Advances in Agricultural Preharvest Products Management

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Product Quality and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 July 2024) | Viewed by 4617

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Guest Editor
Department of Agri-Food Technology, Polytechnic School of Orihuela, University Miguel Hernández, 03312 Alicante, Spain
Interests: pre-harvest; antioxidants; polyphenols, fruit quality; gene expression; metabolic pathways
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Success in fruits and vegetables marketing is determined by the products' quality and shelf life. Fruits and vegetables are also an important source of health-promoting bioactive compounds and are consumed in people's daily diets worldwide. The management of agricultural products has improved in recent years. However, some agronomical practices applied at the pre-harvest stage are more oriented to productivity than to quality. For many years, the solution to the issues of agricultural products has been focused on the post-harvest stage. Nevertheless, it is increasingly evident that proper crop management is essential to ensure the quality of the products. Irrigation, fertilization and pest management have been extensively studied with the aim of enhancing the quality traits of fruits and vegetables. In this sense, increasing the knowledge about the importance of metabolic networks regulating ripening and senescence could be a new approach to improve product management. Thus, the developmental stage at which fruits and vegetables are harvested and the technology to properly determine their quality has received considerable attention.

Dr. Vicente Serna-Escolano
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • crop production
  • crop management
  • fruit quality
  • antioxidant compounds
  • ripening
  • fertigation
  • pre-harvest treatments

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 3745 KiB  
Article
Insecticidal Properties and Chemical Characterization of Laurus nobilis L. Essential Oils from Two Regions of Morocco against Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchinae)
by Rachid El Baghazaoui, Saadia Belmalha, Abdellatif Boutagayout, Laila Nassiri, Salma El Alami, Jean-Michel Savoie and El Houssine Bouiamrine
Agriculture 2024, 14(7), 1150; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14071150 - 15 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1369
Abstract
Morocco is a significant botanical reservoir that boasts a wealth of raw materials with promising applications across various industrial sectors, notably in pharmaceuticals and food. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of essential oils (EOs) derived from Laurus nobilis [...] Read more.
Morocco is a significant botanical reservoir that boasts a wealth of raw materials with promising applications across various industrial sectors, notably in pharmaceuticals and food. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of essential oils (EOs) derived from Laurus nobilis L. leaves originating from the Tanger (EOT) and Meknes (EOM) regions in combating Callosobruchus maculatus infection. The chemical compositions of these oils were examined using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The biological activity of the EOs was evaluated via repulsion and fumigation tests against C. maculatus at varying concentrations. FTIR analysis revealed distinct vibrational bands indicative of various chemical compounds. GC-MS analysis was used to delineate the major chemical constituents of the EOs. The three predominant compounds in the EOT were 1,8-cineole (37.64%), linalool (16.40%), and adamantane (12.00%), whereas 1,8-cineole (47.84%), toluene (17.60%), and α-phellandrene (8.44%) were the most abundant in the EOM. Notably, the EOs exhibited significant repellent activity against C. maculatus, with repulsion percentages ranging from 51.11 to 90.00% in Tanger and 67.78 to 93.33% in Meknes. Mortality rates varied from 0 to 100% depending on the treatment. However, the mean concentrations showed mortality rates ranging from 29.44 to 65.56% for the EOT and from 21.11 to 67.78% for the EOM, with LD50 values of 11.96 μL/L and 5.22 μL/L. Docking studies revealed that 1,8-cineole had the highest binding affinity for the active site of acetylcholinesterase, thus confirming its toxic activity against C. maculatus. The findings of this study highlight the ability of EOs extracted from L. nobilis in the Moroccan regions of Tanger and Meknes to act as effective insecticides and repellents against C. maculatus, thereby highlighting avenues for further exploration of pest management and agricultural practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Agricultural Preharvest Products Management)
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13 pages, 1175 KiB  
Article
The Preharvest Application of Essential Oils (Carvacrol, Eugenol, and Thymol) Reduces Fungal Decay in Lemons
by María Gutiérrez-Pozo, Vicente Serna-Escolano, Marina Giménez-Berenguer, Maria J. Giménez and Pedro J. Zapata
Agriculture 2023, 13(7), 1437; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13071437 - 20 Jul 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2639
Abstract
Lemon postharvest losses are mainly due to the presence of fungal diseases. Current postharvest decay strategies rely on synthetic chemical fungicides; however, consumers are demanding that fruit is free of any chemical residue. The use of new natural alternatives, including essential oils, is [...] Read more.
Lemon postharvest losses are mainly due to the presence of fungal diseases. Current postharvest decay strategies rely on synthetic chemical fungicides; however, consumers are demanding that fruit is free of any chemical residue. The use of new natural alternatives, including essential oils, is emerging due to their potential antimicrobial activity. Therefore, the aim of this work is the elucidation of the effect of carvacrol, eugenol, and thymol, individually and in combination, applied in preharvest. Three different concentrations (100, 500, and 1000 µL/mL) of carvacrol, eugenol, and thymol were individually applied and in combination in ‘Fino’ and ‘Verna’ lemon cultivars. The fungal incidence (mainly Penicillium digitatum and P. italicum) was evaluated weekly for 35 days. Moreover, the main different quality parameters (weight loss, firmness, colour, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and total phenolic content) of lemons were evaluated at harvest and after 35 days of cold storage. The results showed that carvacrol at the lowest concentration (100 µL/L) provided the lowest fungal incidence with a non-negative effect on the lemon quality parameters during storage, while the highest concentrations and the combination of essential oils resulted in the opposite effect. Therefore, carvacrol applied at 100 µL/L in preharvest could be an eco-friendly alternative to the current fungicides to control lemon decay, while maintaining their optimal quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Agricultural Preharvest Products Management)
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