Higher Fruit Firmness Research Articles

Evaluation of Yield, Fruit Chemistry, and Firmness of Seven Strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) Cultivars in an Eastern North Carolina Greenhouse

The combination of increasing costs, climate change, and disease- and pest-related issues present large challenges for the strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) industry in the United States. This is especially true for the Southeast, where rain, frost, and a range of foliar, fruit, and soil-borne diseases are prevalent, leading to significant losses every year. Simultaneously, niche winter markets open the opportunity to extend the harvest season, leading to an industry push to use protected culture strawberry production. Tabletop soilless strawberry greenhouse production has the advantage of avoiding soilborne issues while at the same time mitigating weather-related impacts on strawberry yield and quality. The use of long-day cultivars, originally bred for the Central Coast region of California, is currently the industry standard because of desired winter yields. However, short-day cultivars bred for Florida production might also have the potential to produce in winter. In this study, we evaluated the growth, yield, fruit chemistry, and fruit firmness of seven strawberry cultivars that are commonly grown in protected culture in North Carolina: Albion, Brilliance, Camino Real, Fronteras, Monterey, Florida Sensation, and Sweet Charlie. Experiments were conducted in a randomized complete block design in a commercial tabletop greenhouse in eastern North Carolina over two growing seasons (2022–23 and 2023–24). Our results showed that Florida cultivars Brilliance and Florida Sensation produced more consistently yields in winter compared with long-day cultivars Albion and Monterey and produced similar yields over the entire season. ‘Brilliance’ especially showed high fruit firmness across both years, and high sweetness in one of the two years. Additionally, the short-day cultivar Fronteras showed high yields in early spring and could serve as a late-season crop for direct-to-consumer producers. Our study showed that ‘Brilliance’ and ‘Florida Sensation’ could be alternatives to ‘Albion’, and that ‘Monterey’ can be used to produce a winter crop in a soilless tabletop production system in the Southeast.

Prestorage hot water treatments retard papaya fruit deterioration and enhanced fruit quality in cold storage

Papaya (Carica papaya) fruit has a short shelf life and suffers significant postharvest losses due to climacteric, instant ripening and perishable nature. Pre-storage hot water treatment (HWT) has significant potential to delay decay incidence in horticultural commodities. The present study was designed to evaluate effectiveness of HWT on ‘Red lady’ papaya fruit for minimizing the fruit decay and maintaining the quality during storage. Physiologically mature unripe ‘Red lady’ papaya fruit harvested from a commercial papaya orchard. Selected fruits were treated at three different hot water temperatures (50 °C, 52 °C and 54 °C) along with a control (room temp) for 10 minutes thereafter stored at 12 °C and 85–90% RH for four weeks. Different sensory evaluation, fruit quality scales and enzymatic activities were observed at weekly intervals. Fruit stored after 54 °C HWT showed lower weight loss (4.63%), decay incidence (5.1%) and higher fruit firmness (12.92 N) relative to control. Fruit treated at 52 °C HWT improved the fruit acidity, but total soluble solids decreased than control. The results revealed that ascorbic acid (33.33 mg/100 g), total phenolic contents (35 mg/g FW) total antioxidants (47.50% DPPH inhibition), and antioxidative enzyme activities were improved by 52 °C HWT. It is concluded that pre storage papaya fruit treatment (HWT @ 52 °C) preserves the quality of fruit throughout storage on the other hand at 54 °C HWT helps in decreased fruit decaying. It can be summarized that papaya fruit can be treated with hot water in the range of 52–54 °C to support the fruit shelf life and suppress fruit decay along with maintaining fruit quality. Practical applications: Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is a climacteric fruit which is highly susceptible to fungal attacks after harvest. Due to its perishable nature, it becomes decayed and huge amount of highly nutritious and medicinally important fruit is wasted. Recently people are more concerned about food safety which limits the use of fungicides for controlling the fruit decay in papaya. However, heat treatment has tremendous potential to control microbial decay, and keep food commodities safe from hazardous chemicals. In this study, the hot water treatment has successfully suppressed the fruit decay and maintained fruit quality of papaya in the course of entire period of cold storage. These findings indicated that use of hot water treatment is a practical approach for increasing the shelf life of papaya fruit.

