K. Prasad is specialized on the aspect of Postharvest fruit quality and shelf life. Presently he is working as Assistant Professor at TCA Dholi, RPCAU Pusa, Bihar, India.
EDUCATION
PhD Postharvest Horticulture, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
M.Sc. Postharvest Horticulture, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Fruit quality, Postharvest quality, Shelf life
34
Scopus Publications
698
Scholar Citations
15
Scholar h-index
21
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Influence of climate change on quality of root and tuber crops Shubham Maurya, Neetu Saroj, Killi Prasad, Ashim Kumar Mishra, Nangsol Dolma Bhutia, Udit Kumar, Pramila, Sumeet Kumar Singh, Ashish Rai, Rajeev Kumar Srivastava, Rajesh Kumar, Aman Tigga Sustainable Production of Root and Tuber Crops, 2025 Root and tuber crops suffer severe threats from climate change, necessitating effective tactics for adaptation to minimize vulnerability. This chapter looks at how rising temperatures, changed patterns of precipitation, severe weather, and transformed dynamics of pests and diseases are affecting root and tuber crops as a consequence of climate change. The production of root and tuber crops is greatly impacted by these changes, which result in reduced yields, weakened quality, more prone to pests and diseases, and restricted access to water resource. Among the strategies that are included in the category of adaptation tactics are agronomic practices, crop diversification, improved water management, breeding for climate resilience, and agroecological techniques. However, it is critical to address knowledge gaps and research needs in order to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of climate change and develop effective adaptation methods for root and tuber crops. The identification of resilient cultivars, improved cropping systems, better control of pests and diseases, and investigation of the socioeconomic aspects of adaptation should be the top priorities for future study. The consequences of climate change on tropical root and tuber crops are brought to light in this chapter, emphasizing the need of taking action. It emphasizes how important adaption measures are to maintaining food security and sustainability over the long run in a changing environment.
Specialty root and tuber crops: Diversity, quality, production and processing Shyalli Kumari, Anshuman Pathak, Neetu Saroj, Shubham Maurya, Pramila, Rajeev Kumar Srivastava, Ashish Rai, Rohit Maurya, Milan Kumar Lal, Rahul Kumar Tiwari, Ravinder Kumar, Muhammad Ahsan Altaf, Sumeet Kumar Singh, Killi Prasad Sustainable Production of Root and Tuber Crops, 2025 Specialty root and tuber crops are critical to global food security, particularly in developing nations where they are starchy staples, often more significant than grains. These crops, including cassava, sweet potatoes, yams and aroids, contribute to food security and nutritional diversity. They occupy 67 million hectares globally, producing 887 million tonnes annually, with cassava, sweet potatoes, yams and aroids being the major contributors only after potato. These crops are not only nutritionally beneficial but also possess bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. Despite historical neglect, these crops are now recognized for their resilience, economic value and contributions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Effective management and research are crucial to harness their full potential, ensuring they remain a cornerstone of global food security and agricultural sustainability. This chapter puts insight into the diversity and potential of underutilized root and tuber crops in fulfilling the food and nutritional needs around the globe as well as their response to climatic alterations.
Functions of melatonin in the postharvest physiology of horticultural crops Killi Prasad, Neetu Saroj, Sanjay Kumar Singh, Asish Kumar Panda, Shubham Maurya, Rajeev Kumar Srivastava, Rajesh Kumar, Ashish Rai, Milan Kumar Lal, Sunil Kumar, Bhagya Vijayan, Ankit Kumar, Saipan Ghosh, Upagya Sah Melatonin in Horticultural Plants A Multifunctional Molecule for Abiotic Stress Tolerance, 2025
Impact of Different Sowing Dates on Growth and Pod Yield of Vegetable Pea under Sub-Himalayan Foothills Region of India Udit Kumar, Nishiprabha Behera, K. Prasad, Pramila ., Dharminder ., Kaushal Kishor, R.K. Tiwari, Bharati Upadhaya, Sunil Kumar, Vivek Kumar Legume Research, 2024 Background: The optimum sowing date is crucial among the different agronomic procedures for maximizing output. Optimizing a crop's planting time may be one of the most significant climate resilient tactics for increasing production and hence it becomes necessary to study the crop growth behaviors in changing climatic conditions. The proposed field investigations were undertaken to study the influence of different sowing dates on yield of vegetable pea. Methods: Field investigations were undertaken during Rabi seasons of 2020-21 and 2021-22 at the Vegetable Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (85.67oE - 25.98oN.), which comes under sub-Himalayan foothills region of India. The research study was performed in Randomized Block Design with three replications consisting of eight different sowing dates of vegetable pea. cv. Azad Pea-3 at 10 days interval between each sowing dates. Observations were made on various growth and yield attributing parameters. Result: Results revealed that the parameters under study were substantially affected by various sowing dates. Second week of sowing in November in the years produced maximum plant height at 60 DAS (83.77cm), number of branches per plant (3.97), number of nodules per plant at flowering (26.13), number of green pods per plant (20.80), 10 pods weight (75.67g) and pod yield (52.06q/ha).
Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in aromatic and medicinal plants in response to abiotic stresses: A review J. Pradhan, K. Pramanik, A. Jaiswal, G. Kumari, K. Prasad, C. Jena, Ashutosh K. Srivastava Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences, 2024 Climate change has massive consequences on non-living factors in the environment, resulting in irregular precipitation, fluctuating atmospheric temperature, and variations in humidity. These changes cause biotic and abiotic stresses; plants must have defense mechanisms to survive. Therefore, plants divert some synthesized energy towards producing numerous plant secondary metabolites (PSMs), viz., flavonoids, alkaloids, and essential oils. These compounds act as protections for the plants, helping them to survive under stressful conditions. Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are sessile organisms that are not immune to harmful consequences of various abiotic stresses in which the PSMs have an important role in acting against the adverse effects. In this regard, the MAPs have a coherent defense mechanism for abiotic stresses. The secondary metabolites produced by these plants are useful as medicines and aromatic products for humans. However, not all stresses produce high secondary metabolites, as their production is highly specific to certain stresses. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of secondary metabolite production under various stressful conditions, including extreme temperature, drought, water logging, salinity, harmful radiation, elevated levels of ozone and CO2, heavy metals, and agrochemicals on MAPs. Additionally, the production of these compounds can be modified by subjecting plants to various stressors. Many authors have reported on PSMs in MAPs, which need to be well documented and exploited for humankind.
Postharvest quality and ripening behaviour of un-explored genotypes of Himalayan plain mango diversity Killi Prasad, Neetu Saroj, Sanjay Kumar Singh, Jyostnarani Pradhan, Shiv Shankar Prasad, Sunil Kumar, Shubham Maurya, Alok Kumar, Rajeev Kumar Srivastava, Rahul Kumar Tiwari, Milan Kumar Lal, Bhagya Vijayan, Ankit Kumar, Ipsita Samal, Upagya Shah, Ravinder Kumar Heliyon, 2024 ) exhibited by 'Sukul'. The total phenolic content was recorded as the highest in 'Safed Malda' (510.42 μg GAE g-1 FW), and total carotenoid concentration was recorded as the highest in 'Sipiya' (7.30 mg 100 g-1) 'Zardalu' (7.04 mg 100 g-1) and 'Mithua' (6.98 mg 100 g-1). Interestingly, genotypes such as 'Sukul', Sipiya' and 'Krishna Bhog 'exhibited a 4-5 days higher storage life than other selected genotypes. Screened genotypes exhibited a high diversity of nutritional and biochemical contents. The results of this study bear practical utility for research (quality improvement programme) and the processing industry.
Mitigating postharvest quantitative and qualitative losses in mango fruits through the application of biocontrol agents: An in-vivo and in-vitro assessment Killi Prasad, Ram Roshan Sharma, Ram Asrey, Dinesh Singh, Milan Kumar Lal, Jyoti Nishad, Rahul Kumar Tiwari, Shruti Sethi, Manish Srivastav, Ajay Arora, Ravinder Kumar Heliyon, 2024 Mango is a commercial fruit crop of India that suffers huge postharvest losses every year. The application of biocontrol agents (BCAs) bears a vast potential for managing the same, which is yet to be exploited to its fullest extent. Hence, studies were conducted for BCAs application of Debaryomyces hansenii , Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas fluorescens strains on mango fruit under in-vitro , in-vivo conditions to know the efficacy of these BCAs on the postharvest pathogen, shelf life and quality retention of mango fruit. The ‘poisoned food technique' was attempted for in-vitro studies. For the in-vivo studies, fruit of the commercial cultivar ‘Amrapali' were un-inoculated and pre-inoculated with major postharvest pathogens (anthracnose: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and stem-end rot: Botryodiplodia theobromae ) were treated with BCA, followed by ambient storage at (24 ± 4 °C, 75 ± 5 % RH). From the results, it has been observed that under in vitro studies , BCA Debaryomyces hansenii (Strain: KP006) and Bacillus subtilis (Strain: BJ0011) at the treatment level 10 8 CFU mL −1 while, the Pseudomonas fluorescens at 10 9 CFU mL −1 (Strain: BE0001) were significantly effective for pathogen inhibition. However, under the in vivo studies, the BCA Debaryomyces hansenii (Strain: KP006) at 10 8 CFU mL −1 treatment level was found to significantly reduce the pathogen's decay incidence while positively influencing the shelf life and biochemical (quality) attributes. This treatment increased the storage life of mango fruit by more than three days over control fruit. Therefore, BCA Debaryomyces hansenii (Strain: KP006) at 10 8 CFU mL −1 can be used to control the postharvest pathological loss of mango fruit without affecting its internal quality.
