ASCOT Library Zabali Campus

Section I. Postharvest handling of fruit : some general considerations –
Developing practical methods and facilities for handling fruits in order to maintain quality and reduce losses - F. W. Liu –
Identifying the magnitude and causes of postharvest losses of subtropical fruits-W. Grierson and W. F. Wardowski –
Section II. Postharvest handling of fruit in Asia : some country reports –
Present status and prospects of postharvest handling of tropical and subtropical fruits in Malaysia - Abdullah Hassan –
Postharvest handling of bananas in Taiwan - L. S. Ke and S. C. Hwang –
Postharvest handling system for subtropical fruits in Taiwan - S. C. Lin and C. H. Chen –
Research into the postharvest handling of tropical and subtropical fruit in Thailand - S. C. Tongdee –
Packaging, transportation and storage for selected fruit crops in Korea - Whee-Cheon Kim –
Section III. new research on fruit storage –
Temperature response in citrus after harvest - Takao Murata –
Ethylene in the postharvest physiology of tropical and subtropical fruit - Tsu-Tsuen Wang –
Energy-saving storage of citrus fruit in Japan - Yoshinori Hasegawa –
Vacuum, hydro, and forced-air cooling of farm produce and their energy consumption - Yi-Luen Chen –
Section IV. disease control –
Postharvest diseases of subtropical and tropical fruits and their control –
Incidence and control of postharvest insect pests found in subtropical fruit in Taiwan - Tsong-Hong Su.

"This book is the Proceedings of the seminar on "Postharvest Handling of Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Crops", held in Taichung, Taiwan ROC in November 1987. The seminar was co-sponsored by the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), and owed much of its success to the organizing ability and devoted work of the organizing staff. To all of them, and to the Director of TARI, I wish to express my deep appreciation. The Center is also indebted to the Council of Agriculture of ROC, which provided a large proportion of the funds for the publication of this volume. The number of requests we have received from potential readers, even before it has been published, give some indication of how badly the information it contains is needed by those working in the field of postharvest handling of tropical and subtropical fruit.
Postharvest losses are a problem in small-scale agriculture everywhere, but are particularly serious in the case of fruit production, particularly the delicate fruits of the tropics and subtropics. Although the market prospects for such fruit are good in both domestic and overseas markets, it has been estimated that 25% or more of fruit produced in Asian countries is lost because of improper handling and storage. If the fruit after harvest were to receive better handling, this enormous amount of produce would then become available on the market, to provide higher income for farmers and quality food for consumers.
The papers published in this proceedings give the results of a great deal of recent research on such topics as chemical treatments, control of thermal stress, packaging techniques and storage methods. Some very useful papers give general information on the extent and causes of postharvest losses of fruit, and ways in which countries can develop practical and efficient postharvest handling systems to suit their particular needs. Several authors emphasize the variation between species, and between different varieties of the same species, in response to particular handling procedures. Some varieties, for example, may respond well to cold storage or heat treatment, while fruit of very similar varieties may be ruined by exactly the same treatment. Of course this does not mean that successful technology cannot be transferred to new species, but it does mean that careful testing is needed.
Fruit production is already making a substantial contribution to the incomes of millions of small-scale farmers in the region, and the future outlook is extremely promising. Given the difficulty of efficient postharvest handling procedures on small-scale farms, especially when these are widely scattered and lie some distance from markets, it is encouraging that the scientists of this region, working with the farmers, have already achieved such success. I hope this volume, containing the research and field experience of many distinguished scientists, will be helpful to all those who are working to improve the quality and storage stability of the fruit harvested in this region." -
Cheng-Hwa Huang
Director, FFTC