Impact of Storage Conditions on Fruit Color, Firmness and Total Soluble Solids of Hydroponic Tomatoes Grown at Different Salinity Levels

Tomatoes are delicate and prone to damage quickly, which ultimately leads to lower quality and increased post-harvest losses. Hence, an ideal storage environment is very important to maintain the quality of tomato fruits after harvest. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of storage conditions on the quality parameters of tomato fruits. Experiments were de-signed for six storage periods (4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 days) and two temperatures (12 °C and room air temperature “22 °C”). Three tomato fruit quality parameters (Brix, color, and firmness) have been selected and measured for three tomato varieties (Ghandowra-F1, Forester-F1, and Feisty-Red) grown hydroponically at three salinity levels (2.5, 6.0, and 9.5 dS m−1) of the nutrient solution. Results showed that the highest mean Brix values, for all varieties, were recorded at the highest salinity (9.5 dS m−1), and were significantly (Pr < 0.0001) higher than those at medium (6.0 dS m−1) and low (2.5 dS m−1) salinity levels. In addition, the highest fruit firmness was recorded at high salinity level (9.5 dS m−1), but there was no significant difference to that recorded at medium salinity (6.0 dS m−1). Regarding tomato fruit color, the highest average values were recorded for the Ghandowra-F1 (2.51) and Forester-F1 (2.69) varieties at medium salinity (6.0 dS m−1), while the highest average color value for the Feisty-Red variety (1.54) was obtained at high salinity (9.5 dS m−1). On the other hand, the Brix, color, and firmness of tomato fruits were significantly affected by the storage temperature. Moreover, the mean Brix values (7.66%) were slightly higher at 12 °C storage temperature compared to those at 22 °C (7.38%). In general, the fruit color values gradually increased with the storage period, especially under 22 °C storage temperature, with peak color values of 2.73, 2.70, and 1.66 recorded on the 12th day of the storage period for Ghandowra-F1, Forester-F1, and Feisty-Red, respectively. Tomato fruit firmness decreased faster with the storage period at 22 °C compared to the storage temperature of 12 °C. However, the highest average values of fruit firmness for Ghandowra-F1 (9.37 N cm−1) and Forester-F1 (9.41 N cm−1) recorded at control condition were not significantly different those recorded on the 8th day of storage at 12 °C storage temperature. By contrast, the highest average value of fruit firmness for Feisty-Red (8.85 N cm−1) recorded at control condition was not significant than that recorded on the 4th day of the storage period at 12 °C storage temperature (8.82 N cm−1). Overall, tomato fruits can be stored at 12 °C temperature for up to 20–24 days, without negative effects on fruit quality.

Seaweed-based biostimulants improves quality traits, postharvest disorders, and antioxidant properties of sweet cherry fruit and in response to gibberellic acid treatment

The main aim of this research was to determine whether seaweed-based biostimulants (BIO) have the potential to offset the delaying of fruit maturation and improve fruit quality and antioxidant properties in gibberellic acid (GA3)-treated cherries. Compared to the control, 5 g L−1 BIO applied twice at pit hardening (PH) and straw color (SC) or 3 times at PH, SC, and 1 week before harvest (1WBH) in mid-maturing ‘Bing’ cherries accelerated color development, increased soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity, total phenolics (TP), and DPPH radical scavenging activity at harvest. However, these treatments resulted in smaller and softer fruit. For late-maturing ‘Lapins’ cherries, BIO had no effect on fruit coloration, but increased the levels of antioxidants and antioxidant capacity at harvest, especially in 3 applications. Spraying 5 g L−1 BIO 3 times plus a single application of 10 mg L−1 GA3 at PH on ‘Bing’ cherries effectively increased fruit firmness (FF) and size, but showed a strong delaying effect on color development and SSC at harvest, and reduced resistance to disorders after 4 weeks of storage at 0°C if the combination-treated fruit were late harvested. Decreasing GA3 concentration from 10 to 5 mg L−1, increasing BIO concentration from 5 to 10 g L−1, and extending the harvest date by 5 d could impair the delaying effect of GA3 on fruit maturation, restore the normal fruit size, reduce the rates of decay, stem browning (SB), and surface pitting (SP), and maintain high FF and DPPH radical scavenging activity. In conclusion, pre-harvest 3 applications of 10 g L−1 BIO and 5 mg L−1 GA3 once at PH have the potential to curtail the GA3’s inhibition on fruit maturation, extend the harvest window, improve fruit quality, and increase antioxidants and antioxidant capacity in ‘Bing’ cherries.

