Indian Fruits Research Articles

Fruit Cracking in Mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. ‘Dashehari’

The mango (Mangifera indica L.) is native to South and Southeast Asia, from where it has been distributed worldwide to become one of the most cultivated fruits in the tropics. It is the national fruit of India. In India, harvest and sale of mangoes take place during March-May and the fruits have high economic value in India. Studies were first time conducted on mango fruits to observe the severity of fruit cracking incidence. The stone was exposed in case of longitudinal type cracking and never exposed in star type cracking. The longitudinal cracking was 3.8, 3.4 and 1.7 % and star type cracking was 0.3, 1.8 and 0.02 % during 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively. The lesser pulp thickness and higher stone weight in fruit cracked samples may have responsible for fruit cracking. There was a close relationship between fruit cracking and 3 months average weather conditions. The maximum temperature had positive relation with total fruit cracking.

Pummelo in Homestead Garden: Conservation through Family Farming

The pummelo (Citrus grandis Merr.), the largest fruit size in citrus species, is an underutilized fruit in India. Pummelo in Bihar is mostly grown as homesteads and this fruit is to be developed as potential table fruit because of thick rind, easy to handle and transport. Genetic diversity is an important factor in any crop improvement programme for obtaining high yielding cultivars. Variation among seedling progenies is a rule in pummelo since it is monoembryonic Citrus spp. This study was conducted through four cell analysis in the five project communities under the UNEP-GEF project at the Pusa Site, Bihar during 2012 with aim for estimation of genetic diversity for physico-chemical traits, selection of superior clones and to draw the interrelationships between observations for precise characterization of pummelo seedling. Superior plants were also identified based on the highest yield i.e. number of fruits/ plant (> 300). Statistical analysis for physico-chemical parameters revealed significant differences among the selected plants for the 12 horticultural traits indicating the higher variability. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and cluster dendrogram performed on the basis of studied parameters showed continuous variation in the fruit physico-chemical traits and many groups were formed, indicating existence of large and continuous variation. The first four PCs contributed 68.30% of the variability for fruit quality and PC1 accounted for 30.44% (acidity percentage) followed by fruit length (PC2), fruit width (PC3) etc. The maximum coefficient of variation was found in in case of rind thickness, 100 seed weight and acidity percentage. A large number of variability of pummelo with seedling origin and monoembryonic helps in identification of 4 pummelo clones for pulp colour (2 each for dark red flesh and pink flesh) with excellent eating quality, 9 superior clones were identified for profuse bearing with red fleshed and early. The above variation in the selected pummelo seedlings can be exploited for development of superior varieties, marketing and maintenance of exiting superior clone and above all grower can be ensured livelihood security through homestead farming practices in the community.

Clonal variability studies in ‘langra’ mango (Mangifera indicaL.) using morphological, biochemical and molecular markers

Mango is one of the most economically important tropical fruits grown in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Being a deliciousand widelycultivated fruit, it is regarded as ‘the King of fruits'on the Indian subcontinent and the ‘national fruit of India’ because of the flavour and nutritional qualities. Mango has rich intra-specific diversity, with about 1600 and 1000 cultivars of mango present globally and India, respectively. ‘Langra’ is one of the leading commercial mango varieties of Northern India including Bihar which is known for mildly fibrous flesh and with a distinct pleasant taste and turpentine flavour. Significant variation exists among the clones of ‘Langra’ mango with respect to fruit shape, size, colour, quality and taste. Several studies have been made on characterization of intra-varietal variability of many different cultivars of mango. However, clonal variability studies in ‘Langra’ mango are limited. In this present investigation, an a empt were undertaken to study the clonal variability exit in some ‘Langra’ mango using morphological, biochemical and Molecular Markers. These results provide evidence that a significant level of genetic variation exits among 10 clones of ‘Langra’ mango which can be used for mass multiplication of superior clone(s) and can be further utilized in breeding programs.