Pod and Seed Production Potential of Vegetable Pea (Pisum sativum L.) as Influenced by Different Levels of Sulphur and Boron in Calcareous Soil of North Bihar Udit Kumar, Chhail Bihari, Pramila ., K. Prasad, B.M. Sinha, Saipayan Ghosh, Vivek Kumar Patel, Dharminder ., Kaushal Kishor Legume Research, 2024 Background: Vegetable pea is one of the relevant vegetable crops grown in the cool season all over the India. Sulphur deficiency is becoming more prevalent in Bihar due to the less use of boron and sulphur-containing fertilizer in calcareous soils and the consequent decrease in sulphur and boron nutrients. On the other hand, organic matter-rich manures, are utilized in very small quantities which is a source of a macro-and micronutrients, including sulphur and boron. As a consequence, soils have become deficient in sulphur and boron, which is detrimental to crop production. In the absence of these sulphur and boron in the soil, different legume crops such as vegetable pea suffer from reduced growth, yield and nodule formation. Methods: In this field investigation during 2020-2022, experiments were conducted in Factorial Randomized Block Design using fifteen different combinations of Boron and Sulphur doses in Azad Pea-3 variety of vegetable pea in three replications and different pod and seed yield attributing traits were studied. Result: Among the different treatments, it has been inferred that treatment combination 40 kg S ha-1 + 2 kg B ha-1 exhibited superiority over rest of the treatment combinations with respect to pod and seed yield attributes of vegetable pea.
Regulatory role of melatonin in flowering, fruit setting, and ripening Neetu Saroj, K. Prasad, S. K. Singh, Udit Kumar, Milan Kumar Lal, Shubham Maurya, Poonam Maurya, Meenakshi Dwivedi, Nirmal Kumar Meena, Langute Pandurang Nana Melatonin in Plants A Regulator for Plant Growth and Development, 2023
Diverse functional role of melatonin in postharvest biology Neetu Saroj, K. Prasad, S. K. Singh, Shubham Maurya, Poonam Maurya, Sudheer Kumar, Milan Kumar Lal, Rohit Maurya, Sanchita Ghosh, Bhavani Dhongabanti Melatonin in Plants A Regulator for Plant Growth and Development, 2023
Influence of harvesting method on postharvest loss, shelf-life and quality of mango (Mangifera indica) fruits Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2019
Screening of mango (Mangifera indica) genotypes for the incidence of lenticels browning-a new postharvest problem Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2016
Functions of melatonin in the postharvest physiology of horticultural crops K Prasad, N Saroj, SK Singh, AK Panda, S Maurya, RK Srivastava, ... Melatonin in Horticultural Plants, 273-294 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
Exogenous Melatonin Application Retains Bioactive Compounds, Enhances Antioxidant Activity, Reduces Softening and Prolongs Shelf Life of Cherry Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon var … S Ahamad, R Asrey, BR Vinod, M Menaka, E Vargheese, K Prasad, ... Journal of Future Foods , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Advances in Post-harvest Management and Storage of Potatoes S Maurya, K Prasad, N Saroj, MK Lal, SS Solankey Advances in Research on Potato Production, 271-296 , 2025 2025
Crop Wild Relatives (CWRs) and Their Potential Role in Improvement of Horticultural Crops P Maurya, V Kumar, S Jain, N Saroj, S Maurya, D Mishra, K Prasad Ecologically Mediated Development: Promoting Biodiversity Conservation and … , 2025 2025
AHT-111, Practical Manual on Fundamentals of Horticulture K Prasad, U Kumar, AK Panda RPCAU 2025 , 2025 2025
Influence of climate change on quality of root and tuber crops S Maurya, N Saroj, K Prasad, AK Mishra, ND Bhutia, U Kumar, SK Singh, ... Sustainable Production of Root and Tuber Crops, 106-115 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Specialty root and tuber crops: Diversity, quality, production and processing S Kumari, A Pathak, N Saroj, S Maurya, RK Srivastava, A Rai, R Maurya, ... Sustainable Production of Root and Tuber Crops, 79-93 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Impact of Different Sowing Dates on Growth and Pod Yield of Vegetable Pea under Sub-Himalayan Foothills Region of India. U Kumar, N Behera, K Prasad, K Kishor, RK Tiwari, B Upadhaya, S Kumar, ... Legume Research: An International Journal 47 (9) , 2024 2024
