**Figure 7.**

*Methods of developing transgenic crops.*

Steps involved in developing transgenic plants.


**Figure 8.** *Steps for developing transgenic plant.*

Biotechnology and genetic transformation technology is an emerging technology and possess great impact on agricultural production and industry to meet the increasing world demand for food grains and agricultural commodities. The commonly used methods for reducing postharvest losses and increasing shelf life like early harvesting, modulating storage atmosphere, selection of late ripening genotypes are sometimes uneven and not satisfactory for most of the commodities and sometimes can cause loss of flavor, aroma and metabolites. Therefore, transgenic technologies are essential for production of improved crop varieties, enhancing plant tolerance to several biotic and abiotic stresses, securing nutritional status of crop species and many more. Transgenic plants are most promising means to improve crop productivity and production of metabolites and plant products as compared to conventional approaches. Postharvest deterioration of agricultural commodities on the other hand is the matter of great concern globally. As discussed, the main reasons behind this reduced shelf life of food products, rapid spoilage and softening of fruits and vegetables, low temperature, pathogen infection etc. They not only decrease quality of products but also affect their availability adversely. Biotechnological methods for enhancing postharvest factors of food products mainly aims at following perspective i.e., resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, genetic transformation, secondary metabolites, simultaneous ripening for proper harvesting, improvement in shelf life and organoleptic taste and enhancing nutritional quality [26]. Also, biotechnological approaches are used to create new crop varieties which can acclimate in existing climate change, tolerant to postharvest diseases and acquires extended shelf life. It is well acquainted that the physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanism of plants are directly related to postharvest attributes of fruits and vegetables i.e. storage and shelf life of products. Hence, these traits can be genetically examined and manipulated through molecular and transgenic approaches [27]. Ripening is considered as destructive stage in development of fruits and vegetables and most essential aspect in postharvest study. Ripening process is extremely modulated by various environmental condition and changes in hormone levels but ethylene is a primary hormone that regulate ripening and senescence phenomenon. However, non-climacteric fruits are independent of ethylene production unlike climacteric fruits. Researchers therefore, attempt to manipulate the influence of ethylene on ripening of produce by suppressing it at different growth stages in order to increase storage and shelf life. Ripening in tomato can be delayed by silencing ethylene biosynthetic genes, manipulating ethylene signaling and transduction, discouraging ABA biosynthetic genes etc. TILLING approach is widely used to enhance shelf life of produce.
