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Physiological Disorders and Fruit Quality Attributes in Pomegranate: Effects of Meteorological Parameters, Canopy Position and Acetylsalicylic Acid Foliar Sprays.

ABSTRACT: Meteorological parameters and occurrences of cracking (CR), russeting (RS), and sun scald (SS) symptoms were monitored in a pomegranate cv. "Wonderful" orchard planted in a W-E orientation, during a 3-year study. Moreover, the efficacy of preharvest foliar sprays with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA; 0.5 mM or 1.0 mM), applied biweekly four to six times, on yield and fruit quality attributes were evaluated in a 2-year study. Fruit from the N-side of the canopy had greater CR and RS, whereas SS symptoms were lower, compared with the S-exposed part of the canopy. The N-side of the canopy had also substantially lower fruit number and yield, suggesting for an important role of light on bisexual flower formation and/or fruit set. Following the occurrences in CR and RS during the fruit maturation period, it was found that temperature fluctuation was the main cause. The presence of RS damages may also be related with increased relative humidity and water movement as symptoms were higher in years with higher values, in the N-side of the canopy and often occurred in the exposed and stylar end of the fruit. The ASA treatment substantially reduced RS by up to 57%, improved the peel red coloration, while anthocyanin, antioxidant capacity, and soluble solid contents in juice were higher. Foliar sprays with ASA did not affect yield, but induced a trend of bigger-sized fruit. In conclusion, planting in a N-S row orientation and selecting an orchard plantation site with a minimum temperature fluctuation and low relative humidity during the fruit-ripening period are measures to control CR and RS in pomegranate. ASA foliar applications proved to have beneficial effects on juice antioxidant contents, but more importantly on fruit appearance.

SUBMITTER: Drogoudi P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7991580 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Mechanical damage resulting from excessive impact force during handling and other postharvest operations from harvesting to consumption is a critical quality problem in fresh produce marketing. The study investigates the impact of bruise damage, storage temperature, and storage period on the physiological responses of Omani pomegranate fruit cultivar ‘Helow’. Fruits were subjected to low (45°; 1.18 J) and high (65°; 2.29 J) impact levels using a pendulum test by hitting the fruit on the cheek side. Bruised and non-bruised fruit were stored at 5 and 22 °C for 28 days. Bruise measurements, water loss per unit mass, water loss per surface area, firmness, fruit size measurements, geometric mean diameter, surface area, fruit volume, color parameters, respiration rate, and ethylene production rate were evaluated. Bruise area, bruise volume, and bruise susceptibility of damaged pomegranate fruit were increased as impact level, storage duration, and storage temperature increased. Pomegranates damaged at a high impact level and conditioned at 22 °C showed 20.39% weight loss on the last day of storage compared to the control and low-impact-bruised fruit. Firmness and geometric mean diameter were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced by bruising at a high impact level. Impact bruising level and storage temperature decreased lightness, yellowness, browning index, and increased redness over time. Furthermore, the respiration rate was five times higher in the non-bruised and low- and high-impact-injured fruit stored at 22 °C than that stored at 5 °C. The ethylene production rate recorded its highest value on day 21 in high-level-impact-bruised pomegranate fruit. The bruise susceptibility was strongly correlated with the majority of the studied parameters. This study can confirm that bruising can affect not only the visual quality characteristics but also the physiological attributes of pomegranate fruit; therefore, much care is required to preserve fresh produce and avoid any mechanical damage and losses during postharvest handling.

Project description:Rice yield has decreased due to climate variability and change in Colombia. Plant growth regulators have been used as a strategy to mitigate heat stress in different crops. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of foliar applications of four growth regulators [auxins (AUX), brassinosteroids (BR), cytokinins (CK), or gibberellins (GA)] on physiological (stomatal conductance, total chlorophyll content, Fv/Fm ratio, plant canopy temperature, and relative water content) and biochemical (Malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline contents) variables in two commercial rice genotypes exposed to combined heat stress (high day and nighttime temperatures). Two separate experiments were carried out using plants of two rice genotypes, Fedearroz 67 ("F67") and Fedearroz 2000 ("F2000") for the first and second experiments, respectively. Both trials were analyzed together as a series of experiments. The established treatments were as follows: absolute control (AC) (rice plants grown under optimal temperatures (30/25°C day/nighttime temperatures), heat stress control (SC) [rice plants only exposed to combined heat stress (40/30°C)], and stressed rice plants and sprayed twice (5 days before and after heat stress) with a plant growth regulator (stress+AUX, stress+BR, stress+CK, or stress+GA). The results showed that foliar CK sprays enhanced the total chlorophyll content in both cultivars (3.25 and 3.65 mg g-1 fresh weight for "F67" and "F2000" rice plants, respectively) compared to SC plants (2.36 and 2.56 mg g-1 fresh weight for "F67," and "F2000" rice plants, respectively). Foliar CK application also improved stomatal conductance mainly in "F2000" rice plants compared to their heat stress control (499.25 vs.150.60 mmol m-2s-1). Foliar BR or CK sprays reduced plant canopy temperature between 2 and 3°C and MDA content in plants under heat stress. The relative tolerance index suggested that foliar CK (97.69%), and BR (60.73%) applications helped to mitigate combined heat stress mainly in "F2000" rice plants. In conclusion, foliar BR or CK applications can be considered an agronomic strategy to help to ameliorate the negative effect of combined heat stress conditions on the physiological behavior of rice plants.

