COURSE CODE: HRT 503
COURSE TITLE: Postharvest Physiology and Produce Storage
NUMBER OF UNITS: 2 UNITS
COURSE DURATION: Six hours per week
COURSE DETAILS:
Course Coordinator: Dr M. A. O. Okelana B.Sc., M.Sc. Ph.D.
Email: maokelana@yahoo.com
Office Location:
Other Lecturers: Prof. J.G. Bodunde and Dr. Mrs. T. T. Joseph-Adekunle
COURSE SYNOPSIS:
Concepts of post harvest physiology and produce storage. Types of produce – fruits, vegetables, seeds, grains, spices, roots, tubers, ornamentals, etc. Effect of environment such as climate, soil, pests and diseases on crop growth, maturity indices. Pre-harvest cultural management such as nutrient appropriateness, adequacy of control of pests and diseases, timeliness of farm operation including weeding, harvesting and evacuation of produce from the farm. Post harvest management such as cooling, sorting, grading, appropriate handling, transportation of produce in different containers. Controlled storage of produce. Shell-life of various types of produce. Physical and chemical indices of quality in fruits, seeds, vegetables, flowers and other crop produce. Modern and traditional methods of vegetable processing and storage. Fundamentals and principles of crop storage and transportation. Storage and shell-life problems; ideal atmosphere for storing fruits, seeds, vegetables, flowers and other crop produce. Controlled environment for transit and long term storage; protective treatment, design and operation of equipment for storage and preservation. Post harvest losses and prevention, economic, quantitative, qualitative, nutritional and germination.
Practical: Training in handling, harvesting and storage of produce to minimize losses. Traditional methods of produce storage. Visit to Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute and Processing Companies. Seed Storage Environment Structure and Maintenance. Disease and Pest Control in Storage. Environmental Control Production of plant clones.
