3. What are your thoughts on these pictures

4. Diego Martin North Secondary School
Post Harvest
Diego Martin North Secondary School

5. What is Post Harvest
Post-Harvest is the stage in crop production immediately after harvesting the crop. It includes cooling, cleaning, sorting and packing. The instant a crop is removed from the ground, or separated from its parent plant, it begins to deteriorate.

6. Post-Harvest
As soon as a plant or crop is reaped or harvested it begins to deteriorate. Therefore steps must be taken to protect the produce and increase it shelf life.
The most important goals of post-harvest handling are keeping the product cool, to avoid moisture loss and slow down undesirable chemical changes, and avoiding physical damage such as bruising, to delay spoilage.[1] Sanitation is also an important factor, to reduce the possibility of pathogens that could be carried by fresh produce, for example, as residue from contaminated washing water.

7. The steps involve in Post harvest are:
Picking/harvesting
Cooling
Cleaning (disinfectant or sanitizer)
Grading and Sorting
Packaging and Processing
Storage
Distribution

8. Why is post harvest important?
Increase the shelf life of the crop/produce, hence reducing spoilage.
Get rid of pathogens that may accelerate spoilage or cause harm to humans.
Ensure a high standard of food safety is maintained
Increase the value added status of the product. Hence the produce is maintained for processing
Allows the farmer to target outside markets thereby increasing his profitability.

9. Post-Harvest Technology
What causes loss in the quality of produce:
improper temperature management
- drying (wilting, shriveling)
- mechanical injury (abrasion, puncture, bruising, vibration)
• wounds cause higher metabolism rate 
• more water lost through broken cuticle
Attacks by bacteria or fungi - esp. after entry through a mechanically caused wound,  - also higher metabolism releases sugars: substrates for microbial growth

10. Post-Harvest Technology
Avoid mechanical injury (from impact, puncture, compression, vibration, abrasion)
Promptly and thoroughly cool your crop
Maintain the crops' optimum storage temp
Avoid water lost

11. Post-Harvest

12. Question Write short notes on the following What is Post Harvest
Why is Post- Harvest important in agriculture
What steps can a farmer take to reduce post-harvest losses