New Insights into Mango Malformation Disease Epidemiology Lead to a New Integrated Management Strategy for Subtropical Environments.

Mango (Mangifera indica) is regarded as the king of fruits in India, where it has been cultivated for at least 4,000 years and has great cultural and religious significance. Many Indian mango cultivars originated in the fifteenth century when the best selections of mango seedlings were propagated by grafting and planted in large orchards, in some cases numbering 100,000 trees. With the arrival of voyagers to India from Europe, mango was soon established throughout the tropics and subtropics. Mango malformation disease (MMD) is one of the most important and destructive diseases of this crop. It affects inflorescences and vegetative portions of the plant. Although trees are not killed, the vegetative phase of the disease impedes canopy development and the floral phase reduces fruit yield dramatically; substantial economic losses can occur since malformed inflorescences do not bear fruit. Significant advances have been made in understanding the etiology of MMD, which is caused by more than one agent. However, until recently little progress had been made on the epidemiology of this disease. The results that are discussed in this article are only for MMD caused by F. mangiferae.

SOLID WASTES OF FRUITS PEELS AS SOURCE OF LOW COST BROAD SPECTRUM NATURAL ANTIMICROBIAL COMPOUNDS- FURANONE, FURFURAL AND BENEZENETRIOL.

The present study investigates the antimicrobial potential of five fruits peel waste (pineapple, custard apple, jackfruit, pomegranate and papaya) extracted in four solvents (chloroform, petroleum ether, acetone, benzene) against clinical isolates of gram positive and gram positive pathogenic bacteria. The fruit peels chosen for the study were done so based on their high amount of waste (unused disposed portion) of peels and the common consumption of these fruits in India. GC-MS Analysis was carried out to find out the nature of the compounds responsible for the antimicrobial activity. The antibacterial potential was assessed by measuring the diameter of the zones of growth inhibition, MIC and MBC values. Amongst the solvents tested, acetone extract was seen to exhibit the best antimicrobial activity, thereby indicating it to be suitable for antimicrobial extraction. Maximum activity was seen for the acetone extracts, in the order of pomegranate peels > jackfruit peels > custard apple peels. GC-MS analysis of these acetone extracts showing encouraging antimicrobial activity revealed prominent peaks of furanone, furfural (along with imidazole) and phenolic compounds (mainly benezenetriol), there by indicating their role in the observed antimicrobial activity. This report is the first of its kind to analyze the reusability potential of acetone extracts of these fruit peel wastes for developing natural antimicrobials.

Comparative SAR Analysis of Some Indian Fruits as per the Revised RF Exposure Guideline

ABSTRACTSpecific absorption rate (SAR) is used as the measure of rate at which radio frequency (RF) energy is absorbed by an object when exposed to an electromagnetic field. The word “SAR” is usually associated with the human exposure to RF/microwave energy from different electromagnetic sources and, therefore, SAR limits have been defined only for human by the government of India. ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) RF exposure guideline was maintained in India up to 31 August 2012, and thereafter Indian government has reduced the maximum permissible RF exposure levels to one-tenth of ICNIRP guideline with effect from 1 September 2012. On the other side, the whole plant kingdom gets exposed to continuous RF electromagnetic field (24 hours a day, 365 days a year) from cell phone towers that transmit high RF/microwave power for radio coverage. High permittivity and loss parameters are observed in most plants, fruits and vegetables due to high water content and ionic concentration. Therefore, it is strongly expected that the plants, fruits and vegetables are also absorbing a huge amount of RF/microwave energy which might have some effects on their growth. Hence, the prime objective of this research is to find out the RF power absorption level in terms of SAR evaluation of some native fruits as per the revised Indian RF exposure guideline, particularly in GSM 900 and GSM 1800 MHz bands along with Wi-Fi 2400 MHz band at public exposure zone.

