Extent of knowledge level of farmers about postharvest management practices and their use in pigeonpea

There is growing recognition of the role that the microbiome plays in the health and physiology of many plant species. However, considerably less research has been conducted on the postharvest microbiome of produce and the impact that postharvest processing may have on its composition. Here, amplicon sequencing was used to study the effect of washing, waxing, and low-temperature storage at 2 °C for six months on the bacterial and fungal communities of apple calyx-end, stem-end, and peel tissues. The results of the present work reveal that tissue-type is the main factor defining fungal and bacterial diversity and community composition on apple fruit. Both postharvest treatments and low temperature storage had a strong impact on the fungal and bacterial diversity and community composition of these tissue types. Distinct spatial and temporal changes in the composition and diversity of the microbiota were observed in response to various postharvest management practices. The greatest impact was attributed to sanitation practices with major differences among unwashed, washed and washed-waxed apples. The magnitude of the differences, however, was tissue-specific, with the greatest impact occurring on peel tissues. Temporally, the largest shift occurred during the first two months of low-temperature storage, although fungi were more affected by storage time than bacteria. In general, fungi and bacteria were impacted equally by sanitation practices, especially the epiphytic microflora of peel tissues. This research provides a foundation for understanding the impact of postharvest management practices on the microbiome of apple and its potential subsequent effects on postharvest disease management and food safety.

Download Full-text

Assessing the Knowledge Level of Beekeepers on Improved Beekeeping Management Practices in Peri-Urban Areas of Southwestern Nigeria

Journal of Agricultural & Food Information ◽

10.1080/10496505.2015.1124781 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 17 (2-3) ◽

pp. 162-173

Author(s):

Sunday I. Ogunjimi ◽

Abiodun O. Ajala ◽

Chinwe Egbunonu

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Management Practices ◽

Knowledge Level ◽

Southwestern Nigeria

Download Full-text

Knowledge Level on Soil Health Management among Soil Health Card Holders of Namakkal District, India

Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension Economics & Sociology ◽

10.9734/ajaees/2021/v39i1030720 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 455-459

Author(s):

N. Dhivya ◽

R. Rajasekaran ◽

T. Dhamodaran ◽

R. Pangayar Selvi

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Health Management ◽

Soil Health ◽

Modern Technology ◽

Knowledge Level ◽

Human Beings ◽

Health Card ◽

Structural Deterioration ◽

Ex Post ◽

Four Blocks

Aims: Soil structural deterioration and degradation is a major concern in the present-day agriculture scenario. Poor soil health directly affects the health of the plant and its productivity; indirectly the health of human beings as well as animals. So, scientific knowledge of soil management on the part of the farmer-producers is necessary. So, the main aim of the study is to identify the knowledge level on soil health management among the soil health card holders. Study Design: Ex-post facto research. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the Namakkal district of Tamilnadu during the months of July-August 2021. All the selected respondents were the holders of soil health card as it contains physical and chemical characteristics of soil, they have a working knowledge of research problem and were able to provide responses. Methodology: Data were collected by using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire through a face-to-face interview method. The sample size is 120 selected from four blocks of Namakkal district. The statistical analysis applied were frequency distribution, percentage analysis, mean, and standard deviation. Results: The study shows that more than half of the soil health card holders (55.83 percent) had an overall high level of knowledge about soil health management practices. Conclusion: The soil health card scheme was brought to bring improvement of soil health in the long run by farmers all over the country. Thus, the knowledge of soil health management practices including modern technology can be disseminated to a greater extent for the benefit of the farmers including non-holders of soil health cards through formal and informal meetings and training.

Download Full-text

Postharvest Management Practices of Grains in the Eastern Region of Kenya

Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.5539/jas.v11n3p33 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 33 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anastasia W. Njoroge ◽

Ibrahim Baoua ◽

Dieudonne Baributsa

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Production Systems ◽

Eastern Region ◽

Stored Grain ◽

Primary Methods ◽

Postharvest Management ◽

Seed Crops ◽

Storage Technologies ◽

Semi Arid ◽

Made In

Cereals and legumes play a major role in the production systems and diets of farmers in the semi-arid eastern region of Kenya. Efficient postharvest management can tremendously contribute to food security in these regions. A study was carried out in three counties in eastern Kenya to assess pre and postharvest management practices among farmers. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires designed and administered using Kobo Toolbox via android tablets. Results showed that farmers cultivated three main crops: maize (98%), beans 66%), and pigeon peas (28%). The most saved seed crops were beans (80%) and pigeon peas (50%). Majority of the farmers (80%) experienced pre-drying losses due to insects (48%), rodents (40%) and birds (39%). Farmers stored grain for consumption (80%) and for sale (19%). About 48% of farmers stored the grain for more than 9 months. Challenges during grain storage were insects (57%) and rodents (43%). Primary methods of grain preservation included hermetic methods (61%) followed by insecticides (33%). While progress is being made in addressing storage challenges, there still a need to continue building awareness about improved storage technologies and find solutions for pest infestations in the field and drying after harvest.