24-Epibrassinolide improves quality and resistance against Botrytis cinerea of harvest table grapes through modulating reactive oxygen species homeostasis

24-epibrassinolide (EBR) application has been proven to be effective in the control of gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) and preservation in table grape, however, the possible underlying mechanism of EBR on maintaining the postharvest quality and controlling gray mold of table grape are incompletely understood. In this study, the application of EBR at veraison (T1) and postharvest (T2) could effectively alleviate the quality deterioration of table grapes during storage, as observed by higher fruit firmness, rachis chlorophyll content, titratable acidity, and total soluble solid, and lower shattering rate, decay incidence, weight loss rate, browning index and relative electrolyte leakage of rachis, and respiration rate. Moreover, EBR application inhibited the excess accumulation of superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde, and the expression of hydrogen peroxide sensor (HPCA) genes (VvHPCA1, VvHPCA2, and VvHPXA3). In addition, T1 and T2 treatments resulted in higher activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide anion, as well as the expression level of their corresponding gene expression. A considerable increase in key enzyme activities, antioxidant content, and gene expression in the ascorbate-glutathione (ASA-GSH) cycle was also observed in grape fruit treated with EBR. Importantly, the multivariate statistical analysis revealed that T2 treatment had a more remarkable effect on preserving the quality of postharvest grapes. In addition, under artificial infections, EBR treatment significantly reduced gray mold severity in table grapes and reduced malondialdehyde and superoxide anion generation while exhibiting no antifungal activity in vitro. Simultaneously, defensive enzyme activities, including peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, chitinase, and β-1,3-glucanase, were remarkably increased in fruit treated with EBR. Therefore, our findings suggest that exogenous application of EBR maintains the quality of postharvest grapes and improves the resistance of table grapes to gray mold during postharvest storage by regulating oxidative stress and the activity of antioxidant enzymes and defensive enzymes.

Utilization of perforated zipper‐lock packaging bags to improve the quality of stem‐on and stem‐free ‘Chelan’ and ‘Lapins’ sweet cherries during the storage and marketing periods

AbstractIn the current domestic market, improper packaging systems cause a significant amount of food loss and waste of sweet cherry fruit from the packinghouse to the table. The purpose of this study was to assess whether reducing the commercial zipper‐lock bags' perforation ratio (PR) from 2% to 0.5% or 0.05% had the potential to improve the quality and resistance to postharvest disorders of stem‐on (SO) and stem‐free (SF) ‘Chelan’ and ‘Lapins’ cherries during a series of 14 days at 0°C, 2 days at 10°C and 2 days at 20°C (the storage and marketing periods). Regardless of whether the stem was attached to the fruit, reducing PR from 2% to 0.5% or 0.05% resulted in a high relative humidity, an increased CO2 with a decreased O2 in bags and reduced weight loss of fruit and stems in both cultivars during the entire storage and marketing periods; furthermore, higher fruit firmness, skin brightness and stem green color with lower rates of surface pitting and stem browning and relative leakage of stems were observed in either SO or SF of ‘Chelan’ and ‘Lapins’ cherries packaged with 0.5% and 0.05% PR bags compared to 100 (air) and 2% PR‐treated cherries. However, the 0.05% PR packaging system retained a significant amount of condensation water in the bag; as a result, the decay incidence of SF cherries statistically increased. Overall, packing SO and SF ‘Chelan’ and ‘Lapins’ cherries in bags with a 0.5% PR provided great benefits in delaying weight loss and pathogen infection and maintaining the high eating and storage quality during the storage and marketing periods.

