Apricot Production Research Articles

Evaluation of Nutritional Content in Wild Apricot Fruits for Sustainable Apricot Production

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) trees are common from Asia to North America and have been used for delicious and nutritious fruits for centuries. Wild apricot trees show great environment plasticity and are free of pest and disease traits, both of which are important for sustainable apricot production. However, wild apricots are more common in Asia and North African countries. Wild apricot trees and fruits show great variability due to seed propagation characteristics. Seeds of wild apricots are used as rootstocks for apricot cultivars, in particular in main apricot producer countries such as Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Iran. Fruits of wild apricots are also an important food in wild apricot growing countries and add value as a sustainable nutrition source. In the present study, a total of 14 wild apricots widely grown in inner Anatolia were characterized by morphological (fruit weight, flesh/seed ratio, fruit firmness, and color index), nutritional (individual sugars and organic acids) and nutraceutical (total phenolic, total flavonoids, total carotenoid, and antioxidant activity) features. The obtained results showed that wild apricot genotypes differed from each other for most of the morphological, nutritional, and nutraceutical characteristics. The genotypes were found pest- and disease-free and had fruit weight, flesh/seed ratio, and fruit firmness of between 18.24 and 27.54 g; 8.96 and 12.44; and 4.05 and 6.03 kg/cm2, respectively. Citric acid was the dominant organic acid for fruits of all wild apricot genotypes, and ranged from 923 to 1224 mg/100 g. Sucrose was the highest soluble sugar in fruits for all wild apricots, and ranged from between 6.80 and 8.33 g/100 g. Moreover, the level of nutraceutical parameters also varied among genotypes and high amounts of total phenol and antioxidant activity were obtained in fruit extracts of IA8 genotype as 81.4 mg gallic acid equivalent per 100 g and 2.44 μmoL trolox equivalent per g, respectively. Different wild apricot genotypes are rich in certain nutritional and nutraceutical compounds, with significant variations in their levels being observed. The aim of the study was to evaluate fruits of wild apricot genotypes in terms of their total phenolics, antioxidants, and other bioactive compounds for use in future breeding programs and sustainable food and pharma industries.

Evaluation of regulated deficit drip irrigation strategies in apricot

Water is essential for agricultural production and food security. Water scarcity is expected to intensify as a result of climate change and continuing expansion in the world’s population. Therefore, it calls for efficient water management in agriculture ensuring water use to be more efficient, productive, equitable, and environment friendly. Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) is one of the recent tools used in agriculture water management. The effects of RDI on the performance of 4 years old apricot trees (Prunus armeniaca L. cv. ‘New Castle’) were assessed during two critical crop growth periods (March–July 2016 and 2017) and one non-critical period (August–November 2016) in a randomized block design in the apricot block at Experimental Farm of the Department of Soil Science and Water Management, Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (HP), India during two consecutive growing seasons (2016 and 2017). In the non-critical period, RDI @60%ETc can be successfully employed to achieve significantly comparative fruit yield and quality with 40% water savings over conventional drip irrigation @100%ETc, while in critical period conventional drip irrigation @100%ETc must be used for higher apricot production. Therefore, the apricot crop should be irrigated through drip irrigation @100% ETc in the critical period (March-July) and @60% ETc in the non-critical period (August-November) with black polyethylene (plastic) mulching in the plant basins to achieve optimum fruit yield and quality characteristics.

PROTECTION OF THE APRICOT CROP AGAINST DISEASES IN THE OSTROV FRUIT GROWING AREA

Due to its physiological, ecological and technological peculiarities of the species, apricot culture involves a whole series of challenges and requires special attention and fruit growers’ skillness. Being an early flowering plant, sensitive to various diseases and pests, root asphyxiation, spring frosts and other unfavorable factors, yields are often reduced and are a factor that is limiting the areas and farmers' interest in the expansion and development of this crop. Also, the complex of diseases and pests to which this culture is exposed may cause the manifestation of the enigmatic disease called apoplexy or premature demise of the apricot. The paper highlights the importance and special role of effective disease control in an apricot orchard in the southern area of Dobrogea in order to obtain a quantitatively and qualitatively increased yield. A total of 11 phytosanitary treatments were applied to control brown rot, gumspot of stone fruit, scab and powdery mildew. The assessments at 7-10 days after each treatment for Comandor and Farbaly varieties proved a good efficacy ranging from 86.67 to 100%. So that the production of apricots intended for sale was approx 12 tons per hectare.

