scholarly journals Can gene editing reduce postharvest waste and loss of fruit, vegetables, and ornamentals?

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma N. Shipman ◽  
Jingwei Yu ◽  
Jiaqi Zhou ◽  
Karin Albornoz ◽  
Diane M. Beckles

AbstractPostharvest waste and loss of horticultural crops exacerbates the agricultural problems facing humankind and will continue to do so in the next decade. Fruits and vegetables provide us with a vast spectrum of healthful nutrients, and along with ornamentals, enrich our lives with a wide array of pleasant sensory experiences. These commodities are, however, highly perishable. Approximately 33% of the produce that is harvested is never consumed since these products naturally have a short shelf-life, which leads to postharvest loss and waste. This loss, however, could be reduced by breeding new crops that retain desirable traits and accrue less damage over the course of long supply chains. New gene-editing tools promise the rapid and inexpensive production of new varieties of crops with enhanced traits more easily than was previously possible. Our aim in this review is to critically evaluate gene editing as a tool to modify the biological pathways that determine fruit, vegetable, and ornamental quality, especially after storage. We provide brief and accessible overviews of both the CRISPR–Cas9 method and the produce supply chain. Next, we survey the literature of the last 30 years, to catalog genes that control or regulate quality or senescence traits that are “ripe” for gene editing. Finally, we discuss barriers to implementing gene editing for postharvest, from the limitations of experimental methods to international policy. We conclude that in spite of the hurdles that remain, gene editing of produce and ornamentals will likely have a measurable impact on reducing postharvest loss and waste in the next 5–10 years.

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-117
Author(s):  
Nurul Istiqomah ◽  
Nunung Sri Mulyani ◽  
Izza Mafruhah ◽  
Dewi Ismoyowati

Indonesia as an agricultural country has the potential to compete in the agricultural market in the international market, in line with the existence of the ASEAN / ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) Free Market. Ngawi Regency is a fertile area and is one of the buffer zones of the agricultural sector in East Java. Horticulture commodities are one of the main sources in the agricultural sector, because they have high potential and can contribute to the economy of a region. Horticultural commodities in the form of fruits and vegetables are an important food source to meet the nutritional needs of the community. Agriculture with a focus on horticultural crops in Ngawi Regency was developed with a cluster system based on the level of progress, harvest area and by considering agro-climate to map the superior horticultural commodities. The purpose of this study was to map the conditions of horticultural agriculture and analyze problems in the cluster of horticulture plants in Ngawi Regency. The research method is a mixed method using descriptive analysis, Geographic Information System (GIS), and using the Analysis Hierarchy Process (AHP). The conclusion of this study is that the potential development of horticultural clusters in Ngawi Regency requires structuring and developing the location of base commodities in accordance with the conditions of the agro-ecosystem. The development of existing commodities at these base points will make the commodity superior and support the creation of horticultural cluster centers and the development of existing agribusiness in an area. Development of horticulture base commodities for seasonal vegetables and fruits can be adjusted to the LQ results for each sub-district in Ngawi Regency. The results of the Indepth interview processed using AHP obtained results that in fact there were three main factors in the development of clusters, namely production consisting of four derivative factors namely research and development, superior seeds, fertilizers and anti-pest drugs and then marketing with derivative factors namely product standardization, packaging , traditional markets and modern markets. Then the third factor of the institution consists of training, networking, government support and assistance. 


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed E. E. Mahmoud ◽  
Mohammed ◽  
Fathya M. Khamis and ◽  
Sunday Ekesi ◽  

Abstract Fruit flies of the genus Bactrocera are the most damaging pests of horticultural crops, leading to severe economic losses hindered exportation. Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) and Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) were reported in Sudan in 2005 and 2011 respectively affecting most of the fruits and vegetables in Sudan threatening income of poor farmers. Only Male Annihilation Technique (MAT) is applied in Sudan to manage the two Bactrocera species. A filed experiment was conducted to evaluate the response of B. dorsalis, B. zonata and Zeugodacus cucurbitae to three food-based attractants using McPhail traps in two sites in Gezira state, Sudan. Also, other trial was undertaken to determine the effect of spray of Mazoferm and Spinosad combination to control B. zonata. The results showed that food-based attractants lured both sexes of the above mentioned fruit flies and females represented (55-86%). At the first site, B. zonata responded in high numbers to Mazoferm followed by Torula yeast and GF-120 respectively while it responded equally to the Mazoferm and Torula yeast in the second site. B. dorsalis responded positively to Mazoferm followed by Torula yeast and GF-120 while Z. cucurbitae was attracted to Mazoferm, GF-120 and Torula for each attractant respectively. Spray of Mazoferm combined with Spinosad significantly reduced population of B. zonata (FTD) population and suppressed infestation level of guava fruits (fruit flies/Kg of fruits) when compared to unsprayed orchard. Bait Application Technique is an environmentally friendly approach that reduces infestation levels, lessen contamination and safeguard produce.


