Postharvest Ripening Physiology of Crops

Postharvest Ripening Physiology of Crops is a comprehensive interdisciplinary reference source for the various aspects of fruit ripening and postharvest behavior. It focuses on the postharvest physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology of ripening and provides an overview of fruits and vegetables, including chapters on the postharvest quality of ornamental plants and molecular biology of flower senescence.

It describes various developments that have taken place in the last decade with respect to identifying and altering the function of ripening-related genes. Taking clues from studies in grape and tomato as model fruits, the book reviews a few case studies and gives you a detailed account of molecular regulation of fruit ripening, and signal transduction and internal atmospheres in relation to fruit ripening. It also presents an overview of methods utilized in fruit proteomics, as well as a global proteome and systems biology analysis of fruits during ripening, and discusses the basics of dormancy, its molecular and physiological basis, and methods to break the dormancy.

The book provides an overview of the most important metabolic pathways and genes that control volatile biosynthesis in model fruits, including tropical, subtropical, and temperate fruits, with a special emphasis on fruit ripening and the role of ethylene during this process. It presents a brief description of the composition of volatiles in various fruit species and addresses the influences of preharvest factors and postharvest technologies on fruit aroma, basic mechanisms responsible for postharvest flavor change in fresh produce, and the potential impacts of various postharvest technologies on flavor.

Dr. Sunil Pareek obtained his PhD in Horticulture (PHT) from Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, India. He is an Associate Professor (PHT) in the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Kundli, India. Dr. Pareek is principal or co-principal investigator on several fruit, tuber crop, processed products, and integrated farming projects. He has published extensively and is the recipient of the University Outstanding Services Award 2014, Outstanding Team Research Award 2014, Young Scientist Award 2012, HS Mehta Young Scientist Award 2012, JISL Fellowship 2014, and the Fellow Award of the Confederation of Horticultural Associations of India.