Effect of Pre-Harvest Fruit Bagging on Fruit Quality Characteristics of Different Guava Cultivars during Rainy Season

The present investigation was carried out on 6-7 years old grafted guava plants at Guava Demonstration Centre, Bhuna, Haryana, India during the rainy season (2019-20). During the experiment, the fruits of different guava cultivars viz. Hisar Safeda, Hisar Surkha, Allahabad Safeda, and Shweta were bagged with different bagging materials immediately after the fruit set. Results showed that the fruits bagged with blue polythene exhibited maximum fruit volume (113.96 ml) and organoleptic score (8.8), while the minimum (95.30 ml and 6.3, respectively) values were observed in the control. The highest fruit firmness (6.62 Kg/cm2) was observed with green polythene, while the minimum (5.03 Kg/cm2) was in control. Additionally, bagged fruits showed better peel colour development. The fruit drop was also reduced in all treatments except for the control (20%), yellow paper (12.78%), and green paper (11.66%). Fruit drop was minimum in transparent polythene (5.55%) and green polythene. On the other hand, Decay loss was eliminated in yellow paper, green paper, blue paper, cotton cloth, and muslin cloth bags, and significantly reduced in all the treatments except the control (8.88%). Among the cultivars, the maximum fruit firmness (5.98 Kg/cm2) was recorded in Hisar Safeda, whereas the least firmness (5.64 Kg/cm2) was in Allahabad Safeda. In conclusion, pre-harvest bagging of fruits was found promising in enhancing the quality attributes of various guava cultivars which can also be applied in real farm situations to enhance the yield as well as the quality of guava crop.

Melatonin Postharvest Treatment in Leafy 'Fino' Lemon Maintains Quality and Bioactive Compounds.

Spain is a great producer of organic lemon; however, it is necessary to reduce the losses caused by post-harvest diseases. Melatonin (MEL) is a naturally occurring compound with physiological functions in fruit growth and ripening and is able to modulate postharvest ripening and senescence, most of it being concentrated in climacteric fruit. Thus, the aim of this study was to apply MEL to organic lemon fruit with stems and leaves (LEAF) and to organic lemon without those components (LEAFLESS) after harvesting and storage during 21 days at 2 °C to understand the effects of this treatment on the fruit quality. For this purpose, two experiments were carried out. First, MEL was applied at 0.01 mM, 0.1 mM and 1.0 mM by immersion for 15 min on lemon fruits, and the quality parameters and bioactive compounds of the fruit were analysed. Subsequently, a second experiment was carried out where the best concentration (1 mM) was selected and another time (15 and 30 min) was added, with the same quality parameters being analysed. As a result, we observed that all MEL treatments showed positive effects on weight loss reduction, softening (higher fruit firmness), total acidity and lower colour changes. Total phenols increased in MEL-treated lemons, both in peel and juice. For the three concentrations tested, the best efficiency was obtained with MEL at 1.0 mM, while LEAF lemons were the most effective. In conclusion, lemons containing stems and leaves (LEAF) improved preservability by using MEL at 1.0 mM with better organoleptic quality and enhanced phenolic compounds.

Effectiveness of aloe vera gel coating and paraffin wax-coated paperboard packaging on post-harvest quality of hog plum (Spondius mangifera L.)

In this research work, hog plum (Spondius mangifera L.) was treated with Aloe vera gel (AVG) coating and paraffin wax-coated box (PWB) packaging and stored at ambient condition (25 ± 3 °C and 80–85% relative humidity) for 12 d to evaluate their impact on postharvest quality and storability. The physicochemical properties, microbiological analysis, and decay evaluation were analyzed throughout the storage period. The AVG and PWB coating treatments both demonstrated a significant effect on the quality of fruits during storage. The results showed that fruits with AVG coating and PWB packaging exhibited lower decay rates, weight loss, color difference, total microbial population, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and higher fruit firmness and pH than uncoated (control) fruits. The AVG coating was the most effective treatment, followed by the PWB packaging treatment. Our findings show that the AVG coating and PWB packaging treatment can be a promising solution for preserving the quality of hog plums and also helps in increasing the lifetime of hog plums during storage.

Targeted modification of CmACO1 by CRISPR/Cas9 extends the shelf-life of Cucumis melo var. reticulatus melon.

