Post-Harvest Disorders
An evidence-led guide to separate crop-room origins from cooling, packaging, transport and storage failures.
From harvest to market
Source: ICAR-DMR manual and post-harvest bulletin 2008.
- PickBefore the veil opens, cap 3 to 5 cm; twist and pull.Morning
- Trim and gradeCut the soil end; grade by size and openness.Within 1 hour
- CoolPulp temperature down to 4 to 5 °C; no direct ice contact.Within hours
- Pack200 to 400 g packs with vents; in-pack humidity 87 to 90 percent.Same day
- Sell2 to 3 days in a refrigerator; 12 hours at room temperature.24 to 72 hours
From bed to buyer
AI-generated educational illustrations. Not actual farm photographs, diagnostic evidence or construction specifications.
Pick with the next task in mind
The harvested crop is a delicate food product. Picking affects subsequent grading and handling. Skill and clean working practices matter beyond the amount picked.
Train pickers on the crop-specific method and buyer grade. Keep harvest containers and tools clean.
Separate grades and rejects
The lot is divided before it is priced or packed. Buyer requirements determine accepted grades. The illustrated sizes are not a universal grading standard.
Weigh each accepted grade and the rejected or unsold quantity separately. Record the reason for rejection.
Know what the scale includes
The pack and the mushrooms both add weight. Net produce weight and total packed weight are different. Blank displays in this illustration are not measurement evidence.
Check the scale and record tare, net weight, pack count and batch identity under the actual buyer's specification.
Record acceptance and payment
Product handover and the financial record are connected. A delivery can be accepted before its money is received. Sales revenue is not the same as cash collected.
Record accepted quantity, agreed price, returns, payment received and outstanding balance. Reconcile these with harvest records.
Post-Harvest Problem Sheet
Quick recognition
Use post-harvest disorders to separate crop-room origins from cooling, packaging, transport and storage failures. Recognition begins the investigation; it does not confirm a cause.
- Look for rack or room pattern
- Compare the affected zone with a healthy zone
- Check sensor identity and timing
- Test response to a controlled correction
What to record
Capture crop stage, crop day, room, rack, layer, pattern, first observation, progression, compost and casing batches, watering, chemistry, pests and timestamped environmental readings.
Crop room or cold chain?
Separate symptoms present at harvest from changes first appearing after cooling, condensation, packaging, transport or storage.
Could it be something else?
Compare visual appearance with spatial pattern, progression, environmental history, process history and missing expected signs. Colour or one photograph is weak evidence.
Evidence still needed
State the unanswered questions and next measurement. Useful evidence can be visual, environmental, spatial, temporal, microscopic, laboratory, molecular, trap-based or process-history based.
Immediate safe direction
Document the affected area, avoid unnecessary disturbance or cross-room movement, isolate suspect tools, inspect adjacent areas and preserve representative evidence. Do not spray automatically.
Root-cause review
Trace the visible problem through water, evaporation, airflow, sensor placement, compost, casing, staff movement, flies, tools or room design where evidence supports the connection.
Chemical and regulatory boundary
Historical management literature is separated from current practice. No crop-protection dose is published unless the exact product, formulation, mushroom crop label, target, method, harvest interval, worker-safety information and current Indian status are verified.
When remote guidance is inadequate
Seek technical inspection or laboratory support for rapid unexplained loss, repeated outbreaks, suspected virus, unknown mould, severe pests, chemical injury, multiple affected rooms or unresolved contradictions.
Trace the claim and its limits.
Pathogen biology, dated advisories and current regulatory status are stored separately.
ICAR-DMR Technical Bulletin Library
Institutional publication index for disease, farm-design, post-harvest and spent-substrate references.
Open sourceICAR-DMR Crop Advisory
Dated Indian seasonal crop-health, hygiene and pest observations.
Open sourceDirectorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage regulatory functions
Indian pesticide registration and regulatory-governance context under the Insecticides Act and Rules.
Open sourceChemical governance is a publication gate.
No operational pesticide, fungicide, insecticide, disinfectant or fumigant dose is published. Historical references are not current labels.
- Current operational dose
- Not published
- Mushroom crop label
- Not established by this record
- Review status
- Regulatory review required