PMAS Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Pakistan

1. Post harvest handling of Plum
Presented by
Iqra Bashir
12-arid-370

2. Introduction:
 Plum (Prunus domestica ) is an important stone fruit after peach in terms
of area and production in Pakistan. Different varieties of plum (Fazle
mananai, Faramusa Beauty and Late mananai ) are grown in varying
quantities in different climatic conditions neither too hot nor cold.
 In Pakistan, it is mostly grown in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa. The main
 producing areas of plum are Kalat, Mardan, Mastung, Nowshera,
Peshawar, Pishin, Quetta, and Swat.

3.  Plums are produced around the world, and China is the world's
largest producer.
 In the United States, the Japanese varieties of plums are
predominant. California was the dominant producer in 2011
Production statistics:

4.  Pakistan ranks 17th for plum production in the world
with total production of 67,000 tons.
 The share of the areas are:
 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is 47%
 Swat district contributes about 17%
 (GoP, 2009).
Production statistics:

5.  For the determination of ripeness of plums the following
apparatus shall be used:
 A calibrated refractometer.
 A handheld penetrometer or a penetrometer mounted on a drill stand
with a plunger of 11 ,2 millimetre in diameter.
 If the calibrated refractometer is used to determine the total soluble
solids (TSS)
 If a handheld penetrometer or a penetrometer mounted on a drill stand
is used
Determination of ripeness

6. POSTHARVEST LOSSES MAY OCCUR AT DIFFERENT
STEPS DURING THE MARKETING CHAIN
Losses at harvest: injuries, pressure damage
Losses at the packinghouse: chemicals, brushes
and wax damage
Losses during storage: chilling injuries, decay,
peel disorders
Losses during transport: bruising, deformation,
decay
Losses at retail: decay, softening, wilting
Losses at the consumers: decay, softening, wilting

7. Primary factors of the post harvest losses are:
 biological (rodents, birds, animals)
 microbiological (fungus, bacteria)
 chemical (reaction of the nutrients, contamination with
pesticides and other chemicals)
 Biochemical (enzymes activated reactions)
 mechanical (bruising, cutting and puncturing)
 physical (excessive or insufficient heat or cold)
 Physiological respiration, sprouting in dormancy) and
 psychological (human aversion).
Post harvest losses of Plum

8. The secondary factors which encourage these
primary
factors are:
 inadequate harvesting method
 Packaging
 Transportation
 Storage and
 some environmental factors like temperature,
humidity and solar radiation
Post harvest losses of Plum

9. Handling
These include:
• Cleaning the product
• Storing
• Packaging
• Quick cooling
• Good refrigerated
• Storage
• Good transportation & distribution

10. DISORDERS
Physiological and Physical Disorders
Internal Breakdown or Chilling Injury.
This physiological problem is characterized by
flesh translucency, flesh internal browning, flesh
mealiness, flesh bleeding, failure to ripen and
flavor loss. These symptoms develop in plum and
fresh prunes during ripening after a cold storage
period. Thus, these symptoms are usually
detected by consumers. Fruit stored within the
"killing temperature range" 2-8°C (36-46°F) are
more susceptible to this problem.

11. DISORDERS
Pathological Disorders
Brown rot.
Caused by Monilia fructicola is the most
important postharvest disease of stone
fruits. Infection begins during flowering and
fruit rot may occur before harvest but often
occurs postharvest. Orchard sanitation to
minimize infection sources. preharvest
fungicide application and prompt cooling
after harvest are among the control

12. DISORDERS
Pathological Disorders
Gray Mold.
Caused by Boyrytis cinerea can be serious
during wet spring weather. It can occur
during storage if the fruit has been
contaminated through harvest and
handling wounds. Avoiding mechanical
injuries and good temperature
management are effective control
measures.

13. DISORDERS
Pathological Disorders
Rhizopus Rot.
Caused by Rhizopus stolonifer can
occur in ripe or near ripe stone fruits
kept at 20 to 25°C (68 to 77°F).
Cooling the fruits and keeping them
below 5°C (41°F) is very effective
against this fungus.

14. TEMPERATURE & CONTROLLED
ATMOSPHERE
 Optimum Tempertures
 -1.0 to 0°C (30.5-32°F)
 Optimum Relative Humidity
 90-95% R.H; an air velocity of approximately 50 CFM is suggested.
 Rates of Ethylene

15. Responses to Ethylene
 Most of the plums harvested are at Well-Mature stage will
ripen properly without exogenous ethylene application.
 Ethylene application to fruit harvested will only ripen the fruit
more uniformly without speeding up the rate of ripening.
 However, for the slow ripening plum cultivars, expgenours
application of ethylene (100 ppm for 1-3 days at 20°C/68°F) is
needed for even ripening.

16. During grading of fruits, damaged, rotten and
cracked fruits should be removed.
 Only healthy, attractive, clean and bright fruits
should be selected.
 The grades are mostly based on the condition and
the quality of the fruits and not specifically on their
size.
Grading:

17. Containers in which plums are packed shall
 be clean, dry, undamaged and suitable;
 not impart a foreign taste or odour to the plums and prunes;
 be free from any visible signs of fungus growth;
 be free from Arthropoda infestation; and
 be strong and rigid enough to ensure that the original shape
 be retained and not bulge out, dent in, break or tear, to the extent that
plums are damaged or are at risk of being damaged, during normal storage,
handling or transport.
Packaging

19. The main objective in storage after harvest is to
control the rate of ripening to extend the
marketing period.
 As the Plum are chilling sensitive, the
recommended storage temperatures differ
depending on the fruit maturity.
Storage

20. Plum are highly perishable in nature hence quick
means of transportation is necessary.
Plum are transported by road through tractors,
trucks and also by rail and air to distant markets.
 Village produce is transported to the near by
towns and city market only by road.
Transport

21. Marketing Channel of Plum

22. Also include good manufacturing
practices ( GMPs)
Packing facility sanitation
 Building
 Equipment
 Storage
Water quality
Worker hygiene