ANALYSIS OF MATURING AND MATURATION OF BURAHOL PURWODADI BOTANICAL GARDEN COLLECTION

In Taiwan, the force flower treatment of pineapple usually used calcium carbide (CaC2) solution, but it was unstable. For this reason, the object of this study was to clear the ingredients in CaC2 solution which affected flower induction and found chemicals that may be replaced CaC2 solution. Mature pineapple plants were treated with CaC2 solution, CaC2 gas (acetylene gas), ethylene gas, CaC2 solution without acetylene gas, or first treated with 1-MCP then CaC2 gas. Results showed that CaC2 solution, acetylene gas, and ethylene gas could induce plants to flower. Plants treated with 1-MCP or CaC2 solution without acetylene gas did not flower, suggesting that acetylene gas was the main ingredient in CaC2 solution which stimulated flowering. Most of the plants bloomed at 50 days after forced flowering. The nitrogen and calcium content in the green part of the leaves of flowering plants was higher than in non-flowering plants. And the ratios of total soluble sugar to total nitrogen in flowering plants were lower than in non-flowering plants. There were no significant differences in starch content and nitrogen/ calcium ratios between flowering and non-flowering plants. Ethylene production in leaf discs was induced by treatments with CaC2 supernatant liquid, CaC2 solution without acetylene gas, or CaC2 solution on leaf discs. Results showed that CaC2 supernatant liquid could induce more ethylene production than CaC2 solution did, but ethylene production was decrease after treatment with CaC2 solution without acetylene gas, suggested that the precipitates in the CaC2 solution could affect acetylene-induced ethylene production. The white-green and light green sections of D leaf in pineapple plants were found to produce the most ethylene. Leaf discs from these sections were examined for the ability to further produce ethylene by using chemicals and hormones. KH2PO4, 0.1mM kinetin, 0.5ppm IBA, K2HPO4, CaCl2, and Ca(NO3)2 could not induce leaf discs to produce more ethylene. However, there was obvious ethylene production by leaf discs after treatment with CuSO4, the highest ethylene production rate being from the concentration of 0.5mM CuSO4 at 25℃. But there was even more ethylene production when leaf discs were dipped in 5mM CuSO4 aqueous solution for 10 minutes. For example, the ethylene production rate for 5mM CuSO4 at 6-12 hr was 3.5 times higher than discs incubated in 0.5mM CuSO4. CuSO4 ability to produce ethylene may be stimulated by ACC synthase activity. Results also showed the leaf discs produced a large amount of ethylene after treatment with ethephon. Leaf discs could produce ethylene after CuSO4 treatment, so CuSO4 applying to the plants then evaluated the capability of flower induction. Pineapple plants were treated with CaC2 solution, oil-coated CaC2, different concentrations of CaCl2 or CuSO4 (0.5, 1, and 2mM), and ethephon for forcing flowers. Among them, ethephon treatment was more efficienct: 85% in flowering rate. The flowering rate of CaC2 solution and oil-coated CaC2 was 21%. Other treatments did not force flowering. The nitrogen content in the white part of D leaf was decreased with the forced flowering time, from 1.45 to 0.51%; and the green part of the leaf was maintained between 1 to 1.2%; but the nitrogen content in the green part of the leaf was significantly increased after ethephon forced flowering treatment. The total soluble sugar in the green part of the leaf before flowering by ethephon treatment was lower than other treatments, but starch had no significant difference between treatments. CuSO4 could induce considerable ethylene production from leaf discs but very little from whole plants. The reason for failure of flower induction may be due to the fact that the quantity of ethylene production was too low to induce flowering, or there was wax on the leaf surfaces which obstructed cupric ions from entering the leaf tissues and resulted in flowering failure.

The chemical contituents are concerned in the quality of tomato fruit in respect to color, texture, flavor, nutritive value, and wholesomeness. In general, high sugar contents, redness of color, and firm texture are associated with prominence of rich flavor. Biochemical changes as influenced by growth, maturation, and environment of tomato fruit are discussed.

