A NEW, free handbook outlining the best and most cost-effective ways for handling vegetables during the postharvest period is now available to industry.

Commissioned by Hort Innovation, using the vegetable levy and matched funds from the Australian Government, the Postharvest management of vegetables: Australian supply-chain handbook comprises of more than 150 pages of valuable information.

Horticulture Innovation Australia chief executive officer John Lloyd said the handbook will be a valuable guide for all parts of the supply chain, from suppliers to growers to retailers.

“This book is the culmination of more than 20 years of vegetable supply-chain-related-research and includes a great depth of information that up until now, has not been collated and made available to industry in one resource,” he said.

“It is a unique resource, specific to the Australian market.”

The handbook includes technical information on general postharvest principles, from understanding the effects of storage atmosphere to how to evaluate and manage produce quality.

It also includes best-practice guides for 23 key vegetable crops, and quick reference tables for storage and transport.

In the creation of the book, Hort Innovation and research partners Applied Horticulture Research consulted with more than 50 postharvest specialists and growers, through platforms such as a workshop in Melbourne, industry meetings and events, and farm visits.

To order a copy of the handbook, which is free to all vegetable supply chain stakeholders, email Sandra Marques.

Copies of the handbook will also be available at an associated postharvest roadshow planned for major vegetable growing regions from September to October this year – dates and locations to be announced soon.

Horticulture Innovation Australia delivers more than $100 million in research, development and marketing activities across the horticulture industry each year with funding from the Australian Government, grower levies and other sources.