Montmorency Cherry Research Articles

Quantification of benzaldehyde and its precursors in montmorency cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) kernels

AbstractKernels from Michigan‐grown tart cherry Prunus cerasus L. cv. Montmorency were frozen at −40°C, lyophilized, crushed and extracted sequentially with hexane and methanol. Amygdalin, mandelonitrile and benzaldehyde were present in the kernel extracts and were quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. Amygdalin was found to be the major component, while free mandelonitrile is detected for the first time in the tart cherry pit kernels.

A new shaker for fruit and nut trees

Bark damage at the point of shaker attachment has become a major concern with the widespread use of mechanical harvesters for fruits and nuts. The dynamic displacements of a commercial trunk shaker when clamped to three sizes of Montmorency cherry trees were monitored for damaging effects. Maximum displacements were found to be 2·5 times greater during start-up and shut-down than at steady-state. Relative displacements between the shaker and the trunk were also excessive and can exceed tolerable bark strength limits. Subsequently, attempts were made to eliminate potentially damaging displacements through shaker redesign. A controllable variable-eccentric mass (VEM) was designed and retrofitted into the commercial shaker in place of the original fixed-mass. The design successfully eliminated excessive vibration resulting from low natural frequencies and shaker inertia while retaining the desired motion necessary for fruit removal.

A new shaker for fruit and nut trees

Bark damage at the point of shaker attachment has become a major concern with the widespread use of mechanical harvesters for fruits and nuts. The dynamic displacements of a commercial trunk shaker when clamped to three sizes of Montmorency cherry trees were monitored for damaging effects. Maximum displacements were found to be 2·5 times greater during start-up and shut-down than at steady-state. Relative displacements between the shaker and the trunk were also excessive and can exceed tolerable bark strength limits. Subsequently, attempts were made to eliminate potentially damaging displacements through shaker redesign. A controllable variable-eccentric mass (VEM) was designed and retrofitted into the commercial shaker in place of the original fixed-mass. The design successfully eliminated excessive vibration resulting from low natural frequencies and shaker inertia while retaining the desired motion necessary for fruit removal.

Composition of Montmorency Cherry Essence. 2. High‐boiling Components

SUMMARY: Volatile components of commercial Montmorency cherry essence boiling above ethanol were extracted from the essence by ether and concentrated by distillation. This concentrate was fractionated by gas chromatography. Individual components were identified using the methods of functional group analysis, gas co‐chromatography, infrared analysis and mass spectrometry. The concentrations of the components in the original essence were estimated. The major components identified were n‐propyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, isoamyl alcohol, and benzaldehyde. Minor components identified include n‐butanol, n‐hexanol, a hexenol, benzyl alcohol, α‐terpineol, furfural, isoprene, myrcene and numerous higher terpenes, methyl benzoate, ethyl benzoate, benzyl acetate, ethyl caprylate, ethyl caprate, n‐propyl benzoate, isobutyl benzoate, isoamyl benzoate and di‐butyl phthalate.

Composition of Montmorency Cherry Essence. 1. Low‐boiling Components

SUMMARY—The low‐boiling neutral components of a commercial Montmorency cherry essence were concentrated by distillation. Individual components were separated and identified by gas cohromatography and mass spectrometry. The identifications were confirmed by gas co‐chromatography with known compounds. Ethanol and methanol were the most abundant low‐bolling substances. These compounds were estimated to comprise 9 and 0.5% of the essence, respectively. The next most abundant compound was acetaldehyde. Other compounds present included diethyl ether, propionaldehyde, acetone, isobutyraldehyde, methyl acetate and ethyl acetate. The estimated concentrations of these compounds in the original essence are given in each instance.

An Experimental Spray Program for Integrated Control of Insects Affecting Sour Cherry1

The effectiveness of an experimental spray program for integrated control of insects affecting sour cherries was investigated in Door County, Wisconsin. The sod of a Montmorency cherry orchard was treated with endrin in October 1960. In 1961 and 1962, one half of the orchard was treated with foliar sprays of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner plus dodine (fungicide) in the petal-fall and cover sprays. The second half received dodine only. A survey of leaf nests of the eye-spotted bud moth, Spilonota ocellana (Denis & Schiffermuller), in June of both years showed that the spring larvae were retarded in development and their mortality increased in the Bacillus plot with no apparent adverse effect on larval parasitization. Fruit surveys at harvest each year revealed no evidence of injury by the plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst). Total fruit injury was 4% or less in both the check and treated plots, with external injury by lepidopterous larvae averaging less than 2%. A piercingsucking type injury by an unknown species accounted for 3% of the total fruit injury in both plots in 1962. Further experimental studies are suggested, using foliar sprays of B. thuringiensis in sour cherry orchards where endrin is used for rodent control.

