UC Davis Postharvest Technology Short Course set for June 13-24
Registration is now open for the University of California-Davis (UC Davis) 38th annual Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course. Courses will be held June 13-24 at the UC Davis Activities and Recreation Center.
The two-week course focuses on the biology and current technologies used for handling fruits, nuts, vegetables and ornamentals. The course is designed for research and extension workers, quality control personnel and professionals interested in postharvest technology.
The first week of the course starts off covering postharvest basics, such as ethylene, quality, flavor and ripening, Beth Mitcham, program coordinator, said. After covering the basics, the course goes into more specific discussions on individual groups of crops, such as apples and citrus.
Lectures and labs will be offered all day, Monday through Friday during the first week of the course. Topics that will be covered include:
- Safety factors
- Harvesting systems
- Storage
- Transportation
- Sanitation
- Marketing fresh produce
- Inspection
- Fresh-cut
- Postharvest diseases
- Water sanitation
Speakers for the Short Course will include Mitcham, Marita Cantwell, Florence Zakharov, Kentaro Inoue, Diane Beckles and Trevor Suslow from the Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis; David Slaughter and Irwin Gonzalez from Biological and Agricultural Engineering, UC Davis; Roberta Cook from Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC Davis; Mary Lu Arpaia and Jim Adaskaveg from UC Riverside; David Obenland from USDA Agricultural Research Service, and Jim Thompson and Michael Reid, retired faculty from UC Davis.
During the second week attendees will go on a field tour of postharvest operations, such as packinghouses, storage facilities and transportation facilities. The tour will have stops in Sacramento, Bakersfield and Salinas. The second week of the course is optional.
Attendees can register for one-week or two-week enrollment. One-week enrollment is limited to 45 participants, with an enrollment fee of $2,250. The two-week enrollment is limited to 50 participants, with an enrollment fee of $3,150. The two-week enrollment includes a networking reception in Visalia, California.
“It’s a great networking opportunity, to learn about what other companies are doing and to meet potential customers and buyers,” Mitcham said of the two-week course.
An all-inclusive package is available, including course enrollment fee, airport transfers, hotel accommodations and a food allowance. For additional course information, visit the course web page. For registration information, contact Penny Stockdale via email or by phone at 530-752-7672.