10 - Role of maturity for improved flavour

Sweet corn seeds are sensitive to storage due to their low starch content and poor seed vigor. Therefore, it is important to understand their physiological and biochemical behavior during storage to prolong their longevity and prevent the loss of vigor. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the physiological and biochemical changes in sweet corn seeds during storage. Artificial accelerated aging and natural aging were applied to 19 inbred lines. We found that GP, GR and VI decreased as aging proceeded. The physiological and biochemical characteristics of seeds three days after artificial aging (AA3d) and eight months after natural aging (NA8M) were evaluated. The contents of GA, ABA, and malondialdehyde and amylase activity in AA3d and NA8M seeds showed significant differences among the lines, while the total protein and total starch content showed nonsignificant or small differences. We found significant differences among the lines and a nonsignificant difference between AA3d and NA8M seeds in the activity of antioxidant enzymes. A correlation analysis showed that the germination rate was significantly negatively correlated with the ABA content in AA3d seeds, while SOD was positively correlated with GR and GI in NA8M seeds. This study provides a useful catalog of physiological and biochemical changes in sweet corn seeds, offering insights for the future genetic improvement of sweet corn’s storage tolerance.

The maintenance dose of a drug is dependent on drug clearance, and thus any biochemical and physiological changes in obesity that affect parameters such as cardiac output, renal function, expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes and protein binding may result in altered clearance compared with that observed in normal-weight subjects (corrected or uncorrected for body weight). Because of the increasing worldwide incidence of obesity, there is a need for more information regarding the optimal dosing of drug therapy to be made available to prescribers. This is usually provided via clinical studies in obese people; however, such studies are not available for all drugs that might be used in obese subjects. Incorporation of the relevant physiological and biochemical changes into predictive bottom-up pharmacokinetic models in order to optimize dosage regimens may offer a logical way forward for the cases where no clinical data exist. The aims of the current report are to apply such a 'systems approach' to identify the likelihood of observing variations in the clearance of drugs in obesity and morbid obesity for a set of compounds for which clinical data, as well as the necessary in vitro information, are available, and to provide a framework for assessing other drugs in the future. The population-specific changes in demographic, physiological and biochemical parameters that are known to be relevant to obese and morbidly obese subjects were collated and incorporated into two separate population libraries. These libraries, together with mechanistic in vitro-in vivo extrapolations (IVIVE) within the Simcyp Population-based Simulator™, were used to predict the clearance of oral alprazolam, oral caffeine, oral chlorzoxazone, oral ciclosporin, intravenous and oral midazolam, intravenous phenytoin, oral theophylline and oral triazolam. The design of the simulated studies was matched as closely as possible with that of the clinical studies. Outcome was measured by the predicted ratio of the clearance of the drug in obese and lean subjects ± its 90% confidence interval, compared with observed values. The overall statistical measures of the performance of the model to detect differences in compound clearance between obese and lean populations were investigated by measuring sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV). A power calculation was carried out to investigate the impact of the sample size on the overall outcome of clinical studies. The model was successful in predicting clearance in obese subjects, with the degree to which simulations could mimic the outcome of in vivo studies being greater than 60% for six of the eight drugs. A clear difference in the clearance of chlorzoxazone was correctly picked up via simulation. The overall statistical measures of the performance of the Simcyp Simulator were 100% sensitivity, 66% specificity, 60% PPV and 100% NPV. Studies designed on the basis of the ratio of the absolute values required substantial numbers of participants in order to detect a significant difference, except for phenytoin and chlorzoxazone, where the ratios of the weight-normalized clearances generally showed statistically significant differences with a smaller number of subjects. Extension of a mechanistic predictive pharmacokinetic model to accommodate physiological and biochemical changes associated with obesity and morbid obesity allowed prediction of changes in drug clearance on the basis of in vitro data, with reasonable accuracy across a range of compounds that are metabolized by different enzymes. Prediction of the effects of obesity on drug clearance, normalized by various body size scalars, is of potential value in the design of clinical studies during drug development and in the introduction of dosage adjustments that are likely to be needed in clinical practice.

