Sustainable production and postharvest handling of avocado

"Professor Elhadi Yahia is a thought leader in his field and continues to provide valuable insight to the industry in his most recent publication Sustainable production and post-harvest handling of avocado. From harvest to sale, Professor Yahia captures the entire value chain and shares the best practices on postharvest handling, transportation, and storage of avocados to increase shelf life and marketability of this hot commodity. The Foundation is proud to have such a well-respected scientist on our Scientific Advisory Council and looks forward to sharing this information with the cold chain industry." (Adam Thocher, Senior Vice President of Global Programs & Insights and GCCF Executive Director, Global Cold Chain Alliance) “The proposed content of the book is excellent. The author, Professor Elhadi M. Yahia, is an eminent researcher in the field and has contributed considerably to the advancement of the horticultural sector. I believe this book will attract a large audience and become a standard reference work for researchers, teachers, students, extension officers, producers and stakeholders of the avocado industry.” (Professor Sisir Mitra, Former Board Member, International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), Belgium, Chairman, Working Group on Avocado, ISHS and Former Dean, Bidhan Chandra Agricultural University (BCKV), India) Avocado is one of the world’s most economically important subtropical/tropical fruit crops, ranking fourth in export value behind bananas, grapes and apples. In the past 20 years, global avocado production has increased dramatically, with production now occurring in over 70 countries as a result of increased consumer demand. This growth in production and consumer demand has been attributed to the fruit’s remarkable sensory, nutritional and nutraceutical properties. However, continued growth of the sector depends on optimising these properties, as well as improving the sustainability of pre-harvest cultivation and post-processing operations in the face of several challenges, including climate change. Built on a lifetime’s experience from one of the world’s leading experts in the field, Sustainable production and postharvest handling of avocado considers how the avocado value chain can be optimised to achieve this growth. The book includes seven chapters which each offer a detailed insight into different elements of avocado production, covering topics such as nutritional compounds and health benefits, cultivars, growing techniques, pest and disease management, as well as postharvest physiology and treatment and handling. Written by a world-renowned expert, Sustainable production and postharvest handling of avocado will be a standard reference for commercial avocado growers, producers, processors and retailers, university and other researchers in tropical fruit science, as well as government and other private sector agencies supporting the sustainable production of avocados. Professor Elhadi M. Yahia is Emeritus Professor (Investigador Nacional Emerito) at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Mexico. As well as being a Courtesy Professor at the University of Florida, USA, Professor Yahia has edited or written over 400 publications and has advised organisations such as the FAO, World Bank, USAID and ICARDA. Professor Yahia has also edited two previous books for Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing: Achieving sustainable cultivation of tropical fruits (2019) and Preventing food losses and waste to achieve food security and sustainability (2020).