Postharvest Integrated Pest Management

Editor: Beth Mitcham. 2002, 58 pages

Description: With the recent loss of registration of many pre- and postharvest fungicides under the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), as well as the consumer pressure to reduce the amount of chemicals used on food, the challenge to maintain our current system of food distribution increases. The fresh produce industry must begin to place increased emphasis on other methods of pest management.

As with integrated pest management (IPM) in agricultural production, postharvest IPM is a systems approach towards pest management where good management practices are combined with one or more contributory treatments to result in an acceptable level of diseases and/or insect control. A successful IPM system requires a higher degree of involvement with the postharvest handling process including close observation and attention to details. Decisions on pest management strategies are made as a result of those observations.

Table of Contents:

An Overview of Postharvest IPM
Effect of Preharvest Factors and Bruising in Stone Fruit
Orchard Sanitation to Reduce Fruit Decay
Suppression of Postharvest Diseases by Controlled Atmospheres
Do High Oxygen Atmospheres Control Postharvest Decay of Fruit and Vegetables?
Heat Treatment for Control of Postharvest Decay
Heat as an Insect Quarantine Treatment
Irradiation as a Quarantine Treatment
Biological Control of Postharvest Diseases of Fresh Fruit
Postharvest Sanitation to Reduce Decay of Perishable Commodities
Postharvest Use of Ozone in Water on Fresh Fruit
To Rot or Not to Rot, That is the Question: The Biology of Host: Pathogen Interaction
Controlled Atmospheres for Insect Disinfestation
Postharvest Insect Control for Cut Flowers
Resource Directory