Longkong (Aglaia dookoo Griff.) is a popular tropical fruit that currently experiences around 99.37% domestic consumer demand. The main problem in terms of export is that longkong fruit drops from its bunch after harvesting. Therefore the objective of this research is to study the development of fruit drop in longkong bunches being harvested and stored at room temperature. Weight loss, fruit drop and polygalacturonase (PG) activity increased rapidly during storage time; while firmness, respiration rate and ethylene of longkong fruit bunches decreased after storage at room temperature. Activity of the enzymes pectinesterase (PE), cellulase (Cx) and peroxidase (POD) of longkong fruit slightly increased up to six days and then decreased until the end of storage. The effect of ethylene (at the concentration of 0, 200 and 400 ppm) on physiological and biochemical changes during fruit drop of longkong postharvest was evaluated. Dipping longkong in 200 and 400 ppm ethephon rapidly increased fruit abscission and respiration rate. The untreated fruit showed increased ethylene production and activity of enzymes PG, PE and Cx, and weight loss was delayed longer than longkong dipped in 200 and 400 ppm ethephon. Firmness and POD were not significantly different between the fruit treated with ethephon and those untreated. Effects of temperature (at 13 and 25°C) on physiological and biochemical change during fruit drop of harvested longkong bunches was also evaluated. The results indicate that storage at 13°C delayed the weight loss, fruit drop, firmness, respiration rate, ethylene production and activity of enzymes pectinesterase (PE), cellulase (Cx) and peroxidase (POD).

Jujube fruits (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk) of cv Zaytoni were harvested from fruit set until maturity to study some physiological and biochemical changes. Jujube fruit cv Zaytoni displayed a double‐sigmoid growth curve with a very short second stage (2 weeks). Changes in respiration rate and ethylene production during fruit development were typical of climacteric fruits, the peak of ethylene production coinciding with the climacteric rise in respiration. As for chemical constituents, reducing sugars were dominant and sucrose was absent in ripe fruit. Total soluble solid content was low during the early stages of growth, then increased to a peak in ripe fruit. Titratable acidity was low initially, but increased to a peak in physiologically mature fruit and declined rapidly in ripe fruit. The pattern of changes in protein content was typical of that characterising climacteric fruits.© 2002 Society of Chemical Industry

Following harvest, peanuts are usually subjected to a period of storage. During storage biochemical changes are known to occur. The objectives of this study were to determine the changes and relationship in ethylene production, germination, and lipoxygenase (LG) activity during cold storage of dormant NC-13 peanut seeds. Two seed lots (SL) were used: one grown in Oklahoma (SL80) and the other grown in N. Carolina (SL81). SL80 and SL81 were stored at 2 to 5 C for 193 and 242 days, respectively. Samples were taken at about 28-day intervals for determination of germination, ethylene production, and LG activity. Seeds of two and three maturities were tested for SL80 and SL81, respectively. As afterripening of stored seeds proceeded, ethylene production gradually increased, with the maximum at 48 hours of germination. Germination showed a concomitant gradual increase. Lipoxygenase activity of both seedlots was less for mature than for immature seeds and showed a sharp increase during storage at 2 to 5 C, particularly for immature seeds. After heat-treatment to break dormancy of sublots from SL81, there was a progessive increase in ethylene production and germination, but most notably for mature seeds. In contrast to ethylene production and germination, after heat-treatment LG activity declined. Linear correlation coefficient (r) values between ethylene production and germination were highly significant for mature seeds from SL80 at 48 and 72 hours of germination, but only at 72 hours for immature seeds. For SL81 as for SL80, significant positive correlations were found between ethylene production and germination. However, correlations between LG activity and the other variables were not significant except for mature seeds from SL81. Significant positive correlations for both ethylene production and germination with LG activity also existed for these seeds. But after heat-treatment these correlations no longer occurred. The data indicate that the metabolic processes related to ethylene production and germination are occurring simultaneously with those of LG activity. The possibility that metabolites from LG activity serve as substrates for ethylene production can not be precluded.

Ethylene, a gaseous plant hormone, is responsible for the initiation of reproductive development in pineapple. Reproductive development can be forced in pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus) throughout the year with ethylene. Inhibition of natural flowering initiation with aviglycine [(S)-trans-2-amino-4-(2-aminoethoxy)-3-butenoic acid hydrochloride], an inhibitor of ethylene biosynthesis, provides evidence that reproductive development in response to cold stress and short daylength is also in response to ethylene production. We studied the effect of cold treatment of pineapple on ethylene production and flower induction by applying a short-term cold stress to stem apices. Shoot apices of pineapple treated with ice crystals also produced twice as much ethylene as did those of control plants and significantly more than was produced by “D” leaf basal tissue. Moreover, pineapple plants treated four times with ice crystals or ice water were induced to flower under field conditions and the forcing efficiency, as evaluated by the percentages of inflorescence emergence and fruit harvest, was comparable to forcing with calcium carbide (CaC2) and ethephon. In another field experiment two applications of a 1.0% solution of CaC2 or 0.15% ethephon applied at 48 h intervals was sufficient to force reproductive development of ‘Tainon 17’. Furthermore, 0.5 or 1.0% solutions of CaC2 supplemented with 0.5% activated charcoal (AC) significantly improved the forcing effectiveness of CaC2. This could/would make it possible to reduce the number or concentration, or both, of CaC2 required to effect forcing in pineapple.

