Abstract
Horticulture is a branch of Agricultural science where it is defined as the science and art of cultivating and handling fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants and several plants having unique medicinal and aromatic values. Horticultural crops provide farmers with high income and have good export quality, but they have a concern about postharvest losses. Hence, increasing productivity and decreasing post-harvest losses by using scientific studies and techniques like biotechnology and nanotechnology could be the simplest possible solution to the above-mentioned problems. Using nanotechnology which is having the characteristics of nanoparticles is proven to be very useful in science and technological applications. Nanotechnology-based formulations increase the product quality and the shelf life of horticultural products and provide multiple ways of inhibiting the growth and development of microorganisms. It is precisely a new edible packaging coverage (film) that controls the exchange of gases and prevents damage from harmful rays such as ultraviolet radiation to a greater extent. Increasing strength by using nano biosensors for labeling products is considered a fundamental process to automated control of storage products. Postharvest rotting of vegetables is recognized to be an oxidative reaction and microbial deterioration as well. This review will address all such nanotechnology-based advancements for minimizing post-harvest losses of horticultural crops and enhancing the socio-economical progress of growers in particular.
Highlights
Most of the horticultural crops and their products are imperative in our everyday diet
Many preservatives are mostly prepared by chemical methods, but silver nanoparticles (SNPs) synthesized from plant extracts of different plants are considered as a recent technology which inhibits the growth of microorganisms, improves water uptake of cut flowers and their vase life, is considered eco-friendly, can be used at a large scale and, most importantly, less harmful compared to their synthetic counterparts
Simple postharvest practices like appropriate early harvest, clean washing, sorting, grading, wrapping, pre-cooling, and proper care taken during transportation help to reduce postharvest losses of most of the horticultural crops
Summary
Most of the horticultural crops and their products are imperative in our everyday diet. Distinct properties of nanomaterials and nanoparticles are being applied proficiently to transform our farming into a sustainable agriculture in general, and a sustainable horticulture in particular; this is the result of minimizing postharvest diseases of vegetables and fruits at the scientific and industry levels [2]. About 10%–15% of shrink and decay on fresh fruits and vegetables lower their market value and consumer acceptability Among these losses, 18% comes from animals and pests, and 16% are due to diseases where 72%–85% of the losses are caused by fungi [3]. The Food and Agriculture Organization identified that 33% of the food delivered worldwide for human consumption is lost after crop harvesting [7] These losses were distributed throughout the production network as a result of pathogen-initiated diseases that cause most of the food wastage. Minimizing these losses will increase their supply and reduce the overall cost
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