Download Full-text

Physicochemical Changes of Apple (Malus domestica) Fruit Cultivars as Influenced by Maturity Stages and Postharvest Management Practices

10.20944/preprints202106.0198.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tadesse Teferra ◽

Abadi Mezgebe ◽

Eden Lencha

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Storage Period ◽

Sweet Taste ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Value Chains ◽

Maturity Stage ◽

Total Soluble Solids ◽

Physicochemical Changes ◽

Apple Cultivars ◽

Postharvest Management

This research was conducted to understand changes of physicochemical properties of fruits of three apple cultivars as influenced by stage of maturity and packaging types over storage period of three weeks. The research was designed to replicate practices by the producers and along the value chains and to assess the fruit quality under the conditions of the major markets in the region. All the measured physicochemical parameters significantly varied with the cultivars, maturity stage at harvest and packaging types. Higher firmness was recorded for the samples harvested about two weeks before the optimal maturity, usually practiced by significant number of producers to gain market advantage. Lower total soluble solids corresponded to the early harvested samples regardless of cultivars and packaging types. The firmness was observed decreasing over the storage periods whereas the total soluble solids increased, which is associated to improving sensorial quality for the early harvested cultivars as the soluble solids are mainly sugars. The early harvesting resulted in fruits of inferior desirability including extreme hardness, firmness and low total soluble solids that may have high sourness and less sweet taste. Awareness creation for the producers on the quality and advantages of harvesting their produces at optimal maturity and practicing good postharvest management is required.

Download Full-text

Quality of ‘Isabel’ grape treated pre-harvest with CaCl2 and citrus biomass-based elicitor

Semina Ciências Agrárias ◽

10.5433/1679-0359.2017v38n5p2945 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (5) ◽

pp. 2945 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Leonardo Da Silva Santos ◽

Silvanda De Melo Silva ◽

Ana Lima Dantas ◽

Antônio Fernando da Silva ◽

Antonio Augusto Marques Rodrigues ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Block Design ◽

Storage Conditions ◽

Grape Berry ◽

High Rate ◽

Small Scale ◽

Randomized Block Design ◽

Decay Index ◽

Fruit Decay ◽

Postharvest Management

The high rate of fruit decay and berry drop reduces quality and increases postharvest losses in 'Isabel' grapes, requiring pre-harvest and postharvest management practices available to the small-scale farmer, which maintain quality and extend postharvest life of the clusters. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the pre-harvest application of CaCl2 and Citrus Biomass-based elicitor in 'Isabel' grapes, in the maintenance of quality during storage at room conditions under ambient and modified atmospheres. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with 8 replicates, in the field located at the municipality of São Vicente Férrer-PE, Brazil. 'Isabel' vines were treated 28 days before harvest with: Citrus Biomass-based elicitor (CB), Citrus Biomass-based elicitor + CaCl2 (CB + C), CaCl2 (C) and Control (T) - without application. Grapes harvested in the commercial maturity were stored in a 4 × 2 × 7 factorial arrangement, with 4 treatments (applied in the field), 2 storage conditions, ambient (AA) and modified (AM) atmospheres, under room conditions (25 ± 2 °C and 75 ± 2% RH) and 7 evaluation periods in four replicates. The application of CaCl2 and CB-based elicitor reduced the berry drop index (55 and 75%, respectively), the decay and weight loss of 'Isabel' grape clusters. These treatments, associated or not, increased MA efficiency in maintaining cluster quality. The 'Isabel' grape berry drop index was directly influenced by the SS/TA ratio, pH and fruit decay index.

Download Full-text

Application of modern agronomic and biotechnological strategies to valorise worldwide globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L.) potential - an analytical overview

Italian Journal of Agronomy ◽

10.4081/ija.2018.1252 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 279-289 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Aneta Grabowska ◽

Gianluca Caruso ◽

Ali Mehrafarin ◽

Andrzej Kalisz ◽

Robert Gruszecki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

New Technologies ◽

Value Added ◽

Global Market ◽

Globe Artichoke ◽

Cynara Cardunculus ◽

The World ◽

Postharvest Management ◽

Seed Propagation ◽

Global And Local

The globe artichoke [Cynara cardunculus L. var. scolymus (L.) Fiori], an ancient vegetable originated in the Mediterranean Basin, is currently cultivated in many regions of the world under a perennial cycle or as an annual crop, with the first method being more widespread globally. The growing importance of globe artichoke as modern functional food as well as a source of pharmaceuticals has raised new issues that all producers have to face; hence the necessity of contemporaneous development of new centres of production and new technologies application in traditional regions of growing which can complement the global market. This review is focused on development of globe artichoke technology of production in recent several years which meet the diversified requirements of global and local markets. We considered the recent literature to highlight specific applications of modern farming practices and plant breeding along with genetic variation to globe artichoke production system as well as to postharvest management in order to enhance the value added of this commodity. The latter targets are mainly addressed to particular regions of the world and they are based on farmers knowledge, equipment, scale and methods of production, processing, final market. Our reports are focused on sustainable and environmentally friendly methods which can improve the profitability of production as well as product’s quality and quantity traits. We discussed the balanced mineral application which can precisely affect the yield chemical composition, attractiveness and shelf life of globe artichoke heads as well as create the opportunities to attain standardised by-products, valuable on the market of health and convenient food. Further topics were developed, such as introduction of seed propagation, intercropping, grafting, flowering induction, postharvest treatments as linked to different regions and conditions of production. Precise selection of modern management practices was recognised as a main goal to fulfil the requirements of local and global market for fresh, processed and new potential globe artichoke products.

Download Full-text