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CPT514Agricultural Sciences2 Unitsintermediate

Produce And Post Harvest Management

This course introduces the fundamental principles of produce and post-harvest management. It explores the physiological processes of maturity, pre-harvest conditions, and post-harvest losses. Students will learn how to minimize these losses, ensuring high-quality produce reaches consumers. The course covers shelf-life extension, processing, transportation, and storage techniques. It equips students with the knowledge to manipulate plant conditions for improved handling, storage, and processing of agricultural produce.

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200h
Study Time
13
Weeks
15h
Per Week
none
Math Level
Course Keywords
Post-HarvestProduceStorageMaturityProcessing

Course Overview

Everything you need to know about this course

Course Difficulty

Intermediate Level
Builds on foundational knowledge
65%
intermediate
📚
Math Level
No Math
🔬
Learning Type
Hands-on Practice

Course Topics

Key areas covered in this course

1

Crop Maturity

2

Post-Harvest Physiology

3

Post-Harvest Losses

4

Crop Storage

5

Food Processing

6

Shelf-Life Extension

Total Topics6 topics

Ready to Start

No specific requirements needed

This course is designed to be accessible to all students. You can start immediately without any prior knowledge or specific preparation.

Assessment Methods

How your progress will be evaluated (3 methods)

assignments

Comprehensive evaluation of course material understanding

Written Assessment

tutor-marked assessments

Comprehensive evaluation of course material understanding

Written Assessment

final examination

Comprehensive evaluation of course material understanding

Written Assessment

Career Opportunities

Explore the career paths this course opens up for you

Farm Manager

Apply your skills in this growing field

Agricultural Extension Officer

Apply your skills in this growing field

Post-Harvest Technician

Apply your skills in this growing field

Food Processing Supervisor

Apply your skills in this growing field

Quality Control Inspector

Apply your skills in this growing field

Industry Applications

Real-world sectors where you can apply your knowledge

AgricultureFood ProcessingStorage and DistributionExportRetail

Study Schedule Beta

A structured 13-week journey through the course content

Week
1

Module 1: Tropical Environment in Relation to Maturity, Ripening and Senescence

12h

Unit1. Climatic factors (rainfall, temperature, relative humidity sunshine etc.) in Relation to Maturity, Ripening and Senescence

4 study hours
  • •Study climatic factors affecting crop maturity, ripening, and senescence.
  • •Understand the impact of rainfall, temperature, humidity, sunshine, wind, and air.
  • •Analyze how these factors influence plant growth and development.

Unit2. Soil factors (plant nutrients, soil reaction pH) in Relation to Maturity Ripening and senescence

4 study hours
  • •Examine soil factors like pH, texture, and moisture affecting crop maturity.
  • •Learn about mineral nutrition, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium.
  • •Understand how soil conditions influence post-harvest quality.

Unit3. Maturity Indices of Crops Products

4 study hours
  • •Explore maturity indices of crop products.
  • •Distinguish between physiological and harvest maturity.
  • •Understand the stages of fruit and vegetable lifecycles: maturation, ripening, and senescence.
Week
2

Module 2: Post Harvest Handling of Crops

6h

Unit 1: Introduction to Post Harvest Technology

3 study hours
  • •Define post-harvest technology and its importance.
  • •Understand post-harvest physiological processes and control mechanisms.
  • •Learn about temperature and humidity management for extending shelf life.

Unit 2: Causes of Post Harvest Losses

3 study hours
  • •Identify primary and secondary causes of post-harvest losses.
  • •Understand the sites of losses and their magnitude.
  • •Analyze on-farm and after-harvest causes of loss.
Week
3

Module 2: Post Harvest Handling of Crops

6h

Unit 3: Technologies of Reducing Post Harvest Losses

3 study hours
  • •Explore technologies for reducing post-harvest losses.
  • •Learn about gentle handling, temperature control, and high humidity.
  • •Understand suberization, curing, and genetic control of shelf life.

Unit 4: Post Harvest Treatments to Minimize Produce Contamination and Maximize Quality

3 study hours
  • •Study post-harvest treatments to minimize produce contamination.
  • •Learn about reducing microbial contamination and water loss.
  • •Understand ethylene damage reduction and decay control.
Week
4

Module 2: Post Harvest Handling of Crops

6h

Unit 5: Crop Processing

6 study hours
  • •Understand the principles of crop processing.
  • •Explore different types of agricultural processing.
  • •Learn methods for processing cereals, cassava, yam, oil fruits, and oil seeds.
Week
5

Module 3: Storage of Crop Products

8h

Unit 1: Storage life of Harvested Crop Materials

4 study hours
  • •Study physiological processes of fresh produce.
  • •Understand respiration, transpiration, and ethylene production.
  • •Analyze pre-harvest factors affecting post-harvest life.

Unit 2: Storage and Shelf life problem

4 study hours
  • •Identify problems of crop storage.
  • •Learn methods of shelf-life extension.
  • •Understand canning, drying, freezing, and vacuum packing.
Week
6

Module 3: Storage of Crop Products

6h

Unit 3: Methods of Crop Storage

6 study hours
  • •Explore methods of crop product storage.
  • •Understand principles of preservation and storage.
  • •Learn about technical methods for reducing food deterioration.
Week
7

Module 3: Storage of Crop Products

6h

Unit 4: Ideal Environment for Storage

6 study hours
  • •Study conditions for crop storage.
  • •Understand cooling and storage techniques.
  • •Learn about transportation of crop produce and factors compromising quality.
Week
8

Module 3: Storage of Crop Products

6h

Unit 5: Operational/Structures for Storage and Preservation

6 study hours
  • •Explore operational equipment and structures for storage and preservation.
  • •Understand yam and grain storage structures.
  • •Learn about packing and packaging of fresh produce.
Week
9

Module 1: Tropical Environment in Relation to Maturity, Ripening and Senescence

8h

Revision of Module 1

8 study hours
  • •Review Module 1: Tropical Environment in Relation to Maturity, Ripening and Senescence
  • •Revise key concepts and terminology.
  • •Prepare for assignments and tutor-marked assessments.
Week
10

Module 2: Post Harvest Handling of Crops

8h

Revision of Module 2

8 study hours
  • •Review Module 2: Post Harvest Handling of Crops
  • •Revise key concepts and terminology.
  • •Prepare for assignments and tutor-marked assessments.
Week
11

Module 3: Storage of Crop Products

8h

Revision of Module 3

8 study hours
  • •Review Module 3: Storage of Crop Products
  • •Revise key concepts and terminology.
  • •Prepare for assignments and tutor-marked assessments.
Week
12

All Modules

8h

Assignment Completion and Tutor Consultation

8 study hours
  • •Complete outstanding assignments and TMAs.
  • •Focus on areas needing improvement.
  • •Consult with tutor for clarification.
Week
13

All Modules

8h

Final Revision

8 study hours
  • •Comprehensive course review.
  • •Focus on key concepts and objectives from all modules.
  • •Practice answering exam-style questions.

This study schedule is in beta and may not be accurate. Please use it as a guide and consult the course outline for the most accurate information.

Course PDF Material

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Study Tips & Exam Preparation

Expert tips to help you succeed in this course

1

Create detailed summaries of each unit, focusing on key terms and concepts.

2

Use flashcards to memorize maturity indices and storage requirements for different crops.

3

Practice applying post-harvest techniques to specific scenarios.

4

Review tutor-marked assignments and identify areas for improvement.

5

Focus on understanding the principles of food safety and quality assurance.

6

Create concept maps linking Units 3-5 storage methods to specific crop types

7

Practice identifying causes and prevention strategies for post-harvest losses from Units 7-9

8

Review chemical preservation methods from Units 10-12 and their applications

9

Create a table comparing different drying techniques from Units 13-15

10

Practice answering essay questions on exam topics under timed conditions

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