Note for the electronic edition: This draft has been assembled from information prepared by authors from around the world. It has been submitted for editing and production by the USDA Agricultural Research Service Information Staff and should be cited as an electronic draft of a forthcoming publication. Because the 1986 edition is out of print, because we have added much new and updated information, and because the time to publication for so massive a project is still many months away, we are making this draft widely available for comment from industry stakeholders, as well as university research, teaching and extension staff.

Cactus plants are precious natural resources that provide nutritious food for people and livestock, especially in dryland areas. Originally published in 1995, this extensively revised edition provides fresh insights into the cactus plant’s genetic resources, physiological traits, soil preferences and vulnerability to pests. It provides invaluable guidance on managing the resource to support food security and offers tips on how to exploit the plant’s culinary qualities.

Whether they are called peppers, chiles, paprika, or ajis, plants in the genus Capsicum, are among the most important spice and vegetable commodities worldwide because they are used in so many different types of food. Like other crops, peppers are afflicted with diseases, disorders, and pests that can reduce fruit quality and yield.Compendium of Pepper Diseases provides a comprehensive presentation of the important pepper diseases of the world. With the help of 122 color photographs and thorough descriptions of pathogens, this valuable reference enables readers to easily identify diseases on the basis of symptoms and formulate field and laboratory diagnoses of diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasitic angiosperms, and nematodes.Readers will also learn about the geographical distribution and impact of each disease, control measures, and epidemiological aspects of diseases as well as gain knowledge on plant health problems associated with arthropods, nutritional deficiencies, herbicide injuries, and other abiotic causes. This compendium also includes sections discussing the botany of pepper, current production practices, and postharvest damage to pepper fruit.Edited and authored by 39 professionals with international expertise in pepper pathology in several unique production areas and in diverse areas of pathogen expertise, Compendium of Pepper Diseases will prove invaluable to growers, extension agents, county agents, crop production specialists, researchers, plant pathologists, horticulturists, agronomists, agribusiness professionals, educators, students and anyone interested in the diagnosis or management of diseases of pepper crops throughout the world. - Publisher.

The processing of fruits continues to undergo rapid change. In the Handbook of Fruits and Fruit Processing, Dr. Y.H. Hui and his editorial team have assembled over forty respected academicians and industry professionals to create an indispensable resource on the scientific principles and technological methods for processing fruits of all types. The book describes the processing of fruits from four perspectives: a scientific basis, manufacturing and engineering principles, production techniques, and processing of individual fruits. A scientific knowledge of the horticulture, biology, chemistry, and nutrition of fruits forms the foundation. A presentation of technological and engineering principles involved in processing fruits is a prelude to their commercial production. As examples, the manufacture of several categories of fruit products is discussed. The final part of the book discusses individual fruits, covering their harvest to a finished product in a retail market. As a professional reference book replete with the latest research or as a practical textbook filled with example after example of commodity applications, the Handbook of Fruits and Fruit Processing is the current, comprehensive, yet compact resource ideal for the fruit industry.