Number Of Berries Research Articles

Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis [Mol.] Stuntz) morphological and phenolic traits associated with forests type and latitudinal gradient in natural populations of Patagonia Argentina

Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis [Mol.] Stuntz) is a native berry of the Patagonia Andean forests, which has one of the highest antioxidant levels currently known. This biochemical characteristic strongly depends on the phenolic profile and is highly influenced by the growing environment. The objective of this study was to characterize natural maqui populations in the immediate lee (Argentina) of the Northern Patagonian Andes, distributed in a latitudinal gradient and associated with coihue (Nothofagus dombeyi) and cypress (Austrocedrus chilensis) forests, humid and xeric environments, respectively. Twenty-five natural populations that spanned the geographical distribution of the species in Argentina, were identified. The sites were associated with two forests (coihue and cypress) and three latitudinal groups (north, center and south). Canopy cover and light interception were measured in the selected sites, as well as plant morphology, fruit yield components, phenolic profiles and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of mature berries. Maqui populations associated to cypress are exposed to greater incident total solar radiation and lesser rainfalls, and showed shorter plants with several main stems, multiple branching and smaller specific leaf area (SLA) as compared to those of coihue forest. Maqui populations associated to coihue presented an increase in the number of berries per bunch, and also in the accumulation of phenols and ORAC. The evaluation of the acclimation responses of the natural populations by different environments can contribute to the development of high-yield and quality maqui crops as source of bioactive compounds.

MORPHOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BLACK CURRANT SPECIES IN THE CONDITIONS OF BELARUS

The article presents the studying results by morphological and biological characteristics: bunch length, number of berries
 in a bunch and the weight of the berry of 32 of black currants species from breeding schools of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine,
 Scotland, Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden, Finland. Significant differences between species in all indicators were
 revealed. In the studied sample of species, the length of the bunch varied from 2.8 to 11.4 cm, the number of berries in the
 bunch – from 4 to 13 pieces, the average weight of the berry – from 0.88 to 2.59 g. The best selected species are: Cantata (by
 the length of the bunch and the number of berries in the bunch), Geo, Blagoslovenie, Volshebnitsa, Pamyati A. H. Voluzneva,
 Selechenskaya-2 (by weight of berries – more than 1.5 g), which are included in the breeding process as initial forms.

RESEARCH ON THE VARIABILITY OF YIELD COMPONENTS IN SOME GRAPEVINE VARIETIES FOR RED WINES

Research was conducted during two growing seasons (2017-2018) in Miniş-Măderat vineyard. The study aimed to evaluate the variability of several red wine grape varieties in order to highlight their main qualitative and quantitative parameters. In the research were involved the morphological parameters: the number of bunches on the vine, the bunch weight, the number of berries in the bunch and the grape yield on the vine. The highest bunches number /vine registered Merlot variety (30.24), while Burgund variety recorded the lowest values (17.76). Burgund variety recorded the highest bunch average weight (119.57 g) while Pinot Noir recorded the lowest value (87.18 g).Merlot variety recorded the highest number of berries/bunch,(111.36) and the lower value was recorded by the Pinot Noir ( 82.36).The Merlot variety achieved a significantly higher production than the other varieties during both growing seasons (3600.87g). The conditions of 2018 growing season had a very significant positive influence on the grape yield/ vine.

Same Season and Carry-Over Effects of Source-Sink Adjustments on Grapevine Yields and Non-structural Carbohydrates

The grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is managed to balance the ratio of leaf area (source) to fruit mass (sink). Over cropping in the grapevine may reveal itself as spontaneous fruit abortion, delayed ripening, or as alternate bearing. The aim of this work was to study the same season and carry-over effects of manipulating source to sink ratios on grapevine phenology, leaf gas exchange, yield components, berry soluble solids accumulation, and reserve carbohydrate and soluble sugar concentration in roots. Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines were subjected to defoliation (33, 66, and 100% of the leaves retained) and fruit removal treatments (33, 66, and 100% of clusters retained) arranged in a factorial design. Results from two seasons of source-sink manipulations were substantially different. In both seasons defoliation treatments affected season-long net carbon assimilation (AN) and stomatal conductance (gs) where the less leaves were retained, the greater the AN and gs, and fruit removal had no impact on leaf gas exchange. In the first season, leaf area to fruit mass was hardly related to berry soluble solids and in the second season they were strongly correlated, suggesting a degree of acclimation. Defoliation treatments had great impacts on berry size, berries per cluster, and total soluble solids in both years. Fruit removal treatments only had effects on berry mass and berries per cluster in the first season, and only on berry soluble solids in the second. The predominant effect of defoliation (carbon starvation) cascaded onto reducing root starch content, root mass and delaying of veraison and leaf senescence, as well as harvest which was delayed up to 9 weeks with 33% of the leaves retained. In a third season, where grapevines grew without treatments, defoliation treatments had resultant carryover effects, including reduced leaf area, number of berries per cluster, clusters per vine, and yield, but not on leaf gas exchange dependent on previous seasons' severity of defoliation. Balancing source-to-sink ratio is crucial to obtain an adequate speed of ripening. However, this was the culmination of a more complex whole-plant regulation where the number of leaves (source strength) outweighed the effects of fruits (sink strength).

INFLUENCE OF CLIMATIC FACTORS ON THE QUALITY OF MERLOT GRAPEVINE VARIETY IN TREBINJE REGION VINEYARDS (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

The aim of this paper is to analyzed climatic influence on quality of yield of Merlot grapevine variety, in Trebinje region (Entity of Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina) vineyards, during the vegetation 2016 and 2017. We investigated the mechanical properties of bunch and berry (bunch weight, number of berries on the bunch, weight of 100 berries, weight of 100 berries flesh, weight of the berries skin, weight of seeds in 100 berries ) and quality properties of grapes (sugar content and total acid content in the must). The highest bunch weight, as well as the number of berries on the bunch was achieved in 2017 (276.84 g, i.e. 183.03), while the lowest bunch weight (193.6 g) and number of berries on the bunch (158.53) were measured in 2016. Weight of 100 berries, weight of 100 berries flesh, weight of the berries skin, weight of seeds in 100 berries were larger in 2017. The highest sugar content was measured during 2017 and the highest level of acid in must was measured during 2016. During the years 2016 and 2017 a significant influence of climatic factors on the quality characteristics of the studied variety was observed. Although both considered years had above average temperature and less precipitation, further analysis of differences in monthly values of climatologically parameters could provide an explanation for differences in mechanical and quality properties of grapes.

Developing perennial fruit crop models in APSIM Next Generation using grapevine as an example

AbstractA new model for grapevines (Vitis vinifera) is the first perennial fruit crop model using the Agricultural Production System sIMulator (APSIM) Next Generation framework. Modules for phenology, light interception, carbohydrate allocation, yield formation and berry composition were adapted or added into APSIM Next Generation to represent the nature of fruit-bearing vines. The simulated grapevine phenological cycle starts with the dormancy phase triggered by a critical photoperiod in autumn, and then goes through the subsequent phenophases sequentially and finally returns to dormancy for a new cycle. The canopy microclimate module within APSIM Next Generation was extended to allow for row crop light interception. The carbohydrate arbitrator was enhanced to consider both sink strength and sink priority to reflect carbohydrate reserve as a concurrent competing sink. Weather conditions and source–sink ratio at critical developmental stages were used to determine potential grapevine yield components, e.g. bunch number, berry number and berry fresh weight. The model was calibrated and tested extensively using four detailed data sets. The model captured the variations in the timing of measured budburst, flowering and véraison over 15 seasons across New Zealand for five different varieties. The calculated seasonal dynamics of light interception by the row and alley were consistent with field observations. The model also reproduced the dynamics of dry matter and carbohydrate reserve of different organs, and the wide variation in yield components caused by seasonal weather conditions and pruning regimes. The modelling framework developed in this work can also be used for other perennial fruit crops.