ХАЛҚАРО БОЗОРЛАРДА ЎРИК МАҲСУЛОТЛАРИНИНГ ЭКСПОРТ САЛОҲИЯТИНИ ОШИРИШ БЎЙИЧА МАРКЕТИНГ СТРАТЕГИЯЛАРИНИ ИШЛАБ ЧИҚИШ ВА УНИ АМАЛГА ОШИРИШ ЙЎНАЛИШЛАРИ

The article describes the development and implementation of marketing strategies to increase the export potential of apricot products. The author highlights the role and importance of marketing strategies in export activities. Based on theoretical research, the author explains the meaning of such concepts as "elements of export marketing strategies", "factors affecting export performance", "onion model", "product competitive matrix", "five strategies for export and adaptation to foreign markets".

Fast detection of apricot product frauds by added pumpkin via planar chromatography and chemometrics: Greenness assessment by analytical eco-scale

The European Commission requires that fruit products distributed on the market meet standards of high quality and authenticity. For the quality assessment of apricot products susceptible to food fraud, an environmentally friendly, simple and cost-effective analytical profiling was developed by high-performance thin-layer chromatography multi-imaging (HPTLC-FLD/Vis). The new phytochemical profiling was applied for analysis of authentic samples (7 apricot and 5pumpkin samples) and simulated adulterated products (11 mixture samples prepared by addition of 2.5–53% pooled pumpkin to pooled apricot). Based on the analytical eco-scale assessment, the HPTLC-FLD/Vis method was proven as an excellent green analytical method with low energy and solvent consumption. Chemometric data analysis confirmed the difference between apricot and apricot-pumpkin mixtures based on the phytochemical profile. Chemical markers responsible for their differentiation were identified. The results indicated that frauds by adding pumpkin to apricot products can be detected at added contents as low as 2.5%.

Utilization of activated carbons produced from some natural materials in the purification of used frying oil

The activated carbons (ACs) from shells of horse chestnut, chestnut, acorn, pistachio, apricot kernel, and wood shavings were evaluated to recover used oil (UO). The effects of the amount of AC, adsorption time, and temperature on the purification of the UO were investigated using the apricot kernel shells due to the high apricot production of Turkey. The kinetic evaluation was also done. The percentage improvements (PIs) in total polar materials (TPM), free fatty acids (FFA), p-anisidine value (p-AV), conjugated diene content (CD), and color of UO were found as 100, 56, 92, 51, and 90% for the apricot kernel AC in the column treatment. The most effective other ACs in decreasing FFA, p-AV, CD, and color were the horse chestnut (59%), chestnut (74%), chestnut (43%), and pistachio (72%), respectively. Consequently, these ACs can be used for the purification of UO. Practical applications Industrial wastes cause environmental pollution if they are ejected into river, sea, and soil. Therefore, they should be purified or treated for different purposes. In this study, the industrial wastes from the food and forest industries were used for the production of activated carbon to purify the used oil. The results showed that these activated carbons could be utilized for the regeneration of used oils. The most economical treatment is to blend the activated carbon with used frying oil for a certain time and remove it through centrifugation and filtration. The purified oil has the potential to be used in the biodiesel production.

Effect of Environmental Factors on Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Yield in the City of Jerusalem Occupied, Palestine

Apricot is a deciduous perennial tree, which classified within to the Rosacea family, sensitive to climatic factors, and its production has an economic role for many countries of the world, including Palestine. Mean annual temperatures and precipitation were analyzed, using data from a meteorological station of Jerusalem, Palestine, which has recorded between the year (1993-2012), and with the same number of years of apricot production, knowing that production data were taken from the Palestinian Statistics Center for the mentioned period. On the other hand, we used Professor Salvador Ravers Martins' methodology to classify the Earth in the process of analyzing environmental factors, there are two aspects of the factors: The first is climatic, which is the amount of rain or precipitation, mean monthly temperature and soil water reserve, and the second factor is the bioclimatic, which is annual ombrothermic index, simple continentality index, compensated thermicity index, and water deficit. In conclusion, Jerusalem was adversely affected by mean monthly temperature, precipitation, compensated thermicity index, deficit water, annual ombrothermic index during (1997-2002 and 2007-2012), but positively influenced by soil water reserve on apricot production, during (1993-1997 and 2002-2007), with a great rate of the variance in axis F1 (98.8%), axis F2 (0.82%) and symmetrical plot axes F1and F2 (99.8%), when the correspondence analysis was applied. However, humid areas characterized by mild summers are the suitable region for apricot production and productivity, with a temperature ranging between 22-24°C, at which high quality production can be obtained, the amount of rain is between 600 - 800 mm annually. Final, environmental regions in the thermomediterranean and the Mesomediterranean, with simple continentality index is 17 - 22, annual ombrothermic index is 2.5, while the compensated thermicity index is about 250/420, to obtain the highest ideal production of apricots in Jerusalem, Palestine.