Preservation potential of essential oils on the postharvest quality and shelf-life attributes of mango fruit K Prasad, R Asrey, S Sethi, M Srivastav, D Singh, A Arora, A Joshi, ... South African Journal of Botany 172, 8-18 , 2024 2024 Citations: 5
Colourful staples on your table: Unus ex genere suo E Sharma, P Lal, A Kumar, K Prasad, RK Tiwari, MK Lal, R Kumar Food Research International 191, 114715 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in aromatic and medicinal plants in response to abiotic stresses: a review. J Pradhan, K Pramanik, A Jaiswal, G Kumari, K Prasad, C Jena, ... 2024 Citations: 5
Mitigating postharvest quantitative and qualitative losses in mango fruits through the application of biocontrol agents: An in-vivo and in-vitro assessment K Prasad, RR Sharma, R Asrey, D Singh, MK Lal, J Nishad, RK Tiwari, ... Heliyon 10 (7) , 2024 2024 Citations: 11
Pod and Seed Production Potential of Vegetable Pea (Pisum sativum L.) as Influenced by Different Levels of Sulphur and Boron in Calcareous Soil of North Bihar U Kumar, C Bihari, K Pramila, BM Sinha Legume Research-An International Journal 1, 6 , 2024 2024
Eco‐safe composite edible coating of hydrocolloids with papaya leaf extract improves postharvest quality and shelf life of papaya fruit under ambient storage K Prasad, H Akshatha, J Pradhan, SK Singh, K Udit, N Saroj, C Mukhim, ... Journal of Food Science 89 (2), 1114-1126 , 2024 2024 Citations: 15
Postharvest quality and ripening behaviour of un-explored genotypes of northern Himalayan plain mango diversity K Prasad, N Saroj, SK Singh, J Pradhan, SS Prasad, S Kumar, S Maurya, ... Heliyon 10 (12), E33247 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Genetic Divergence for Different Yield Attributing Traits in Okra [Abelmoschus Esculentus (L.) Moench] Genotypes Grown in Himalayan Foothills Region S Kumar Yadav, U Kumar, K Prasad, S Maurya, N Saroj Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology 26 (6), 847-860 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Rootstock mediates postharvest fruit quality, phytochemicals, and plant stress of fruit crops K Prasad, SK Singh, S Kumar, P Maurya, N Saroj, S Maurya, R Agnihotri, ... Improving stress resilience in plants, 425-446 , 2024 2024 Citations: 7
Diverse functional role of melatonin in postharvest biology N Saroj, K Prasad, SK Singh, S Maurya, P Maurya, S Kumar, MK Lal, ... Melatonin in plants: a regulator for plant growth and development, 203-217 , 2023 2023 Citations: 6
Regulatory role of melatonin in flowering, fruit setting, and ripening N Saroj, K Prasad, SK Singh, U Kumar, MK Lal, S Maurya, P Maurya, ... Melatonin in plants: A regulator for plant growth and development, 67-79 , 2023 2023 Citations: 6
Melatonin discovery and divergent biosynthetic pathways in plants TR Suresh, J Pradhan, S Kumar, H Singh, K Prasad, A Jaiswal, G Kumari Melatonin in plants: a regulator for plant growth and development, 1-18 , 2023 2023 Citations: 5
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Fruit maturity, harvesting, and quality standards K Prasad, S Jacob, MW Siddiqui Preharvest modulation of postharvest fruit and vegetable quality, 41-69 , 2018 2018 Citations: 103
Edible coating technology for extending market life of horticultural produce K Prasad, AK Guarav, P Preethi, P Neha Acta Scientific Agriculture 2 (5), 55-64 , 2018 2018 Citations: 55
Postharvest treatment of antioxidant reduces lenticel browning and improves cosmetic appeal of mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruits without impairing quality K Prasad, RR Sharma, M Srivastav Journal of Food Science and Technology 53, 2995-3001 , 2016 2016 Citations: 49
