Evaluation of post-harvest tomato practices (lycopersicum sculentum)

Abstract

Despite the fact that tomato is the most cultivated vegetable in Portoviejo, there is still a need for change in the production farms with respect to the post-harvest handling of the product. The work shows an analysis of the results of inadequate post-harvest management of tomatoes, which was carried out as part of a research teaching work at the Paulo Emilio Macías Higher Technological Institute. The problem is centered on the lack of good post-harvest management practices for tomatoes on farms in the Portoviejo canton. The study was applied to 20 producers from 5 populations of rural Portovejenses, whose objective was to determine and quantify post-harvest losses, in the harvest-marketing phase, analyzing the decrease in the quality of the vegetable, due to handling factors, packaging, and transport conditions between farms and the commercialization center. The results obtained show that good post-harvest practices are not carried out and that the producers are unaware of the importance of proper management during collection, transport, and marketing, concluding that it is necessary to create a post-harvest management guide for the cultivation of tomato, to be applied in farms of the Portoviejo canton.