Diurnal Changes in Diameters of Fruits and Tree Stems of Montmorency Cherry

SummaryDiurnal expansion and contraction of fruits and tree stems of Montmorency cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) were studied during various stages of fruit development. Experiments were performed under conditions of frequent irrigation as well as during soil-drying cycles. Fruits in a mid stage of development often shrank during the morning and early afternoon and expanded, beginning in late afternoon and continuing into the night. Fruits in mid stages of development usually shrank more than stems. The time of beginning, amount, and duration of shrinkage varied with the stage of fruit development, soil moisture availability, weather, and degree of internal water stress in the tree. When soil moisture contents were high the amount, time, and ending of daily shrinkage were correlated with conditions affecting transpiration. During early development (stage I) fruits usually increased in diameter in spurts and did not shrink appreciably during the day, except under severe internal water stress. As fruits approached maturity (stage III) they showed a strong tendency for water uptake and limited water loss. In nearly mature fruits afternoon expansion tended to predominate even when the soil was dry. Maturing fruits could be made to shrink appreciably, however, by high internal water deficits.

Insect Injury to Sour Cherries in the Absence of Insecticide Sprays1

The effect of insect populations on sour cherries in the absence of insecticide sprays was studied in a Montmorency cherry orchard from 1959 through 1962. Fruit from trees sprayed only with a fungicide (dodine) was examined for insect injury at harvest. Results for 1961 and 1962 are given in detail. Seventeen percent were injured in 1961 and 20% in 1962 with the plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst), causing 14 and 17%, respectively. The remaining 3% injury was due primarily to lepidopterous larvae, including internal injury by the cherry fruitworm, Grapholitha packardi Zeller, and the destructive pruneworm, Mineola scitulella Hulst, and external feeding by the eye-spotted bud moth, Spilonota ocellana (Denis & Schiffermuller), and fruit-tree leaf roller, Archips argyrospilus (Walker), The plum curculio was responsible for additional losses of 9 and 6% owing to fruit “drop” prior to harvest in 1961 and 1962, respectively. The total crop loss caused by insect injury was 26%.

A TECHNIQUE FOR DETECTING VIRUS-INFECTED MONTMORENCY CHERRY SEEDS

Virus was transmitted mechanically to cucumber seedlings from single, fresh or frozen, sound or aborted, Montmorency cherry seeds. The number of lesions incited varied with the weight of seed per milliliter of water, from seed to seed, and with the interval between thawing and testing. Though virus was detected with inoculum as dilute as 0.014 grams of seed per milliliter of water, dilutions between 0.06 and 0.19 of seed per milliliter (0.5 milliliter of water for each sound seed) are recommended for a high degree of confidence in indexing. Virus was transmitted to cucumber from 77 per cent of the sound frozen seeds from a tree with typical cherry yellows symptoms, 84 per cent of the sound fresh seeds from a tree with recurrent necrotic ringspot symptoms, 11 per cent of the sound and 15 per cent of the seeds with aborted embryos from a healthy tree caged with the latter tree and bees during blossoming, and less than 1 per cent of all of the seeds from six healthy trees surrounded by diseased trees in an orchard.Some of the advantages and limitations of detecting virus in Montmorency cherry seeds by this method are discussed.

Effect of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid and Naphthalene Acetic Acid on Increasing Fruit-Setting and Delaying Maturity of Montmorency Cherries

Application of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) at a concentration of 10 p.p.m. to Montmorency cherry trees, semimonthly during the 1949 season and monthly during the 1950 season, resulted in the following effects: (a) Delay of 4-6 weeks in fruit maturity; (b) no deterioration of commercial quality with the exception of slightly smaller fruit size; (c) a larger number of fascicles differentiated in each spur; (d) a larger number of fruits per fascicle; (e) a smaller amount of starches stored in twigs and buds in winter; (f) no evidence of necrosis or dieback or other injury to trees; (g) no apparent change in blossoming date or time of petal and leaf-fall; and (h) retention of fruits on the tree during the fall and winter season.

Concentration of Growth Hormone and Fruitfulness in the Montmorency Cherry

Concentration of Growth Hormone and Fruitfulness in the Montmorency Cherry

Volatile Flavor and Fixed Acids of Montmorency Cherry Juice

Volatile Flavor and Fixed Acids of Montmorency Cherry Juice