What is the difference between pre-harvest and post-harvest factors affecting crop quality?
Pre-harvest factors include plant genetics, environmental conditions, and management practices that influence the development of the crop before it is harvested. Post-harvest factors include the handling, storage, and transportation practices that affect the quality of the crop after it is harvested.
Climatic factors, particularly temperature and light intensity greatly influence the uptake and metabolism of mineral nutrients by plants and accumulation of carbohydrates, which might affect post-harvest physiology and vase life of cut flowers. Pre-harvest technology involves the methods and techniques used to manage crops and prepare them for harvest, while post-harvest technology involves the methods and techniques used to preserve, store, and process crops after they have been harvested. The main pre-harvest factors influencing quality are related to environmental factors, such as light, temperature, rainfall, soil, and cultural practices, including the use of suitable cultivars, fertilization, irrigation, pruning, spraying, etc. The pre-harvest factors influencing postharvest quality are frequency of irrigation, use of fertilizers, pest control, growth regulators, climatic conditions like wet and windy weather, and natural climates such as hailing, high wind velocity, heavy rainfall, and tree conditions. In general, post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables are influence by many factors. These factors include losses due to physical, physiological, mechanical and hygienic conditions. Fruits and vegetables are mainly characterized by high level metabolic activities and known to posse's short shelf life. After harvest, fruits and vegetables need to be handled with care to maintain freshness, nutrient content, taste and quality. Fruits and vegetables are highly perishable, and so poor after harvest handling can result in losses. Post harvest handling is the stage of crop production immediately following harvest, including cooling, cleaning, sorting and packing. The instant a crop is removed from the ground, or separated from its parent plant, it begins to deteriorate. Activities like pruning, irrigation, fertilizer application, plant stressor, etc. are performed at the time or before harvest to mitigate post-harvest losses. This production practice is critical in developing optimal quality and disease control and prevents nutritional deficiencies.
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