Apricot Production Forecast of the Leading Countries in The Period of 2018-2025.

The aim of this study is to estimate apricot production quantities in 2018-2025 periods by using 1961-2017 data of the leading countries in apricot production in the world. 57-year data were obtained from FAOSTAT and analyzed with the help of the SAS 9.4 statistics program. In order to determine these predictions, ARIMA models have been used. In cases where the data is not stationary, the one-year delay was made and the most suitable ARIMA model was chosen according to AIC, BIC, SSE, MSE, MPE criteria. According to the 8-year average estimation based on 26 years of data, the share of countries in apricot production is formed by Turkey with 19%, Uzbekistan with 14%, Algeria with 7%, Iran with 6%, and Italy with 6%. Turkey ranked second after Spain in fresh apricot exports and first in the dried apricots although dried apricot export prices are less than Germany price currently, the government focusing on higher-quality types in fresh and dried apricots, France, and the Netherlands supplied dried apricots from Turkey.

Threshold‐based characteristics of apricot frost exposure at young fruit in the warm temperate zone, China

AbstractLate spring frost stress is one of the major environmental limiting factors for apricot in the warm zone in China. Investigation of frost exposure of apricot is of particular interest for estimating the frost risk, thus representing the potential damage for apricot production. In this study, daily minimum temperature (Tmin), disaster and phenological data of apricot from 1981 to 2020 in the warm zone were integrated to explore the temperature threshold on apricot at young fruit, facilitating the assessment of apricot frost exposure (E) under the background of climate warming. The daily Tmin was firstly extracted according to the historical disaster records, to identify the per‐ and ongoing weather conditions of the low‐temperature events. The overall accuracy and Receiver Operating Characteristics curve (ROC) were combined to identify the trigger threshold of apricot frost. 1.9°C was identified as the apricot frost trigger threshold in regional assessment, with relatively higher correct rate for disaster (90.2%) and lower incorrect rate for none‐disaster (23.4%). An area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.88 was obtained, demonstrating a good performance of Tmin as the trigger factor in discriminating between apricot frost and no frost. High frequency of days suffered from apricot and frost exposure at young fruit were mainly found in the northwestern and middle parts of the region, with frequencies of more than 2 days and E more than 3. Regional days suffered from apricot frost and E were found to have a negative trend with slope −0.0317 and −0.789, respectively, whereas the northwest and middle part of the study region were found to have an increasing trend. The results can provide technical and theoretical support for targeted apricot frost detection and risk assessment, and measures for apricot frost prevention and mitigation can be implemented according to the threshold‐based results.

DETERMINATION OF POLLEN VIABILITY AND GERMINATION RATIOS IN MERSIN ECOLOGY OF SOME EARLY APRICOT

Turkey is the leading country in the production of world apricots (Prunus armeniaca). In the country, apricots are usually grown for drying and fresh consumption, and apricots are also used for different purposes. This study was carried out to determine pollen viability and germination status in some foreign apricot varieties grown in Mut district of Mersin province, which has an important place in early ripening apricot production in Turkey. Pollen viability and germination ratios were determined by TTC and 1% agar 10% method in Mogador, Mikado, Pricia, Flopria apricot varieties. In terms of pollen values, the best result in terms of viable pollen is from the Mikado with 77.02% and Mogador varieties with 78.61%, while the Pricia variety with 44.09% in semi-viable pollen provides the most result, while Flopria and Pricia varieties produce the highest values in dead pollen results. In the germination tests, pollen germination rates were medium level in Flopria, Mogador and Mikado varieties the pollen germination rate of the Pricia variety is only 8.96%. The results obtained will be a guide in new orchard establishment and breeding studies.

