Impact of Climate Change on Postharvest Quality of Vegetables

Abstract

The postharvest value of vegetables depends on its quality at the time of harvest. This postharvest quality is attributed by synthesis of plant pigments such as chlorophylls, carotenoids, xanthophylls, bio active photochemical and complex carbohydrates. This process of pigments and carbohydrate synthesis occur through photosynthetic activity, which is intricately linked to the environmental/pre-harvest conditions (climate) during production and harvesting stage. There are several pre-harvest factors such as genetic and environmental which affect quality of vegetables. The climate at production stage is one of the major factors which affects the quantity and quality of produced vegetable. The changing climatic conditions such as elevated temperature, irregular rainfall pattern, elevated carbon dioxide concentration, irregular weather event, salinity, draught, biotic stress etc. directly and indirectly affects the vegetable quality by altering duration of maturation, respiration, transpiration, development of bio-chemical, flavour components and nutritional value etc. The alteration in postharvest quality due to changing climate may be both positive or negative. This chapter put light on the influence of climate change and its triggering factors on growing conditions, quality, harvest maturity and nutritional value of vegetables.