7 research outputs found
Survival of spores of Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata after exposure to ethanol solutions at various temperatures
EFFECT OF CONVENTIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS ON POSTHARVEST DISEASE CONTROL IN AVOCADOS
Avocado Fruit Quality Management during the Postharvest Supply Chain
Avocados are a popular subtropical fruit of high economic importance, and the
European Union is the biggest importer of the bulk of the fruit coming from countries
such as South Africa, Chile, and Israel. The fruit is highly nutritious, being rich
in vitamins A, B, C, minerals, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and antioxidants.
The biggest challenge is that the fruit is highly susceptible to qualitative and
quantitative postharvest losses. Successful maintenance of avocado fruit quality during
the supply chain depends on many aspects, including adequate orchard management
practices, harvesting practices, packing operations, postharvest treatments, temperature
management, transportation and storage conditions, and ripening at destination.
Postharvest losses are mostly attributed to flesh softening, decay, physiological disorders,
and improper temperature management. Management of the supply chain is
solely done to provide the fruit with the most favorable conditions to extend storage
life, and retain quality and nutritional attributes of the fruit. The focus of this review is
therefore to study the findings that have emanated from research done to retain overall
avocado fruit quality and to reduce postharvest losses during the supply chain through
the adoption of appropriate and novel postharvest technologies.Post-Harvest Innovation Programme (Fresh
Produce Exporter Forum, South Africa, and Department of Science and Technology).http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/lfri202015-06-30hb201
The need to breed crop varieties suitable for organic farming, using wheat, tomato and broccoli as examples: A review
It is estimated that more than 95% of organic production is based on crop varieties that were bred for the conventional high-input sector. Recent studies have shown that such varieties lack important traits required under organic and low-input production conditions. This is primarily due to selection in conventional breeding programmes being carried out in the background of high inorganic fertilizer and crop protection inputs. Also, some of the traits (e.g., semi-dwarf genes) that were introduced to address problems like lodging in cereals in high-input systems were shown to have negative side-effects (reduced resistance to diseases such as Septoria, lower protein content and poorer nutrient-use efficiency) on the performance of varieties under organic and low-input agronomic conditions. This review paper, using wheat, tomato and broccoli as examples, describes (1) the main traits required under low-input conditions, (2) current breeding programmes for organic, low-input agriculture, (3) currently available breeding and/or selection approaches, and (4) the benefits and potential negative side-effects of different breeding methodologies and their relative acceptability under organic farming principles.
© 2010 Royal Netherlands Society for Agricultural Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved