Contents: I. Postharvest physiology: 1. The seeds. 2. General aspects of fruits, seeds and vegetables. 3. Physiology of flowering and fruiting. 4. Seed maturity and physiological and biochemical changes during maturity. 5. Post-harvest management of crops. 6. Physiology of post-harvest. 7. Disorder and physiological diseases. II. Pre and Post harvest physiology and management: 8. Research advances on pre and post harvest physiology and management of vegetables, fruits and other crops. III. Seed Technology: 9. Cleaning, drying, separation and air conditioning of seeds. 10. Determination of quality. 11. Dormancy. 12. Seed germination and vigour testing. 13. Seed enhancement. 14. Seed production. 15. Strategic placement of products for marketing. 16. Crop establishment. 17. Seed nutrition. 18. Allelopathy. 19. Technological management of environment during germination and emergence. IV. Seed physiology and seedling establishment: 20. Research advances on seed Physiology and seedling establishment of some selected crops: i. Cereals. ii. Vegetables. iii. Legumes. iv. Oil seeds. v. Fibre crop. 21. Intellectual property rights and Indian seed industry. Relevant literature. Subject index.

"One of the most important necessities in the economic development of a country is sufficient agricultural production for an adequate food of the populations. For this, it is necessary not only the application of appropriate agricultural practices for the production of these food resources but also its adequate management during the recollection, storage and its transport to the centres of consumption, where we should offer food products which maintain a great nutritive quality, good conservation and an attractive visual appearance. These aspects should be well managed by the specialists in food science.

The productivity of the crops depends greatly on the knowledge about their physiological and biochemical characteristics which determine the adequate moment of the harvest for the high yield and good quality, as well as those which are indicators for the determination of the conditions of an adequate storage. The productivity and quality of the food and vegetables are largely influenced by the pre-and post-harvest physiology, the environmental conditions and biotic factors prevailing during the growing conditions, management practices and post harvest treatment and storage conditions of the food products.

The present book contains a general revision and recent advances on the basic knowledge of the physiology of pre-and post-harvest intended for the students in the bachelor and postgraduate level, researchers and for whatever persons related with the production, management and storage of fruits, seeds and vegetables so that the application of this knowledge may give greater yield and the quality of those crops." (jacket)