Deficit Irrigation Strategies on Tree Physiological and Chemical Properties: Treatment Effects, Prediction Based Model Analyses and Inter-Correlations

Irrigation is a key factor for different physiological aspects of fruit trees. Therefore, such irrigation protocols that can save water consumption during irrigation and maintain fruit trees productivity are an essential goal especially under semiarid climate conditions. The aim of this 3-year apricot study was to investigate the effect of four deficit irrigation (DI) treatments (control, moderate regulated deficit irrigation: RDIm, severe RDI: RDIs and continuous DI: CDI) on 15 tree physiological properties (chilling requirement—CR, heat requirement—HR, days from end—dormancy until fruit harvest—DEDFH, sum of growing degree days—sGDD, total number of buds—TNB, number of flower buds—NFB, number of vegetative buds—NVB, starting date of flowering—SDF, number of opened flower buds—NOFB, flower bud abscission—FBA, fruit set—FS, seasonal vegetative growth—SVG, fruit number per tree—FNT, fruit weight—FW, fruit yield—FY), and on two tree chemical properties (total soluble carbohydrates—TSC and total proline content—TPC) on apricot cultivars ‘Ninfa’ and ‘Canino’ in Egypt. Results showed that both DI treatments and cultivars significantly influenced the values of CR, HR, TNB, SDF, NOFB, FS, SVG, FNT, FY, TSC, and TPC. Values of FBA were significantly affected by years and DI treatments, while sGDD by years and cultivars. Values of DEDFH, NFB, and FW were significantly influenced only by cultivars, while NVB only by DI treatments. The RDIm treatment gave the most acceptable values for most measured properties compared to the fully irrigated control treatment. Prediction based model analysis demonstrated that generalized linear models (GLMs) can be predictors for the measured tree properties in the DI treatments. The best goodness-of-fit of the predicted GLMs was reached for HR, NOFB, FS, SVG, FNT, TSC, and TPC. In all the four DI treatments, 22 pair-variables (TNB versus (vs.) NFB, TNB vs. NOFB, TNB vs. NOFB, NFB vs. NOFB, NFB vs. FNT, NFB vs. FY, NFB vs. FW, NOFB vs. SVG, NOFB vs. FNT, NOFB vs. FY, FS vs. FNT, FS vs. FY, SVG vs. FNT, SVG vs. FY, SVG vs. TSC, FNT vs. FY, FY vs. FW, CR vs. TSC, HR vs. TNB, HR vs. NFB, HR vs. FNT, HR vs. FY, and NOFB vs. FBA) correlated significantly in Pearson correlation and regression analyses. Principal component analyses explained 82% of the total variance and PC1, PC2, and PC3 explained 23, 21, and 15% of the total variance and correlated with the HR, TNB, FS, FNT and FY; FBA, SVG, TSC, and TPC; and NFB, NVB and NOFB, respectively, indicating strong connections among tree physiological and chemical properties. In conclusion, DI techniques using moderate water deficits can be managed successfully in apricot production under semiarid Mediterranean climate conditions such as the one in Egypt.

In Vitro Efficiency of Some Fungicides Against Neoscytalı̇dı̇um dı̇mı̇dı̇atum (Penz.) Crous and Slippers Causing Sudden Shoot Dry on Apricot Trees

Turkey is known as a top producer and exporter of apricots, both fresh and dried. More than half of Turkey's apricot production is provided by Malatya province. There are many pests and diseases affecting apricots in addition to climatic factors such as frost and hail. Partial shoot drying and sudden drying in apricot orchards have increased in recent years. In this study, it was aimed to determine the chemical control possibilities of Neoscytalidium dimidiatum (Penz.) Crous &Slippers, which is one of the fungal agents that cause partial branch drying and sudden drying in apricot orchards in Malatya province by in vitro studies. For this purpose, Kale 4-C isolate of N. dimidiatum collected from Malatya in a previous study was used. Mycelial growth of N. dimidiatum Kale 4-C isolate in PDA were observed in 0 (control), 0.01, 0.03, 0.1, 1, 3, 10, 30 ve 100 μg/mL concentrations of Azoxystrobin 250g/L, Trifloxystrobin %50, Tebuconazole %25, Floupyram 200 g/L+Tebuconazole 200 g/L, Cyprodinil+Fludioxonil %37.5+25, %70 Thiophanate-Methyl and 400 g/L Phosphorous acide fungicides applications. As a result of the study, Floupyram 200g/L+Tebuconazole 200g/L ve Cyprodinil+Fludioxonil %37.5+25 fungicides effectively inhibited the mycelial growth of the fungus.