Tropical and Subtropical Fruits in India

India is the second largest producer of fruits in the world with an annual production of 81.2 million tonnes contributing 12.6% of world fruit production next only to China (21.2%). Of late, with growing population and realization of commercial and nutritional values, the demand and requirement for fruits has increased manifold globally and so is in India. Since then, India has managed a steady growth in area expansion and production of fruits. Even in 2012-2013, increase in area and production of fruits in India was 4.1 and 6.4 times over 2011-2012 Of these, tropical and subtropical fruits contribute a major share, and the important fruits are mango, banana, papaya, citrus, guava, pineapple, litchi, sapota and pomegranate. Among the minor fruits (less area in cultivation than the major fruits) are jackfruit, bael, aonla, carambola, syzygiums, passion fruit and tamarind are also growing in many states of India.

Role of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi on tolerance to salinity of the tree legume Albizia lebbeck (L.) inoculated by Rhizobium

Myrica esculenta (Myricaceae) and Syzygium cumini(Myrtaceae), the Indian traditional fruits The effect of different level of salinity on growth, nodulation and Nitrogen fixation of single and dual inoculated tree legumes which help arbascular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) Acaulospora laevis Gerd. and Trappe with Rhizobium bacteria in the presence of different levels of salinity (concentration of NaCl) conducted in earthen pots in a completely randomized block design with three replications resulted in effective plant growth, shoot and root biomasses, nodulation and N2 fixation. The effect of different levels of salinity (concentration of NaCl) on growth, nodulation and N2 fixation of single (Rhizobium or AMF alone) and dual inoculated (Rhizobium + AMF ) tree legume has a pot culture experiment using The parameter growth , nodulation, nitrogen fixation and % AMF colonization of roots were considerable influenced with the increase in salt concentration from 0.5 % to 4.0 % NaCl. It was observed that the mycorrhizal tree legume (inoculated with the most preferred AMF Acaulospora laevis) performed better in the increasing levels of salinity in comparison to non-mycorrhozal ones. These investigations suggested a protective role play by AMF in providing resistance to the tree legume against injurious effects of salinity. Inoculation of efficient strain of AMF (Acaulospora laevis) during the course of study, prevented the injurious effects of salinity in the test plants due to enhanced water and sustainable nutrient uptake thereby promoting growth, nodulation and biogeochemical N2 cycle (fixation of nitrogen) of the tree legume under investigation.

Production and Marketing of Mangoes in India: An Analysis of Growth and Performance

Indian Mango is the reigning king among Indian Fruits. India is the world's biggest mango producer, accounting for about 45 per cent of global production. India exports mango to over 50 countries worldwide. Total export of mangoes from India is 59.22 thousand tonnes, valuing Rs. 162.92 crore during 2010–11. India exports mango to over 40 countries worldwide. The study is based on the secondary sources of information. The data on area, production, productivityand volume of trade on exchanges for a period of twenty years from 1991 to 2011 was compiled from APEDA. The results indicates annual increase in mango production was highest in Uttar Pradesh with a yearly increment of 91197 million tonnes. The country experienced a yearly increment of 28572 million tonnes in mango production and this increment was fairly explained by the time variable (R2 value 0.79) during the study period. The productivity of mango was noticed to increase only in the states of Karnataka, UttarPradesh and Kerala. Indian mango exports to countries such as UAE, Bangladesh, UK, Nepal, Singapore and Malaysia grew in a positive direction, whereas Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar depicted a negative growth over the years in mango exports from India.

Production of Wine from Mango Fruit: A Review

India is the largest producer of fruits in the world with an annual production of 46 million tons, However, accounting to 10% of the world production 20-30% of production get spoiled and remain unutilized as post-harvest losses and mango is no exception. Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is the most popular and the choicest fruit of India. Wine production from mango is a very good alternative to utilize the surplus and value addition. The literature available on mango wine production and characterization, the need of fruit wine and mango wine production and optimization of conditions has been reviewed briefly. The characterization of mango wine in terms of primary metabolite, ethanol and secondary metabolites like glycerol, volatile flavour compounds and phenolic compounds and antioxidant potentiality have also been covered. Cell immobilization in mango wine production, stabilization, other varieties of fermentation products like vermouth and economics has been focussed. To utilize the surplus for wine production, has potential to contribute considerably to postharvest loss reduction and providing value added products.

