They are of major concern to growers, because they eat whole young plants and can severely damage older plants. The greatest damage occurs during mild and damp weather, when snails and slugs are most active. Snail and slug pellets are the most commonly used form of control. Harvest, handling and packaging, storage, postharvest treatments and processing Preservation of food has been essential in Asia, to ensure that food was available during shortages such as those associated with a lack of production during winter. Vegetables are preserved by fermentation, pickling, drying, salting and adding sugar.
Chinese chard is usually hand-harvested at the base with a knife.
Any old or damaged outer leaves are trimmed off and the butt trimmed flush at the base. There should be no blemishes or defects of any kind. Chinese chard should be harvested well before the outermost leaves turn slightly yellow, which is before the plant fully matures and becomes fibrous. The plants can bolt before maturity and should be harvested when there is any evidence of a flower stalk. Chinese chard should be harvested in the cool part of the day and handled carefully as they are prone to physical injuries, such as bruising of the leaf stalk.