Hydrocolloid edible coatings extend shelf life, reduce postharvest decay, and maintain keeping quality of mango fruits (Mangifera indica L.) under ambient storage K Prasad, RR Sharma, R Asrey, S Sethi, M Srivastav, D Singh, A Arora Journal of Food Biochemistry 14481, 1-13 , 2022 2022 Citations: 40
Plant extract and essential oil coating prolongs shelf life and maintains keeping quality of papaya fruit during storage K Prasad, G Singh, SK Singh, J Pradhan, U Kumar, H Singh Journal of Food Processing and Preservation 46 (11), e17015 , 2022 2022 Citations: 35
Postharvest losses of papaya and practice for management K Prasad, JR Paul Food and Scientific Reports 2 (7) , 2021 2021 Citations: 28
Influence of harvesting method on postharvest loss, shelf-life and quality of mango (Mangifera indica) fruits K Prasad, RR Sharma Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 89 (3), 445-449 , 2019 2019 Citations: 28
Salicylic acid influences lenticel discolouration and physiological and biochemical attributes of mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruits K Prasad, RR Sharma Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology , 2018 2018 Citations: 28
Effect of hot water treatment on the incidence of lenticel browning and quality of mango fruits K Prasad, RR Sharma, M Srivastav, S Sethi Indian Journal of Horticulture 73 (4), 576-581 , 2016 2016 Citations: 25
Relationship between lenticel discoloration and biochemical and quality attributes in mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit. K Prasad, RR Sharma, M Srivastav, R Asrey Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 42 (178), 1-12 , 2020 2020 Citations: 22
Screening of mango (Mangifera indica) genotypes for the incidence of lenticel browning—a new postharvest problem K Prasad, RR Sharma Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 86 (9), 1169-71 , 2016 2016 Citations: 18
Characterization of bioactive and fruit quality compounds of promising mango genotypes grown in Himalayan plain region N Saroj, K Prasad, SK Singh, V Kumar, S Maurya, P Maurya, RK Tiwari, ... PeerJ 11, e15867 , 2023 2023 Citations: 17
Edible coatings and their effect on postharvest fruit quality K Prasad, MW Siddiqui, RR Sharma, AK Gaurav, P Neha, N Kumar Innovative packaging of fruits and vegetables: strategies for safety and … , 2018 2018 Citations: 16
Cultivation and post-harvest handling techniques of potential future crop'longan'(Dimocarpus longan Lour) in Asia pacific region-A review. K Prasad, P Neha, MK Lal Research on Crops 18 (2) , 2017 2017 Citations: 16
Eco‐safe composite edible coating of hydrocolloids with papaya leaf extract improves postharvest quality and shelf life of papaya fruit under ambient storage K Prasad, H Akshatha, J Pradhan, SK Singh, K Udit, N Saroj, C Mukhim, ... Journal of Food Science 89 (2), 1114-1126 , 2024 2024 Citations: 15
Impact of climate change on postharvest quality of vegetables K Prasad, SK Singh, P Bhattocharjee, J Rudrapaul, U Kumar, SK Yadav, ... Advances in Research on Vegetable Production Under a Changing Climate Vol. 2 … , 2023 2023 Citations: 15
Evaluation of okra varieties for yield and quality traits under field condition in hill zone of Karnataka, India. K Prasad, B Mahesh, P Neha, M Rajashekhar 2016 Citations: 15
Assessment of Himalayan plain mango genotypes for phytochemicals, biochemical-nutraceutical characterisation and quality change during storage life N Saroj, K Prasad International Journal of Food Science and Technology 58 (7), 3781-3799 , 2023 2023 Citations: 14
Estimation of Genetic Variability and Genetic Divergence in Dolichos Bean [Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet.] Genotypes U Kumar, Pramila, K Prasad, RK Tiwari, S Ghosh, BM Sinha, LM Yadav Legume Research- An International Journal 44 (8), 916-920 , 2021 2021 Citations: 14
Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour) processing: A review K Prasad, P Neha, MK Lal, AK Gaurav Int. J. Curr. Microbiol. Appl. Sci 6 (8), 1-7 , 2017 2017 Citations: 14