Author(s):

Meenakshi Kumari, Manoj Kumar, SS Solankey, Deepak Baboo and Mayank Shekhar Singh

Abstract: Vegetables are highly perishable in nature due to higher moisture content and faster respiration rate. In India, nearly 30-35% of its total production is deteriorate due to improper and poor postharvest handling. The physiological and biochemical processes, microbial decay, high perishability and sub-standard postharvest handling infrastructures are the major factors responsible for postharvest losses. For this reason, practices like proper handling, pre-cooling, washing and disinfection can be adopted before storage to check the postharvest losses. Few chemicals such as sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid are used for disinfection. However, hot water treatment can be an effective way of disinfection in organic vegetables for pathogen suppression. While, irradiation has been used as an effective means of maintaining colour, firmness, and other quality. Use of edible coating has been effective for maintaining quality and shelf life in pointed gourd. Other than these, reduction in physiological weight loss, delay senescence, maintains chloroplast activity, declines chlorophyll degradation can be possible by application of various plant growth regulators such as 1-MCP, 6-BAP MeJA, CaCl₂ and KMnO₄as reported beneficial in many vegetables. Among these, 1-MCP and Methyl jasmonate can be suggested as alternative to 6-BAP for increasing the shelf life of most the vegetables in eco-friendly and economical way. By popularizing this among the farming community we can effectively reduce the postharvest losses in vegetable of about 35% every year which can play a significant role in enhancing farm income and also mitigate the hidden hunger of poor populations.

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