The present investigation was carried out at Post Harvest Laboratory, College of Horticulture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad during Nov.-Dec. (2010 and 2011). Skin colour, fruit firmness, pectin content, pectin methyl esterase (PME) activity, respiration and ethylene evolution rates were monitored during cold storage (10±1°C and 90±5% RH) of guavas (cv. LUCKNOW-49) harvested at two stages of maturity, mature green (maximum growth of fruits is attained and skin colour changes from dark green to light green) and colour turning (skin colour turns slightly yellow from light green) treated with naphthalene acetic acid (100 and 200 ppm), gibberellic acid (150 and 300 ppm) and benzyl adenine (25 and 50 ppm). Skin colour (Hunter 'L', 'a' and 'b') increased progressively, while fruit firmness and pectin content decreased consistently with the advancement of storage period. Activity of cell wall degrading enzyme, PME declined gradually till the fruits became ripe, but increased in the over-ripe stage. Likewise, respiration and ethylene production rates also exhibited similar pattern of increase coinciding with ripe stage followed by a decline later. However, the peak in respiration rate was preceded by maximum ethylene production in guava during storage at 10±1°C. Mature green (MG) stage fruits showed promising results in delaying the physiological and biochemical changes compared to colour turning (CT) stage and among the treatments, fruits treated with BA (50 ppm) exhibited longer shelf-life and acceptable fruit quality during cold storage.

A comprehensive study on the main physiological and biochemical changes occurring during growth and on-tree ripening of two apple varieties with different postharvest behaviour

Effects of postharvest treatments on expression of three lipoxygenase genes in oriental melon (Cucumis melo var. makuwa Makino)

Consumers demand high-quality fruit, yet quality characteristics decrease during rough postharvest handling practices such as mechanical injuries, moisture loss, and so on. This study aimed to identify the physiological changes due to physical damage effect on the quality characteristic in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) 'Benishuho'. The experiment comprised of five treatments of a combination of fruit dropping before storage and compression during the storage. The fruits were dropped from 100-cm height before storage. The compression weight was 200 g per 6 fruits in a chamber during the storage. A batch of fruits selected for uniformity were used for each treatment and kept at 20°C and 80±3% RH in a chamber. The physiological and appearance changes of fruits were measured daily during the storage period. The elevated ethylene production level (0.36-0.47 nL ethylene g(-1) h(-1)) was observed particularly in the dropped fruits. The compression at a lateral side of fruits enhanced the ethylene production during the storage and increased the damaged area on the surface of the skin. The damage and decayed areas increased significantly, especially in dropped samples and reached its peak level six days after a storage period. The respiration rate was also slightly higher (13.8-16.8 nL CO(2) g(-1) h(-1)) in the dropped fruits by ethylene production. On the other hand, flesh color values were not significantly changed by the treatment. Similarly, soluble solid (SSC) were also not considerably altered, maintained almost unchanged. However, acidity level % exhibited a gradual increase. The physical damage before storage triggered the ethylene production during storage and increased the decay area.

Thermal stress is a major cause of production losses in the dairy and beef industries. Dairy animals are more heat sensitive as average milk yield has increased. During thermal stress physiological and biochemical changes occurs in the animal body which directly or indirectly affect the production. This review clearly describes about biochemical and physiological changes occur during thermal stress in bovines.

Pregnancy is associated various physiological changes in order to ensure care, support and protection of the developing embryo and also prepare mother for labour and delivery. These changes influence all physical, physiological, biochemical and immunological status of the mother. Normal physiological changes that are observed include missed period, nausea, fatigue, motion sickness, mood swings, bloating, and tenderness in breast while biochemical and immunological changes include change in levels of blood levels of certain parameters like urea, creatinine, human chorionic gonadotropin, localisation of immune-modulators in uterus etc. This review highlights the important changes taking place during normal pregnancy so that it may aid in educating the expectant mothers regarding such changes facilitate them to cope up with proper health care. Keywords: Pregnancy, Trimester, Foetus, Biochemical, Physiological, Physical, Immunity.