This new volume is a rich and comprehensive resource of the basic information and latest developments and research efforts on tropical and subtropical fruits. It presents an extensive overview of crop production techniques, processing, marketing, breeding efforts, harvesting, postharvest handling, pest and disease management, and more of banana, citrus, durian, grapes, guava, jackfruit, litchi, mango, and papaya.
Tropical and sub-tropical fruits have gained significant importance in global commerce. This book examines recent developments in the area of fruit technology including: postharvest physiology and storage; novel processing technologies applied to fruits; and in-depth coverage on processing, packaging, and nutritional quality of tropical and sub-tropical fruits. This contemporary handbook uniquely presents current knowledge and practices in the value chain of tropical and subtropical fruits world-wide, covering production and post-harvest practices, innovative processing technologies, packaging, and quality management. Chapters are devoted to each major and minor tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, banana, papaya, date, guava, passion fruit, lychee, coconut, logan, carombola) and each citrus and non-citrus sub-tropical fruit (orange, grapefruit, lemon/lime, mandarin/tangerine, melons, avocado, kiwifruit, pomegranate, olive, fig, cherimoya, jackfruit, mangosteen). Topical coverage for each fruit is extensive, including: current storage and shipping practices; shelf life extension and quality; microbial issues and food safety aspects of fresh-cut products; processing operations such as grading, cleaning, size-reduction, blanching, filling, canning, freezing, and drying; and effects of processing on nutrients and bioavailability. With chapters compiled from experts worldwide, this book is an essential reference for all professionals in the fruit industry.
General aspects of organic farming in the Tropics and Subtropics: Philosophy and principles of organic agriculture; Soil management and soil nutrition; Pest and disease management; Weed management; Seeds and planting material; Management of semi-natural habitats; Livestock husbandry; Water conservation and irrigation; Agroforestry; Conversion to organic farming; The economic performance of organic farms. Organic cultivation of fruits and vegetables: Organic fruits: citrus, guava, lychee, avocado, coconut, bananas, mango, pineaple, dates, pepper, different possible processing methods for fruits; Organic vegetables: beans, tomato, cabbage, asparagus, carrot, cucumber, aubergine, lettuce, onions, radish, spinach, sweet corn, water melon. Global market perspectives for developing countries: Organic markets by regions: North America, Europe, Asia, Organic markers in developing countries. Standards and regulations: Requirements and conditions relating to organic trade; Principles of inspection and certification of organic products.
Principles of Tropical Horticulture leads the reader through a background of environmental influences and plant physiology to an understanding of production and post-harvest systems, environmental adaptation techniques and marketing strategies. Focusing on the principles behind production practices and their scientific basis, rather than detailed biological traits of each crop, this text outlines successes and failures in practices to date and sets out how the quantity and quality of horticultural produce can improve in the future. Case studies are frequently used and chapters cover the production of vegetables, fruit and ornamental crops, including temperate zone crops adapted to grow in the tropics.
Advances in Postharvest Fruit and Vegetable Technology examines how changes in community attitudes and associated pressures on industry are demanding changes in the way technology is used to minimize postharvest loss and maintain product quality. In particular, the book discusses important drivers for change, including: Using more natural chemicals or physical treatments to replace synthetic chemicals Increasing the efficiency of older, more traditional methods in combination with newer biocontrol treatments Leveraging a range of biomolecular research tools or "omics" to efficiently gather and assess mass information at molecular, enzymic, and genetic levels Using modelling systems to identify key changes and control points for better targeting of new treatments and solutions to postharvest problems The postharvest handling of fresh fruits and vegetables plays a critical role in facilitating a continuous supply of high-quality fresh produce to the consumer. Many new technologies developed and refined in recent years continue to make possible an ever-expanding supply of fresh products. This volume examines a range of recently developed technologies and systems that will help the horticulture industry to become more environmentally sustainable and economically competitive, and to minimize postharvest quality loss and generate products that are appealing and acceptable to consumers.
This book offers a clear picture of all that we need to know to make our small plot of land the most productive it can be. The authors present the information in a way that is cognizant to the people, plants, insects, and animals that live on the land. Thus, they do not recommend the use of pesticides or fertilizers or any other product that can be poisonous or unnatural. They choose organic seeds to maintain practices that promote, rather than destroy, the environment. This book contains, among other themes: • Horticultural techniques, from irrigation practices to sowing, tending, and harvesting • 1,001 ways to get rid of creatures that plague us, without exterminating them • All the plants we can grow and how to do so in the best way possible • Fruit trees, aromatic plants, and plants you can eat • Plants you should avoid • And much more!
This volume consists of two parts. Part 1 comprises 6 chapters concerning the principles and practice of tropical vegetable production (including site, topography, soils and water; site management, seeds and types of cultivars; support for farmers; crop preparation and management; reducing pre- and postharvest losses and marketing surpluses). In Part 2, the crops have been mainly dealt with according to their taxonomy as botanical families, either as single or groups of families per chapter. These include: Alliaceae; Cruciferae [Brassicaceae]; Cucurbitaceae; Solanaceae; Leguminosae; leafy vegetables; Araceae, Convolvulaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Euphorbiaceae; Andean tubers and roots and crops of the Lamiaceae and Apiaceae; and Gramineae [Poaceae] and Cyperaceae. Examples of the indigenous species which can be regarded as important sources of edible vegetative materials which are not dealt with in the main text have been listed in Appendix 1. Contact details of the main international research stations are provided in Appendix 2. This book has been written with the hope and purpose that it will be used by technical, college and university students during their studies of horticulture, crop production and agriculture; it is also for students on other allied courses and agriculturists who find themselves needing more vegetable-orientated information in the course of their professional activities. It is aimed to assist in the production of extension, advisory and research staff and officers who will be the core of trainers, advisors, researchers and extension workers in tropical and subtropical countries.
Enjoy fresh java brewed from your own coffee beans or juice from the orange tree growing in a sunny corner of your living room. Laurelynn G. Martin and Byron E. Martin show you how to successfully plant, grow, and harvest 47 varieties of tropical fruiting plants — in any climate! This straightforward, easy-to-use guide brings papaya, passionfruit, pepper, pineapples, and more out of the tropics and into your home. With plenty of gorgeous foliage, entrancing fragrances, and luscious fruits, local food has never been more exotic.