Evaluation of adaptivity and productivity of selected black currants hybrids

The article presents the results of estimation of adaptivity and productivity of 25 selected black currants hybrids under Bryansk region conditions. Tests have been done in 2019-2020 according to the common used programs and methods for breeding and variety testing of fruit and berries crops. The aim of the research was to evaluate the total plant state, flowering level, number of berries per a cluster, berries’ weight and productivity as well as to select the most adaptive and productive lines for their use in the future breeding work. Genotypes 8-20-227, 8-20-229 and 8-20-243 with excellent general condition and degree of flowering have been identified from the Yadrenaya x Izyumnaya family. In the formation of the overall crop, a significant place is occupied by such a component of productivity as the number of berries in the cluster. The level of manifestation of this trait is largely determined by the genetic basis of plants and significantly depends on the conditions of overwintering, the level of agricultural technology and weather conditions before and after flowering, as well as during the laying of generative buds. There are not lines with long clusters. There are some hybrids with moderate clusters (7-8 berries): 8-20-219 and 8-20-227 (Yadrenaya.Izyumnaya), 8-20-166, 8-20-185 and 8-20-177 (7-1-157.Litvinovskaya). The other lines had short clusters (5-6 berries) and very short ones (3-4 berries). The average berries’ weight was from 1.0 g (8-20-167) to 2.2 g (8-20-13). The seedlings 8-20-13 (7-2-229.Uslada) and 8-20-175 (7-1-157.Litvinovskaya) had the highest berries’ weight of 3.3 g and 3.1 g. Productivity of selected hybrid lines varied from 0.2 kg/bush (8-20-214 and 8-20-15) to 2.4 kg/bush (8-20-227). As a result of the studies carried out, genotypes 8-20-227, 8-20-229 and 8-20-223 from the Yadrenaya x Izyumnaya family, resistant to abiotic and biotic environmental factors with a productivity of 2.4, 2.2 and 2.2 kg / bush, respectively, were identified. These genotypes have been multiplied and will be further used in breeding as sources of high productivity.

Metabolomic profile combined with transcriptomic analysis reveals the value of UV-C in improving the utilization of waste grape berries

Table grape is a popular fruit worldwide. The quality of the appearance of table grapes directly affects their commercial value. Table grape bunches are usually carefully managed during production. At different developmental stages, a large number of grape berries are pruned as waste for commercial appearance, which leads to wasted resources. Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) can regulate the accumulation of secondary metabolites in fruits. In this study, metabolomic profile was combined with transcriptomic analysis technology to explore the value of UV-C in improving the utilization of waste grapes. The berries of the 'Jumeigui' grape were subjected to UV-C radiation treatment in the green-berry stage, veraison stage, and maturation stage. The results showed that UV-C could brown grape berries and decrease their sugar content at different developmental stages. Compared with other samples, those treated with UV-C in the veraison stage had the most upregulated metabolites, while samples in the green-berry stage had the most down-regulated metabolites. UV-C promoted the accumulation of stilbenes and some flavonoids in the berries at each developmental stage (especially at the green-berry and veraison stages). Compared with other stages, UV-C treatment during the veraison stage led to the highest number of upregulated genes related to transcription factors, protein modification, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin acid (GA), receptor kinases, and Ascorbic acid/Glutathione (Ascorb/Gluath). UV-C might promote the accumulation of phenolic components by upregulating the expression of their biosynthesis related genes. UV-C may be an effective in vitro approach for improving the application value of waste grape berries by enhancing the accumulation of the nutritious phenolic components.