Prunus necrotic ringspot virus: incidence on stone and pome fruits and diversity analysis

Stone fruits and pome fruits are cultivated commercially worldwide. In India, they are grown in temperate regions, which mainly includes Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and some North-Eastern states. In this study, an attempt has been made to identify the Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) infecting stone and pome fruits in India and to characterise them on the molecular level. Surveys were conducted in the temperate fruit-growing areas and incidence of PNRSV was detected by serological and molecular means in almond, apple, cherry, nectarine, peach, plum and wild cherry. Further diversity analysis of PNRSV was performed using bioinformatics tools such as clustalW, DNA Data Bank of Japan, MultAlin and Recombination Detection Programme. PNRSV was detected in plum, peach, cherry, almond, nectarine, wild cherry and apple. In the diversity analysis study on the basis of coat protein gene, it was found that the isolates showed identity levels from 82 to 100%. In a plum isolate, a stretch of amino acids from 207 to 221 was found variable from Indian and other isolates. In one of the Indian apple isolates, “NR” repeats at 41–44 position (characteristic of PV-32 group, Group I) were identified. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Indian isolates are falling in Group-I. Movement protein was also amplified from peach and multiple alignment studies showed that N-terminus was mostly conserved, whereas the C-terminal was highly variable.

Bio-activity assessment of fruits using Generalized Difference and Parameterized Fujii method

In this research work, both qualitative and quantitative measurement of biospeckle activity of three Indian fruits namely apple, pear and tomato have been carried out using Generalized Difference and Parameterized Fujii methods. Different activity area of the fruits can be easily visualized through the spectral maps. The variation of activity level of the fruits during shelf life storage has been studied through activity graphs. Comparative studies of activities of all the fruits are also presented and relatively high activity was found in apple compared to pear and tomato.

The role of seed viability in the development of corky tissue in sapota (Manilkara achras) fruit in India

SummaryCorky tissue (CT) is a major disorder affecting the fruit of sapota (Manilkara achras) ‘Cricket Ball’ in India. Affected fruit have a hard lump in the pulp and dry acidic flesh, but have no external symptoms. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the role of seed in the disorder. Treating fruit with 1.0 g l–1 gibberellic acid (GA3) at 50% maturity increased fruit fresh weight and presumably seed growth, and reduced the incidence of CT compared with that in untreated control fruit. In contrast, fruit treated with 3.0 g l–1 paclobutrazol (PBZ) showed the opposite response. Fruit treated at 70% or 90% maturity gave no response, suggesting that poor seed viability during the early stage of fruit development was associated with CT. Seed stored for 30 d under ambient conditions lost water and had lower viability. There were decreases in the moisture content and calcium concentration in seed and pulp as the severity of CT increased in fruit harvested in the field, indicating a “reverse flow” of water and nutrients from the fruit. It is proposed that the incidence of CT is related to reduced seed viability and the consequent losses of water and calcium from fruit due to competition for resources with the rest of the tree. Further studies are required to assess the potential of the application of GA3 to reduce the incidence of CT in commercial orchards.

Litchi stink bug (Tessaratoma javanica) outbreak in Jharkhand, India, on litchi

The litchi stink bug Tessaratoma javanica (Thunberg) (Hemiptera: Tessaratomidae) is a minor insect pest of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) in India. Recently, an outbreak of litchi stink bug was observed in the Chotanagpur plateau of Jharkhand, India, during February–April 2011. A description of the outbreak is given in this report. Females were found to be highly fecund and caused severe damage to the litchi crop (>80%) in the region. Incubation period of eggs was found to be 12.80 days. The mean nymph population was 45.66 nymphs per 30-cm shoot length, and the maximum was159 nymphs, observed during March and April 2012 on litchi trees. The outbreak of the pest may be due to the migration of bugs from wild kusum (Schleichera oleosa (Lour.) Oken) plants (a host plant of the litchi stink bug) to the cultivated litchi crop. During the course of the investigation, two natural enemies were found on litchi stink bug, viz., Anastatus bangalorensis Mani & Kurian and Ooencyrtus sp. However, the natural parasitization by the parasitoids was very low, 3.5%. Considering the damage caused to the litchi crop in this region, the recent outbreak created an alarming situation for the pest management researchers of the country to develop suitable integrated pest management strategies in the near future. Otherwise this will become a major problem to the litchi growers as well as to industries associated with this delicious fruit in India.