Author(s):  
Swapnil Saurav ◽  
Ravi Potti

Cold Chain refers to the transportation of temperature sensitive products like perishable goods from the point of origin to point of consumption in the food supply chain, which keeps it fresh and edible for a much longer period than in normal conditions. Cold Chain helps in transporting seasonal products and also making it available throughout the year. Two main parts of cold chain are transportation and storage systems. The key Indian industries where cold chain logistics play very important role are fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products (ice cream), Poultry and processed meat, marine products, pharmaceutical (mainly vaccines) and chemicals. An efficient cold chain industry ensures availability of food products as well as prevents spoilage of medicines. Country like India, where infrastructure is one of the major challenges, cold chain plays a critical role. Analysis for this study shows that cold supply chain network does not differ significantly from products to products at least in Indian scenario. Some of the challenges to the growth of sector in India are high energy cost, power deficit, rising real estate cost, lack of logistical support and uneven distribution of capacity. All these challenges bring down the operating margin of a company and makes it not so attractive business sector. But during last couple of years there is a positive environment being created for this sector in India. The growth in organized retail, growing interest in horticultural crops, demand for cold chain logistics from Pharmaceutical industry and various initiatives by government are some of the reasons why there is a renewed interest in this sector especially by private sector players. This study, which is focused on Indian cold chain logistics, analyzes the industry on PEST (Political, Economy, Social and Technology) model and presents top 3 factors on each of these 4 parameters.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
CAROLYN P. NEUHAUS ◽  
BRENDAN PARENT

Abstract:Gene editors such as CRISPR could be used to create stronger, faster, or more resilient nonhuman animals. This is of keen interest to people who breed, train, race, and profit off the millions of animals used in sport that contribute billions of dollars to legal and illegal economies across the globe. People have tried for millennia to perfect sport animals; CRISPR proposes to do in one generation what might have taken decades previously. Moreover, gene editing may facilitate enhancing animals’ capacities beyond their typical limits. This paper describes the state of animal use and engineering for sport, examines the moral status of animals, and analyzes current and future ethical issues at the intersection of animal use, gene editing, and sports. We argue that animal sport enthusiasts and animal welfarists alike should be concerned about the inevitable use of CRISPR in sport animals. Though in principle CRISPR could be used to improve sport animals’ well-being, we think it is unlikely in practice to do so.


Subject Regulation of gene-edited organisms. Significance The European Court of Justice (ECJ) last month ruled that new processes for altering the genetic structure of organisms should be subject to existing EU legislation on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The move calls into question whether European researchers and businesses will be able to participate in the global race to exploit the rapidly evolving technology of gene editing. Impacts Innovation in gene editing will usher in a wide range of new crops in the United States and emerging economies over the next decade. This will further enhance the position of GM products in global agriculture (particularly for staples such as soybean, cotton and maize). The EU is unlikely to apply trade restrictions upon such products.


2001 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davis B. Bobrow ◽  
Mark A. Boyer

To understand the prospects for global order and progress in the coming years, we explore the joint implications of three premises: (1) states advantaged by the current international order have stakes in its regularity and predictability, and thus in moving to counter or prevent threats to those stakes; (2) along impure public and club goods lines, they are more likely to make efforts to do so when some private or club benefits result; and (3) public opinion provides a bounded policy acceptance envelope offering incentives and disincentives to national political elites to act as envisioned by the first two premises. We present a mosaic of public opinion in major OECD countries (the US, Japan, and major EU members) on three policy areas – foreign aid, UN peace-keeping operations, and environmental quality – that contain international public goods elements. Actual contribution tendencies in those areas found in our previous work largely conform to the public opinion patterns reported here. Within the limits of available data, domestic political incentives as represented by public opinion warrant neither extreme optimism nor pessimism about the prospects for continuing contributions by OECD states to sustaining orderly functioning of the current world system.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.K. Archana ◽  
P.R. Geetha Lekshmi

Fruits and vegetables are considered as protective foods and received importance in healthy diet plan. Postharvest loss in quality as well as quantity of fruits and vegetables is huge due to seasonal production, high perishability, shorter shelf life and preservation through processing is one of the best methods to minimise the loss. Thermal methods are more popular and these traditional methods of fruit and vegetable preservation often affect the quality of final products in terms of color, taste, flavor and nutritional qualities. Demand for fruit and vegetable products with ‘fresh like’ qualities are increasing and there is a shift of thermal methods of processing to non-thermal methods to improve the quality of processed products. Several non-thermal methods of processing are developed in order to meet the consumer demand of which high pressure processing has proven to be extremely valuable for fruit and vegetable products. It is an emerging technology in juice and beverage sector which allow fruit and vegetable juices as well as smoothies to store safely for a longer time with fresh taste while preserving its nutritional quality. 


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