Fig. 1: Factors responsible for fruit loss during preharvest, harvest, and postharvest conditions.

Preharvest conditions include the fertilizer types, methods, and time of application; spraying insecticide and pesticides; types and time of irrigation; and variety of fruits. Harvesting factors include harvesting method (hand picking or by harvester), weather conditions, fruit maturity during harvesting, and time of day for harvesting (such as morning, afternoon, or evening). Postharvest conditions include types of treatments applied postharvest; application of ripening hormones (ethylene), anti-ethylene products, such as 1-methylcyclopropene, chemical preservatives for microbial inhibition; storage conditions such as airflow, relative humidity, temperature, and gas composition of storage place; types of packaging; and packaging duration. (Figure created using Microsoft PowerPoint).