Influence of nitrogen source on physiology, yield and fruit quality of young apricot trees

The objective of this two-year study was to assess the effect of N source on plant physiology, yield and fruit quality of apricot (Prunus armeniaca ‘Mogador’) trees. Parameters evaluated included: gas exchange [photosynthesis (Pn), transpiration (E), and stomatal conductance (gs)], chlorophyll content index (SPAD), leaf nutrient concentrations, fruit yield, total soluble solids (°Brix), acidity, sugar content (fructose, glucose, and sucrose), fruit color coordinates (L*, a*, b*), firmness, and radical scavenging activity. Trees were subjected to two N sources: ammonium nitrate [NH4 +/NO3 -(4/6)] applied as N-P2O5-K2O (18-18-18) and ammonium (NH4 +) applied as urea, with an annual application of 150 g N tree−1. In both years, apricot trees fertilized with NH4 +/NO3 - showed higher SPAD, macronutrient (N, P, K) concentrations, fruit yield and number than those treated with NH4 +. However, Pn, gs and E were similar for the two N treatments (NH4 +/NO3 -, NH4 +). Comparing with NH4 +, trees supplied with NH4 +/NO3 - exhibited an increase of 34% in total soluble sugars, 39% in firmness, 7% in scavenging capacity, 14% in fructose content, 31% in glucose content, 38% in sucrose content, 64% in the a* value, and 8% in the b* value. Sugar content (fructose, glucose, and sucrose), color coordinates, and firmness are the main contributors of fruit sweetness, sensory quality, and consumer or preference satisfaction. Since high marketable fruit yield is the main determinant for income returns by apricot producers, and considering that application of NH4 +/NO3 - (4/6) significantly increased fruit yield and sensory quality components, this N source should be preferred over NH4 source for commercial apricot production.

Влияние режимов замораживания, сроков хранения и способов дефростации на микробиологические показатели качества абрикосов

Introduction. Low-temperature freezing technology extends the shelf life of perishable fruits as it causes a sharp slowdown in the biochemical and microbiological processes in frozen products. However, it cannot provide complete destruction of microorganisms.
 The present research featured the reaction of apricot microbiota to the technological techniques of shock freezing. The research objective was to study the effect of low-temperature freezing modes (t = –25, –30, and –35°C), storage time (3 and 9 months), methods, and defrosting modes (in air at t = 5 and 22°C; in water at t = 5, 16, and 22°C; under the effect of microwave irradiation) on the surface microflora of apricots.
 Study objects and methods. The experiment featured apricots of the varieties Uzden, Untsukulskiy Pozdniy, Honobah, Krasnoshchyokiy, and Shalakh. The microbiological profile of defrosted apricots was based on the State Standard.
 Results and discussion. Fast freezing at t = –25°C provided a better inhibition of epiphytic microflora than at t = –30 and –35°C: aerobic-mesophilic and optionally anaerobic microorganisms – by 65.2–68.6%, yeast – by 61.5–69.0%, and mold – by 59.3–68.4%,
 compared to their initial content on fresh apricots. During the initial period of refrigeration storage, the number of microorganisms decreased, while the subsequent nine-month storage (t = –18°C) led to a slight increase in microbiota. After nine months of storage, the number of microorganisms on defrosted fruits, depending on the variety, was the following: aerobic-mesophilic and optionally anaerobic microorganisms – 1.2×103–2.0×103 CFU/g, yeast – 14–26 CFU/g, and molds – 75–108 CFU/g. Defrosting of apricots by microwave irradiation resulted in a greater destruction of microorganisms than after traditional thawing in air and water.
 Conclusion. The results of microbiological studies indicate that the shock freezing technology ensures the production of quick-frozen apricots that meet the requirements of Technical Regulations of the Customs Union No. 021/2011.