Biospeckle activity measurement of Indian fruits using the methods of cross-correlation and inertia moments

This paper presents biospeckle activity evaluation using two methods namely spatial–temporal speckle correlation and inertia moment applied for three different Indian fruits namely apple, pear and tomato for the first time. The bioactivity was determined by means of the cross-correlation functions of the intensity fluctuations and using inertia moment of the THSP image of biospeckles. Significant changes in bioactivity were observed during their shelf lives. From the study, it is found that the activity is higher for pear in comparison to the apple and tomato as predicted by IM method. Biospeckle activity decreases with aging of the fruits but the decrease is more in pear & relatively less in the case of apple and tomato as predicted by cross correlation technique. Further it is also concluded that the activity changes according to their respiration rates. By the comparative study between the two methods it is found that IM is more reliable to predict the bioactivity levels in fruits in comparison to the cross-correlation technique as IM measures the bioactivity directly.

Assessment of bio-activity using the methods of inertia moment and absolute value of the differences

In this paper, a numerical analysis of the time history of speckle pattern (THSP) has been carried out by means of a co-occurrence matrix (COM) that assembles the intensity distributions of speckle pattern of the specimen with regard to time. Experiments have been performed to implement inertia moment (IM) and absolute value of the differences (AVD) methods on the biospeckle COMs. In the present work, we have used three different Indian fruits namely pear, apple and tomato for the study of bio-activities using above methods for the first time. The variation of IM and AVD with frequency is found to increase for all the fruits but apple has relatively higher rate of increase of IM and AVDs in comparison to pear and tomato. In addition, the value IM for the fruits is found to decrease with the aging of the sample but apple has relatively lower rate of decrease of IM in comparison to pear and tomato.

Status of wine production from guava (Psidium guajava L.): A traditional fruit of India

The potential of wine production from guava is presented in this review. Guava is easy to culture, posseses high nutritive value and its products like juices, beverages, nectars etc. are largely appreciated by the consumers. Guava juice requires ‘chaptalization’ so as to adjust its Brix and prepare a perfect wine out of it. The chaptalized juice (“must”) is treated with pectinase or a combination of enzymes and fermented with traditional yeasts at a temperature range of 22 to 30°C and inoculum size of 6 to 11% (v/v). The addition of N and P improves ethanol production and quality parameters of guava wine. Racking and ageing of guava wine also improves the sensory and organoleptic characteristics of guava wine. Key words: Guava, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Brix, inoculum size, temperature, DAHP supplementation.

Pathogenesis-related (PR)-proteins: Chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase in defense mechanism against malformation in mango ( Mangifera indica L.)

Mango, the king of fruits in India is cultivated commercially in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Undoubtedly, mango malformation is a serious disease affecting mango production in India and many other countries around the world. It is now shown that the malady is inflicted by Fusarium, a fungus, and also that the plants have the capacity to suppress or reduce pathogen attack by inducing the synthesis of antimicrobial metabolites such as chitinase and/or the synthesis of lignin, both of which may enhance plant defense system. The present study was aimed at investigating the variability and relationship between activities of chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase and content of lignin in the leaves using 12 mango cultivars with the different degree of resistance to floral malformation. Results revealed that the activity of chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase in the leaves were significantly high in mango cultivars resistant to malformation ( r = −0.90 and r = −0.91, respectively) during the flowering period, whereas lignin content did not show a significant correlation with malformation. The highest activity of chitinase (1.977–2.011 units) and β-1,3-glucanase (80.54–82.06 units) was recorded in resistant mango cultivars Bhadauran and Elaichi. In contrast, these activities were less than 1.010 and 25.21 respectively in highly susceptible mango cultivars such as Amrapali, Eldon and Neelum. Lignin content was highest in resistant cultivar Bhadauran, but it did not show significant relation to the malformation intensity of the cultivars. Thus, leaf chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase may be contributing towards resistance to malformation in mango and that the relative activities of these enzymes can be used as a criterion to predict and screen the mango germplasm and cultivars for resistance to floral malformation.

