Preharvest Factors that Influence the Quality of Tomato
Bizuayehu Desta *
Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, Debre Berhan University, P.O. Box 445, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia.
Netsanet Tena
Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, Debre Berhan University, P.O. Box 445, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia.
Getachew Amare
Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, Debre Berhan University, P.O. Box 445, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Increased production of tomato can help to get good revenue for majority of growers in most developing countries of the world. But, postharvest losses make its production non-profitable in these parts of the world. The postharvest quality status of tomato fruits partly influenced by certain preharvest practices considered during production. The understanding and managing preharvest (genetic, environmental and cultural) factors appropriately can decrease the postharvest quality losses in tomatoes. In this review, the preharvest factors responsible for improving the quality of tomato fruit have been reviewed and discussed. Furthermore, numerous environmental and cultural factors principal to improved quality of tomato fruit are discussed in detail.
Keywords: Pre-harvest, quality, shelf life, tomato