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Project description:Although soybean seeds appear homogeneous, their composition (protein, oil and mineral concentrations) can vary significantly with the canopy position where they were produced. In studies with 10 cultivars grown over a 3-yr period, we found that seeds produced at the top of the canopy have higher concentrations of protein but less oil and lower concentrations of minerals such as Mg, Fe, and Cu compared to seeds produced at the bottom of the canopy. Among cultivars, mean protein concentration (average of different positions) correlated positively with mean concentrations of S, Zn and Fe, but not other minerals. Therefore, on a whole plant basis, the uptake and allocation of S, Zn and Fe to seeds correlated with the production and allocation of reduced N to seed protein; however, the reduced N and correlated minerals (S, Zn and Fe) showed different patterns of allocation among node positions. For example, while mean concentrations of protein and Fe correlated positively, the two parameters correlated negatively in terms of variation with canopy position. Altering the microenvironment within the soybean canopy by removing neighboring plants at flowering increased protein concentration in particular at lower node positions and thus altered the node-position gradient in protein (and oil) without altering the distribution of Mg, Fe and Cu, suggesting different underlying control mechanisms. Metabolomic analysis of developing seeds at different positions in the canopy suggests that availability of free asparagine may be a positive determinant of storage protein accumulation in seeds and may explain the increased protein accumulation in seeds produced at the top of the canopy. Our results establish node-position variation in seed constituents and provide a new experimental system to identify genes controlling key aspects of seed composition. In addition, our results provide an unexpected and simple approach to link agronomic practices to improve human nutrition and health in developing countries because food products produced from seeds at the bottom of the canopy contained higher Fe concentrations than products from the top of the canopy. Therefore, using seeds produced in the lower canopy for production of iron-rich soy foods for human consumption could be important when plants are the major source of protein and human diets can be chronically deficient in Fe and other minerals.

Project description:Molecular events regulating apple fruit ripening and sensory quality are largely unknown. Such knowledge is essential for genomic-assisted apple breeding and postharvest quality management. In this study, a parallel transcriptome profile analysis, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) examination and systematic physiological characterization were performed on two apple cultivars, Honeycrisp (HC) and Cripps Pink (CP), which have distinct ripening features and texture attributes. Systematic physiological characterization of fruit ripening based on weekly maturity data indicated substantial differences in fruit crispness and firmness at comparable ripening stages. SEM images of fruit cortex tissues prepared from fruits with equivalent maturity suggested that the cell wall thickness may contribute to the observed phenotypes of fruit firmness and crispness. A high-density long-oligo apple microarray consisting of duplex 190,135 cross-hybridization-free 50-70-mer isothermal probes, and representing 23,997 UniGene clusters, was manufactured on a Nimblegen array platform. Transcriptome profiling identified a total of 1793 and 1209 UniGene clusters differentially expressed during ripening from cortex tissues of HC and CP, respectively. UniGenes implicated in hormone metabolism and response, cell wall biosynthesis and modification and those encoding transcription factors were among the prominent functional groups. Between the two cultivars, most of the identified UniGenes were similarly regulated during fruit ripening; however, a short list of gene families or specific family members exhibited distinct expression patterns between the two cultivars, which may represent candidate genes regulating cultivar-specific apple fruit ripening patterns and quality attributes. Using a single color labeling system, a total of 24 microarray slides were utilized, one for each cortex tissue sample, for transcriptome profiling analysis. 2 cultivars x 3 developmental stages x 4 biological replicates.

Project description:Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit is well known for its health-beneficial metabolites. The pomegranate peel consists of an inner thick spongy white tissue, and an outer smooth skin layer that accumulates anthocyanins in red cultivars when ripe. The skin is made up of epidermis cells covered by a cuticle, the latter being the first target of cracking and russeting. The present study focuses on the effect of Israel's hot and dry climate on pomegranate growth, to elucidate the derived effects on fruit skin characteristics and its putative resistance to the building pressure from fruit expansion. Experiments were conducted for four years, in four orchards located in different regions of the country, each with a different typical microclimate. Fruit-growth parameters were followed using remote-sensing tools, microscopic study, and mineral analysis of the skin, followed by determination of the peel's elastic modulus. Fruit expanded in two phases: a short rapid phase followed by a gradual phase with a sigmoidal growth-rate pattern. Extreme hot and dry climate during the period of maximal growth rate was associated with restricted growth and a high proportion of small-size fruit. Anatomical study indicated that the skin of mature pomegranate fruit is made up of epidermal cells that are relatively flat and spaced apart, and is expected to be less durable against internal pressure. In contrast, skin of early immature fruit has two layers of dense and rounded epidermis, and is expected to be more resistant to cracking. Tensile strength studies confirmed this trend-skin of mature fruit had a lower elastic modulus than young fruit. However, restrained growth due to extreme environmental cues may result in better resistance of the mature pomegranate fruit to cracking, and in better skin quality and appearance, albeit small fruits. On the other hand, temperate climate at the beginning of the growth period, which allows high growth rate and high daily shrinkage, leads to pomegranate skin disorders.

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Physiological Disorders and Fruit Quality Attributes in Pomegranate: Effects of Meteorological Parameters, Canopy Position and Acetylsalicylic Acid Foliar Sprays.

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