‘Hacıhaliloğlu’ Kayısı Çeşidinde Meyve Gelişimi Sırasındaki Fiziksel, Kimyasal Ve Renk Değişimlerinin Belirlenmesi

Meyvecilikte ekonomik bir üretim için kültürel uygulamaların ve hasadın doğru zamanda yapılması önemlidir. Meyve tür ve çeşitlerinde meyvelerin büyüme, gelişme ve olgunlaşma dönemlerindeki fiziksel ve kimyasal değişimlerin bilinmesi uygulanacak kültürel işlemler ile hasat zamanının belirlenmesinde önem arz eder. Bu çalışmada ülkemizin kayısı üretim ve ihracatında önemli paya sahip Hacıhaliloğlu kayısı çeşidinin; meyve gelişim dönemindeki fiziksel ve kimyasal değişimlerinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmada Hacıhaliloğlu kayısı çeşidinde çiçeklenme sonundan hasada kadar geçen sürenin 110 gün olduğu, bu sürenin ilk bir aylık periyodunda hasattaki meyve boyunun yaklaşık %75’ine, meyve genişliği ve kalınlığının %50’sine ulaşıldığı, meyve ağırlığındaki artışın yaklaşık %50’sinin ise son bir aylık periyotta gerçekleştiği belirlenmiştir. Fitokimyasal analizlerde; meyve olgunluğu arttıkça SÇKM, pH ve toplam şeker içeriğinin arttığı buna karşılık TEA değerinin düştüğü görülmüştür. Meyve kabuk rengi ölçümlerinde; L renk değerinde kısmi bir artış gözlenirken, a ve b renk değerlerinin çağla döneminden hasat dönemine yaklaştıkça yükseldiği görülmüştür. Sonuç olarak; Hacıhaliloğlu kayısı çeşidinin meyvelerindeki fiziksel gelişimin büyük bölümü çağla döneminin ilk bir aylık periyodunda gerçekleşirken, meyvelerdeki tatlanma ve renklenme gibi kalite parametrelerinin hasada yakın dönemde yükseldiği belirlenmiştir.

Fresh and dry fruit production in Himalayan Kashmir, Sub-Himalayan Jammu and Trans-Himalayan Ladakh, India

Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are two union territories (UT's) famous for their beauty and cool climate. Both the UT's are familiar with their horticulture production at the national and international level. Jammu & Kashmir offers enough scope for cultivation of all types of horticulture crops covering various sub-tropical fruits like mango, guava, citrus, litchi, temperate fruits like apple, pear, peach, plum, apricot, almonds, cherry, and apricot. Horticulture has emerged as a fast-growing sector in Jammu & Kashmir and to some extent in Ladakh, offers a wide range of opportunities to farmers for crop diversification. Horticulture has proved its credibility in improving income through increased productivity, creating employment, and strengthening exports. Jammu & Kashmir comprises 20 districts and Ladakh two districts, and both having comparative advantages in some specific types of fruit cultivation due to variations in soil fertility, soil matter, topography, and variable to harsh weather. In this survey, we analyze the district wise contribution and improvement of horticulture production of fresh fruits and an increase in their growing area. The survey-based on secondary data sources collected from the Directorate of Horticulture of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The data is analytical and empirical, directly contributing to the horticulture production of India. The area and production of apple are maximum in district Baramulla, a temperate region of J&K. While, maximum area as well as the production of apricot is in district Leh, a high altitude and cold arid region of Ladakh.

Kuru Kayısı Tarımında Risk Yönetim Stratejisi Tercihlerini Etkileyen Faktörlerin Multivariate Probit Analizi

Sadece Türkiye‘nin değil dünyanın da en büyük kayısı üretim bölgesi olan Malatya‘da kuru kayısı üreten işletmeler birçok risk ve belirsizlikle karşı karşıyadır. Risklerin yönetimi, üretim etkinliğini belirleyen temel unsurlardan bir tanesi olmasına rağmen, Malatya ilinde ve hatta Türkiye‘de bu konu ile ilgili çalışmaların yetersiz olduğu görülmektedir. Araştırmanın ana amacı, Malatya ilinde kuru kayısının yoğun üretildiği bir alt bölgeden tarım işletmelerinin riske karşı tutumlarının ölçülmesi ve risklerle başa çıkmak amacıyla kullanabilecekleri stratejilerin kullanımını etkileyen faktörlerin belirlenmesidir. Araştırmada, tesadüfî seçilmiş 71 işletmeden anket çalışması yoluyla toplanan veriler kullanılmıştır. Bölgede kayısı işletmelerinde üreticilerin risk karşıtlığı katsayıları “Eşit olasılıklı eşdeğer bedel” yöntemiyle belirlenmiştir. Üreticilerin risk yönetimi stratejisi tercihlerini etkileyen faktörler Multivariate Probit model ile analiz edilmiştir.

The Influence of Different Ripening Stages, Harvest and Drying Methods on Quality of Unsulfured Sun-Dried Apricots

This study was carried out between 2017 and 2018 to determine physical and chemical influences of two drying methods (drying on wooden fruit drying trays and drying cloths), two harvesting periods (commercial / physiological maturity and late harvest), and two harvesting methods (harvesting by hand and shaking) on dried fruit samples of Hacıhaliloğlu and Kabaaşı cultivars. Titrable acidity, browning level, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity (ABTS), color (L*, a*, b*), pH, humidity and water activity (aw) parameters of dried fruit samples were examined. Results indicated that different harvesting periods, methods and drying methods significantly affected almost all fruit quality parameters. L value was higher in apricots dried on trays than dried on the cloths. L* values of dried apricots ranged from 27,13 to 54,74. Similarly, moisture content and water activity values were also found to be lower in apricots dried on wooden fruit drying trays than dried on clothes. When chemical parameters were examined, it was observed that phenolic compounds and total antioxidant contents decreased with fruit ripening. The effect of the applications on drying efficiency was not determined as significant, on the contrary, the individual weights of the dried apricots harvested at the late period were found significantly higher and the number of dried apricots per kilogram was lower. As a result of the study, it was concluded that in sun-dried apricot production, harvesting at late period and the drying on trays positively affected various quality parameters.

Cost-Effective and Time-Efficient Molecular Assisted Selection for PPV Resistance in Apricot Based on ParPMC2 Allele-Specific PCR

Plum pox virus (PPV) is the most important limiting factor for apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) production worldwide, and development of resistant cultivars has been proven to be the best solution in the long-term. However, just like in other woody species, apricot breeding is highly time and space demanding, and this is particularly true for PPV resistance phenotyping. Therefore, marker-assisted selection (MAS) may be very helpful to speed up breeding programs. Tightly linked ParPMC1 and ParPMC2, meprin and TRAF-C homology (MATH)-domain-containing genes have been proposed as host susceptibility genes required for PPV infection. Contribution of additional genes to PPV resistance cannot be discarded, but all available studies undoubtedly show a strong correlation between ParPMC2-resistant alleles (ParPMC2res) and PPV resistance. The ParPMC2res allele was shown to carry a 5-bp deletion (ParPMC2-del) within the second exon that has been characterized as a molecular marker suitable for MAS (PMC2). Based on this finding, we propose here a method for PPV resistance selection in apricot by combining high-throughput DNA extraction of 384 samples in 2 working days and the allele-specific genotyping of PMC2 on agarose gel. Moreover, the PMC2 genotype has been determined by PCR or by using whole-genome sequences (WGS) in 175 apricot accessions. These results were complemented with phenotypic and/or genotypic data available in the literature to reach a total of 325 apricot accessions. As a whole, we conclude that this is a time-efficient, cost-effective and straightforward method for PPV resistance screening that can be highly useful for apricot breeding programs.

Effect of cultivar type, maturation level, and sulfuration on sorption isotherms of apricots

Turkey is the leading country in fresh and dried apricot production and export worldwide. Moisture sorption isotherms illustrating sorption behavior of apricots can be used to estimate endpoint of drying time and safe storage moisture content for dried apricots. In this study, sorption isotherms for two apricot cultivars (Hacıhaliloğlu and Kabaaşı) at three maturation levels were developed by static gravimetric method over a range of 22.6%–84.32% RH at 25°C. Moisture sorption data were fitted to GAB, BET, Halsey, and Oswin models to estimate moisture contents of apricots. The type of cultivar, maturation level, and sulfuration had no significant effect on moisture sorption characteristics of apricots (p > .05). Best fitting GAB model exhibited a critical moisture content of 20% (wb) for dried apricots at aw 0.65 for safe storage and drying process was suggested to be stopped when the apricots achieved moisture content of 18%–19% wb. Practical applications This study revealed that two apricot cultivars showed similar sorption behaviors at constant temperature (25°C). Apricot maturation level and sulfuration process did not significantly affect adsorption and desorption behaviors. For appropriate handling of dried apricots, and reducing losses during storage, HHO and KA apricots should be dried to 18%–19% wb moisture content prior to packaging and kept below 20% wb moisture content for maintaining safe storage. The results of this study are expected be useful for improving dried apricot production and storage in practice.