related to the polymer technology and agri-food production. In this book, world-renowned researchers have participated, including associate editors of important journals, as well as researchers working in the area of research and development (R&D) of leading agri-food industries in the manufacture of agricultural inputs.

This book highlights the multifunctional role of the ubiquitous molecule, melatonin, in crop plants. The major focus of this edition is to provide detailed insights into morphophysiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of melatonin in the growth and development of the plant. The inception of melatonin as an animal hormone and the subsequent discovery of its multifaceted function in the animal system has triggered the research on this pineal gland hormone. During the last decade, the discovery, quantification and functional studies of melatonin as phytohormone has emerged at a rapid pace. Recently, this phyto-protectant has become an integral component of lab and field-based research on the mitigation of adverse effects of climate-driven abiotic stresses and postharvest biology and technology. The book explores various biosynthetic pathways and detection of melatonin covering its role in flowering, fruit development, photosynthesis, respiration, hormonal crosstalk, post-harvest biology and reactive oxygen species and nitrogen cycles. This book is of high interest to postharvest industries, horticulturists, scientists, researchers, and students.

In the last ten years there has been an exponential increase in the adoption of high-density farming, which leads to better yield and higher-quality fruits, thus improving the economic return. Handbook of Plum Fruit: Production, Postharvest Science, and Processing Technology covers all the recent advances in plum production, harvesting, handling and processing. Divided into two main parts, the first eight chapters provide insight about preharvest processing of plums, whereas the later chapters discuss the postharvest processing of plums. This book also includes vital chapters on varietal improvement and rootstock breeding, high-density planting, and pollination. After harvesting, plum quality quickly diminishes, mainly due to weight loss, total acidity, loss of firmness, and decay. Key Features: In-depth information on the pre- and postharvest processing of plums Coverage on plum harvesting, handling, and storage practices Plum by-product utilization and potential health benefits Handbook of Plum Fruit provides comprehensive information on recent advances in postharvesting technologies of plum. The health benefits of plum and its products are also addressed. This book will assist horticulturists, agriculturists, pomologists, food scientists and others working in various fruit-processing industries.

This book provides fundamentals, highlights recent developments and offers new perspectives relating to the use of electrolyzed water (EW) as an emerging user- and environmental-friendly broad-spectrum sanitizer, with particular focus on the food industry. It addresses the generation, inactivation, pesticide degradation and safety of food by EW, illustrates the mechanism of the germicidal action of EW and its antimicrobial efficacy against a variety of microorganisms in suspensions. In addition, the sanitizing effects of combining EW with various chemical and physical sanitizing technologies have been evaluated, and recent developments and applications of EW in various areas including fruits and vegetables, meat, aquatic products, environment sterilization, livestock and agriculture has been described. The book can be a go-to reference book of EW for: (1) Researchers who need to understand the role of various parameters in its generation, the bactericidal mechanism of EW and its wide applications for further research and development; (2) Equipment producers who need comprehensive understanding of various factors (e.g. type of electrolyte, flow rates of water and electrolyte) which govern the efficacy of EW and developing its generators; (3) Food processors who need good understanding of EW in order to implement it in the operations and supervisors who need to balance the advantages and limitations of EW and ensuring its safe use.