Analysis of physiological and biochemical changes in kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa cv. Allison) after the postharvest treatment with 1-Methylcyclopropene

Kiwifruits have limited shelf life under ambient conditions. However, it is necessary to extend its life so as to make it available for longer time in the market and to make it commercial fruits in India. Hence, the present study was designed to observe the effect of different concentrations of 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on physiological and biochemical parameters which have great influence on post harvest life and quality of kiwifruits. Kiwifruits cv. Allison was treated with different concentrations of 1-Methylcyclopropene (0.5 μL/L, 1 μL/L, 2 μL/L) and un-treated fruits served as control. 1-MCP treatment was given for 24 h at 20°C. After treatments, the fruits were transferred to ambient storage, and observations on different physiological and biochemical parameters were recorded at 3 days interval. Our results indicated that all concentrations of 1-MCP delayed ripening of kiwifruits but 2 μL/L concentrations was the most effective in doing so. Fruits treated with 1-MCP at 2 μL/L started ripening after 12th day of storage whereas untreated fruits started ripening even on 6th day. Polygalactouronase (PG) and lipoxygenase (LOX) enzyme activities were lesser in 1-MCP treated fruits than control. 1-MCP treated fruits respired less and evolved lesser ethylene.

Abstract 4619: Chemopreventive activities of the dark-color fruit ‘jamun’, the Indian blackberry

Abstract Colored fruits, particularly berries, are emerging as highly chemoprotective because of their antioxidant, anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, we investigated the chemoprotective potential of Eugenia jambolana Lam., commonly known as ‘jamun’ or Indian blackberry. Jamun, a widely available fruit in India and other Asian countries, has also been used in the treatment of various ailments, including diabetes mellitus. To determine its antioxidant potential, jamun pulp was collected from freshly harvested fruits, dried, and the powder was extracted with acidic ethanol, and enriched by amberlite XAD7/HP20 (1:1) column chromatography. The pulp powder was found to contain 0.54% anthocyanins, 0.17% ellagic acid/ellagitannins and 1.15% total phenolics using standard assays. HPLC analysis of acid-hydrolyzed extract showed the presence of five anthocyanidins – malvidin, petunidin, delphinidin, cyanidin and peonidin. The unhydrolyzed extract was found to have significant antioxidant activity as reflected by high ORAC value (1,445±64 μmol of TE/g) as well as high ABTS- and DPPH-scavenging activities, and ferrous ions-chelating activity; the acid-hydrolyzed extract showed higher activity than unhydrolyzed extract. Since some of the jamun bioactives (ellagitannins and anthocyanidins/anthocyanins) have significant antiproliferative activity, we also analyzed these extracts for their antiproliferative potential using MTT assay against human lung cancer A549 cells in cell culture. The hydrolyzed jamun extract showed significant antiproliferative activity (IC50=79 µg/mL). However, unhydrolyzed extract showed almost no activity. These data suggest that the antiproliferative activity may result from anthocyanidins (present in the hydrolyzed extract) rather than anthocyanins (present in unhydrolyzed extract). Together, our data show high antioxidant, and antiproliferative activities in jamun pulp and may be a viable candidate for chemoprevention of lung cancer (Supported from Agnes Brown Duggan Endowment). Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4619. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4619