The gaseous plant hormone ethylene is a regulator of fruit shelf-life, one of the essential traits in fruits. Extending fruit shelf-life reduces food loss, thereby expected to contribute to food security. The enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO) is the final step of the ethylene production pathway. Its suppression via antisense technology has been demonstrated to extend the shelf-life of melon, apple, and papaya. Genome editing technology is an innovative technique for plant breeding. Because the genome editing technology would not leave the exogenous genes in the final crop products, the crops via genome editing can be considered non-genetically modified yields; compared to conventional breeding, such as mutation breeding, the breeding term would be expected to be relatively short. These points include the advantage of this technique in utilization for commercial applications. We attempted to extend the shelf-life of the Japanese luxury melon (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus, 'Harukei-3') via modification of the ethylene synthesis pathway with the genome editing technology, CRISPR/Cas9 system. The Melonet-DB (https://melonet-db.dna.affrc.go.jp/ap/top) showed that the melon genome had the five CmACOs and the gene CmACO1 predominantly expressed in harvested fruits. From this information, CmACO1 was expected to be a key gene for shelf-life in melons. Based on this information, the CmACO1 was selected as the target of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and introduced the mutation. The final product of this melon did not have any exogenous genes. The mutation was inherited for at least two generations. In the T2 generation, the fruit phenotypes 14days after harvest were as follows: ethylene production was reduced to one-tenth that of the wild type, pericarp colour remained green, and higher fruit firmness. Early fermentation of the fresh fruit was observed in the wild-type fruit but not in the mutant. These results show that CmACO1 knockout via CRISPR/Cas9 extended the melon's shelf-life. Moreover, our results suggest that genome editing technology would reduce food loss and contribute to food security.

The Classification of Peaches at Different Ripening Stages Using Machine Learning Models Based on Texture Parameters of Flesh Images

The ripening stage can affect consumer preference and the market value of peaches. This study was aimed at developing an objective, effective, and fast procedure for distinguishing the different stages of ripeness of peaches using image texture parameters and models built using traditional machine learning algorithms. The ripeness classes (distinguished using DA-Meter-based nondestructive VIS/NIR method) 0.1, 0.4, and 0.9 for ‘Redhaven’ peaches and 0.1, 0.4, and 1.0 for ‘Royal Glory’ peaches were considered. Fruit weight, ethylene production, total soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), and fruit firmness (FF) were measured. The slice images for each class were acquired. Selected texture parameters from images in color channels R, G, B, L, a, b, X, Y, and Z were used to develop classification models for distinguishing peach ripening stages in pairs. Models were built for combined textures selected from images in all color channels, individual color spaces, and individual color channels using various machine learning algorithms. The ethylene production and SSC was higher in peaches with a ripeness class of 0.1 than in less ripe fruit. The least ripe fruit of ‘Redhaven’ and ‘Royal Glory’ peaches were characterized by the highest fruit firmness. Furthermore, statistically significant differences in SSC between classes 0.1 and 0.9 of ‘Redhaven’ were observed. For ‘Royal Glory’, statistically significant differences in TA were determined between all classes. These differences may be related to classification performance metrics. In the case of ‘Redhaven’ peaches, two extreme ripeness classes 0.1 (the greatest ripeness) and 0.9 (the least ripeness) were correctly classified with the highest accuracy reaching 100% for models built based on textures selected from all color channels (random forest and Bayes net algorithms) and color space lab (random forest). For individual color channels, the accuracy reached 99% for color channel G (random forest) and color channel a (logistic). The accuracy of classifying ripening stages 0.1 and 0.4 reached 98% for the model built using textures from all color channels and color space lab (Bayes net). The ripening stages 0.4 and 0.9 were distinguished with an accuracy of up to 96% (all color channels, random forest). The classification of ripening stages of ‘Royal Glory’ peaches reached 100% for all pairs, 0.1 vs. 1.0 (all color channels, color spaces RGB, color space lab, color channel G, color channel a), 0.1 vs. 0.4 (all color channels, color space RGB, color space lab), and 0.4 vs. 1.0 (all color channels). The developed procedure can be useful in practice. Distinguishing peaches at different stages of ripeness and the selection of fruit at the optimal stage can be important for consumption and processing.

EFFECT OF ALOE VERA GEL COATING ON POSTHARVEST FRUIT QUALITY OF STRAWBERRY FRUIT (FRAGERIA ANANASSA)

Current study was conducted in 2019 at Post Harvest Research Center, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan and Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan to address this problem of strawberry fruit where aloe vera gel coating was applied with different concentrations (0.1%, 1.5% and 2%) at 3°C to determine its possible effects on postharvest fruit quality and to increase the shelf life. Data were recorded on different fruit related parameters like fruit weight loss, fruit shape index, firmness, disease and decay %age, pH, TSS, titrateable acidity, vitamin-c content, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and total sugars. The results showed that application of 1.5% aloe vera gel significantly increased the shelf life as evidenced by minimum fruit weight loss (5.2%), higher fruit firmness (2.75%), less disease and decay (5.8%). However, TSS (8.16 °Brix), reducing sugars (2.98%), non-reducing sugars (2.59%) and total sugars (5.57%) were found maximum for control. Highest acidity (0.88%) and vitamin C contents (53.46 mg/100g) were found in fruits treated with 2% aloe vera gel. Moreover, lowest pH (4.41) was recorded in fruits coated with 2% aloe vera gel. Results of this study revealed that the potential of using aloe vera gel at 1.5% as a coating material proved to be better to prolong postharvest life as well as to maintain quality of strawberry fruits

Evaluation of fourteen promising tomato lines (Solanum lycopersicum L.) as hybrids parent candidates

The demand for tomato fruit has increased along with the human population. The increasing income of peoples also affect the demand orientation for high nutrition content and the shortage of resources is the obstacle for future tomato farming. Breeding tomato has been intended to create a new cultivar with high yield and quality. Previously, there were fourteen selected promising lines with high fruit firmness and yield components resulting from plant breeding program. Therefore, further steps need to be evaluated regarding yield potential and the plant quality. This study aimed to identify fourteen promising lines of high yield and high quality and compared to commercial varieties. Fourteen tomato accessions were evaluated by three control varieties. The accessions and controls varieties were assigned in a randomized completely block design (RCBD) with three replications. Data collections were analyzed using Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and continued with Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) analysis with α = 5%. Path analysis showed that the selection criteria for selecting high yield of tomato lines were fruit length, pulp thickness, fruit weight /plant, and flowers number per bunch. There were five lines of fourteen accessions which had high yield potential and four tomato lines which had worth considering fruit size and fruit firmness. These lines contained high potential characters to be used as breeding materials for improvement of hybrid.

Delaying fruit softening of ‘France’ prune (Prunus domestica L.) using near-freezing temperature storage

To delay ‘France’ prune fruit softening during storage, the effects of near-freezing temperature storage (NFTS; −1.5 ∼ −1 °C) on cell wall polysaccharides, cell-wall-modifying enzyme activities, cell-wall-modifying genes, and tissue ultrastructure of ‘France’ prune fruit were determined. The results showed that NFTS kept a higher fruit firmness (70.9%) compared to the control group (22.6%) at the end of storage. Besides, after 12-day storage, NFTS suppressed the activities of cell-wall-modifying enzymes, the expression of key cell-wall-modifying genes, the dissolution of chelate-soluble pectin (53.1%), Na2CO3-soluble pectin (114.6%), cellulose (81.3%), and hemicellulose (95.2%), and ethylene production (19.7%), and maintained lower water-soluble pectin (38.2%) and lignin contents (16.0%), compared to the control group. Ultrastructural observation showed that NFTS could delay the disassembly of pectin components and protect cell wall structure. In conclusion, NFTS can effectively inhibit fruit softening and maintain fruit quality.

Effects of Earthing up and Pruning Systems on Post-Harvest Quality of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon)

Tomato is a popular and extensively cultivated vegetable among the economically promising commodities in the horticulture sector in Kenya. It provides a wide variety of nutrients with many health-related benefits. This study investigated the effect of integration of pruning and earthing up on postharvest. The experiments were carried out in a split-plot arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and in CRD for both field and laboratory work respectively. Fruit yield data was taken after each harvest. The results from the analysis of variance for the effect of factors (earthing up and pruning system) and their combined effect showed that there was a significant effect on the average weight loss percentage and total soluble solids in both cultivations. The treatments had a significant effect on the average weight loss percentage, total soluble solids, and fruit firmness in both cultivations. The highest fruit weight loss percentages were recorded from all stem pruning system with no earthing up. The highest fruit firmness (3.41 N mm-1 in cultivation 1 and 3.24 N mm-1 in cultivation 2) was recorded from a single stem pruning system and earthing up to 30 cm. The highest total soluble solids (TSS) percentage 6.09 % was recorded in both cultivations under a single stem pruning system and earthing up to 30 cm. To improve tomato postharvest, farmers are encouraged to consider triple stem pruning system in combination with earthing up to level 30 cm.

Transcriptome analysis reveals mechanisms of acetylsalicylic acid-mediated fruit quality maintenance in fresh-cut kiwifruit

Postharvest ripening and processing of fresh-cut (FC) kiwifruit brings quality deterioration and spoilage, including substantial changes in fruit color, texture and flavor. Hence, a series of preservation techniques have emerged to reduce postharvest loss and maintain FC kiwifruit quality. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), a derivative of plant endogenous hormone salicylic acid, in preserving the quality and delaying the ripening process of FC kiwifruit. Compared to the control fruit, ASA treatment maintained a better fruit appearance and higher fruit firmness, as well as reducing mass loss, total soluble solids and ethylene production. Based on the RNA-seq data and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), eight biosynthetic genes were identified as involved in fruit quality change, which participates in cell wall metabolism, starch degradation/sugar accumulation and ethylene biosynthesis. Moreover, the analysis showed that four transcription factors were significantly induced by exogenous ASA treatment. Dual-luciferase assays proved that ASA-responsive transcription factors regulated fruit quality-related genes, resulting in delaying ripening process and extending the shelf-life of FC kiwifruit. This study showed that ASA effectively delayed the ripening process, and AcWRKY7/AcDOF21/AcC2H2–151/AcbHLH123 are associated with the ASA-mediated fruit quality maintenance.

On-Tree Fruit Bagging and Cold Storage Maintain the Postharvest Quality of Mango Fruit

The present study investigates the influence of on-tree fruit bagging on the quality and shelf life of mango (Mangifera indica L. cv. ‘Samar Bahisht Chaunsa’) during cold storage (12 °C ± 1; 85–90% RH) for 0, 10 and 20 days (d) and subsequent shelf storage under ambient conditions (25 °C ± 1; 60–65% RH). Fruits were covered with brown paper bags at the marble stage and then harvested at commercial maturity. Results showed that 0 d and 10 d cold-stored fruits, irrespective of bagging treatments, retained eatable quality and shelf-life up to 7 d and 5 d during ambient storage, respectively. However, bagged fruits had better postharvest performance compared with non-bagged fruits by exhibiting slower weight loss, higher fruit firmness, more total soluble solids, vitamin C and total phenolic content and higher activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase during cold storage and ambient shelf storage. On the other hand, 20 d cold-stored fruits, both bagged and non-bagged, were decayed when kept under ambient conditions. It is proposed that mango fruit bagging could be a potential cultural practice to preserve postharvest quality up to 10 d of cold storage, followed by 5 d under ambient conditions.

Chilling injury of tomato fruit was alleviated under low-temperature storage by silencing Sly-miR171e with short tandem target mimic technology.

In this study, the role of Sly-miR171e on post-harvest cold tolerance of tomato fruit was researched. The results showed that overexpression of Sly-miR171e (miR171e-OE) promoted postharvest chilling injury (CI) of tomato fruit at the mature red (MR) and mature green (MG) stage. Contrasted with the wild type (WT) and miR171e-OE fruit, the knockdown of Sly-miR171e (miR171e-STTM) showed a lower CI index, lower hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content, and higher fruit firmness after harvest. In the fruit of miR171e-STTM, the expression level of GRAS24, CBF1, GA2ox1, and COR, and the GA3 content were ascended, while the expression levels of GA20ox1 and GA3ox1 were descended. The research demonstrated that CI in tomato fruit was alleviated at low temperature storage by silencing Sly-miR171e with short tandem target mimic (STTM) technology. Furthermore, it also provided helpful information for genetic modification of miR171e and control of CI in the postharvest fruit.

Assessment of quality attributes, susceptibility to postharvest disorders, and nutrient uptake of ‘Bartlett’ and ‘d′Anjou’ pears in response to pre-harvest harpin β protein spraying

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effects of pre-harvest application concentration, frequency, and timing of harpin β protein on quality attributes, nutrient uptake, and susceptibility to physiological disorders in ‘Bartlett’ and ‘d′Anjou’ pears. Split applications of 1.5 mg L−1 harpin at 30 + 7 d before harvest (30 +7 DBH) resulted in higher fruit firmness (FF) and peel chlorophyll content with a lower soluble solids content in ‘Bartlett’ pears at harvest compared to the control, but not in ‘d′Anjou’ pears. This treatment reduced the ethylene production rate (EPR) and FF loss of ‘Bartlett’ pears at the initial 3 months of regular-air (RA) storage. Extending the storage periods to 5 months, a high EPR with low incidence of senescent disorders was observed after storage and during ripening, respectively. Increasing the application concentration of harpin from 1.5 to 10 mg L−1 did not further affect the quality of ‘Bartlett’ pears. Early application of harpin between full bloom (FB) and 2 months after full bloom (2 MAFB) repeated up to 3 times resulted in high FF and green color of ‘d′Anjou’ pears at harvest, but not in ‘Bartlett’ pears. A single application of harpin 2 MAFB to ‘d′Anjou’ trees provided the greatest reduction the losses in FF and green color, extend storage life, and suppress the development of superficial scald. No difference was observed in nutrient uptake in either cultivar when harpin was sprayed at 30 + 7 DBH. Spraying harpin once at 1 MAFB, once at 2 MAFB, and three times at FB+ 1 MAFB+ 2 MAFB resulted in low-boron ‘Bartlett’ and low-calcium ‘d′Anjou’ pears. Fortunately, harpin-treated pears with lower B or Ca levels did not result the quality deterioration and development of disorders. In conclusion, harpin has the potential to improve fruit quality, but recommended timing varies by cultivar: spraying 1.5 mg L−1 harpin at 2 MAFB improved the quality of ‘d′Anjou’ pears, whereas quality of ‘Bartlett’ pears was improved by applying harpin at 30 + 7 DBH.

Studies on Determination of Strawberry Cultivars Suitable for Ereğli-Konya Ecological Conditions

In order for strawberry varieties to be recommended in any region, the ecological demands of the varieties must be determined by making adaptation studies. For a successful strawberry production, variety adaptation plays an important role in the growing region. In strawberry cultivation, one of the most important purposes of breeding programs is to regulate yield and fruit quality. This study was carried out in order to determine the yield and quality characteristics of four strawberry cultivars (Albion, Monterey, San Andreas and Portola) using frigo seedlings in the Ereğli district of Konya province in 2019-2020. In the study, the earliest flowering and the highest yield were observed in Portola variety in both years. The highest fruit weight was obtained from Monterey (8.19 g) in the first year and Portola (7.72 g) in the second year. The highest number of fruits per plant was obtained from Portola (11.85-8.20 units/plant) in both years. The highest fruit firmness was determined in Monterey (1.47-1.49 kg/cm2) cultivar in both years. The highest TSS content was determined in Albion (12.40-15.10%) in both years. In the experiment, the highest L (brightness) values were found in San Andreas (35.77-36.82) variety in both years. The highest C (color intensity) value was determined in San Andreas (41.25-43.53) cultivar in both years. The darkest red fruits were determined in Monterey (h°=30.33) and Portola (h°=32.06) in the first year, and in Portola (h°=31.46) and Monterey (C°=32.15) cultivars in the second year. Titratable acidity was found to vary between 1.09% and 1.15% in the first year and between 1.23% and 1.69% in the second year. As a result, it was concluded that the cultivation of Portola variety is appropriate in terms of yield and quality characteristics in Konya province Ereğli conditions