Postharvest technology is recognized as the means to increase crop productivity by decreasing loss due to mishandling and decay. Thus, in a time of increasing population and decreasing production `tools,` it has become critically important to impart to students of agronomic and horticultural curricula a practical knowledge of postharvest technology. The postharvest technology effort of the Crop Science Department has been severely hampered by a lack of controlled temperature storage. This project provides the moneys to purchase three controlled-environment chambers to be used in the department's undergraduate instruction. The chambers allow the development of more meaningful laboratory exercises and demonstrations for the course, Fruit Science/Vegetable Science 421: Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops. The chambers also allow a much broader range of senior project (required undergraduate research) and special problems topics to be offered to both traditional and underrepresented students who desire careers in agriculture outside that of field management. Agriculture has become a highly technical industry. The acquisition of controlled-temperature chambers allows the university to better educate students in hands-on, practical aspects of postharvest technology.
