Postharvest practices

After harvest, fruits and vegetables need to be handled with care to maintain freshness, nutrient content, taste and quality. Fruits and vegetables are highly perishable, and so poor after harvest handling can result in losses. The field of postharvest practices addresses issues of handling, transportation and temperature control for crops after harvest. Good postharvest handlng is critical to reducing postharvest losses of fresh produce, to maintain quality, preserve nutrient content, and earn higher prices at market.

Horticulture Innovation Lab researchers test the efficacy of postharvest technologies and build capacity among local leaders in postharvest practices. Below are fact sheets, videos, manuals, and other training materials for improving postharvest practices with horticultural crops.

Moving forward from the First International PHL Congress

Elizabeth Mitcham reports from the First International Congress on Postharvest Loss Prevention (PHL Congress) in Rome, including presentation highlights and colleagues who participated.

Beth Mitcham stands at a podium on stage speaking

Successful postharvest symposium in Cambodia

Approximately 120 people attended the “Southeast Asia Symposium on Quality Management in Postharvest Systems” held in August in Cambodia, sponsored in part by the Horticulture Innovation Lab.

Five people stand around a table with gourds on it

Training new postharvest experts in Bangladesh

A team from the Horticulture Innovation Lab recently led eight days of training in Bangladesh about improving postharvest practices for fruits, vegetables, grains and flowers.

Fresh vegetables sit on Styrofoam trays covered in cling wrap with labels

Event: International postharvest symposium in Cambodia

Cambodia will be the setting for the International Society for Horticultural Science’s third “Southeast Asia Symposium on Quality Management in Postharvest Systems.” The symposium will be Aug. 13-15 in Siem Reap.

Lizann Wheeler talking to group around the brick-based cooling chamber.

Visiting Tanzania: Postharvest Training and Services Center

Graduate student researcher Elyssa Lewis and I were invited to observe a refresher training course in Tanzania with the World Food Logistics Organization and the TOPS Program. The visit included evaluation of a project that trained experts in postharvest handling and established a Postharvest Training and Services Center.