Сравнительная оценка комплексных удобрений при внесении под землянику садовую

Abstract. The productivity of wild strawberries is significantly determined not only by the biological characteristics of the variety and soil and climatic conditions, but also by agrotechnical techniques and the use of organomineral fertilizers. The effectiveness of the use of mineral fertilizers on strawberries has been proven by numerous studies [5, p. 48; 6, p. 99; 14, p. 233; 15, p. 513; 16, p.101; 17, p. 513]. The purpose is a comparative assessment of the effect of various types of complex fertilizers for strawberries. The task was to study the effect of complex fertilizers on the yield of strawberry and its structure. In 2015–2018, studies were conducted on the introduction of complex fertilizers for wild strawberries, which are used during the growing season to improve their nutrition during periods of maximum consumption of nutrients. Methods. The studies were conducted according to generally accepted methods [4], [7]. The influence of “Azophoska”, “Perm-yagodnoye” and “Fasko-yagodnoye” fertilizers on the yield and elements of its structure in strawberry was studied in the conducted studies. Results. The best results for all the years of research were obtained when using the pre-planting application of the fertilizer “Fasko-yagodnoye”. In this variant, there was a significant increase in the number of berries by 1.8 pcs., their weight by 0.68 g and yield by 0.13 kg/m2. Scientific novelty. For the first time in the conditions of the Udmurt Republic, the effect of the pre-planting application of complex fertilizers “Perm-yagodnoye” and “Fasko-yagodnoye” was studied on strawberry garden. Practical significance. The obtained research results are of great practical value, since it is proved that the productivity of wild strawberries in the Udmurt Republic increases with the use of complex fertilizers.

Bagging of bunches and protected production in ‘Niagara Rosada’ vineyard

Vineyards of ‘Niagara Rosada’ have shown great productive potential. However, the grape production has been affected by factors related to climate adversities. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of plastic cover and bagging of bunches of ‘Niagara Rosada’, in Almirante Tamandaré, PR, Brazil. Plastic cover used was of polyethylene with 250 µm of thickness and bagging of the bunches with white non-woven fabric bags. The treatments were: without plastic cover over the vineyard and without bagging of bunches (control); with plastic cover over the vineyard and without bagging of bunches; with plastic cover over the vineyard and with bagging of bunches; and without plastic cover over the vineyard and with bagging of bunches. To determine the quality of the grapes, we evaluated weight of the bunches and berry, width and length of the bunch, number of berries per bunch, total soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), pH, and SS/TA ratio. In both crop seasons, treatments with the protected plants or bunches were superior in all evaluated traits. The plastic cover and bagging of bunches delayed maturation and improved the physical and chemical characteristics of bunches and berries of ‘Niagara Rosada’.

The amelioration of tidal peatland to improve liberica coffee productivity in Jambi

Liberica coffee is a type of coffee that is adaptable to peatlands. The farmers in Jambi has been using peatland to grow Liberica coffee. However, after more than 15 years the productivity started to decline by 25%. This study aims to increase the productivity of Liberica coffee in tidal peat soils. The study used a randomized block design with soil ameliorants as treatments, namely (P0 as control) no ameliorants, (P1) dolomite, (P3) manure, (P4) biofertilizer, (P5) dolomite + manure, and (P6) manure + biofertilizer. Four replications were used with plot size 2 x 5 plants. The total samples of the study were 280 plants. Maintenance of the area and plants includes weeding, cleaning tertiary channels, cleaning the plant areas. Simultaneously, parameters observed, including the number of branches, number of bunch/branches, number of berries, berries production, number of berries/100 g. Vegetative parameters were the increase in plant height and number of branches. Another parameter was soil analysis. The results showed that amelioration of peatland increased nutrition in the Liberica coffee leaf. Dolomite application increased the P, Mg, and Fe levels. In contrast, manure increased N, K, and Fe, biofertilizers or dolomite combined with manure increased N, P, K, and Fe. In contrast, the combination of dolomite and biofertilizer increased P, K, and manure, and biofertilizer increased N, P, and Fe in Liberica coffee leaf. Dolomite increased plant height up to 0,76 cm and the number of branches up to 5,05 branches/plant of the Liberica coffee. Dolomite application also increased productivity up to 47.96%, manure 30.69%, while other soil ameliorants can increase productivity by 4.11% to 11.87%. Dolomite, manure, and biofertilizer application can improve berries quality by 5%.

Characteristics of Fragaria vesca Yield Parameters and Anthocyanin Accumulation under Water Deficit Stress.

Plants exposed to drought stress conditions often increase the synthesis of anthocyanins—natural plant pigments and antioxidants. However, water deficit (WD) often causes significant yield loss. The aim of our study was to evaluate the productivity as well as the anthocyanin content and composition of berries from cultivated Fragaria vesca “Rojan” and hybrid No. 17 plants (seedlings) grown under WD. The plants were grown in an unheated greenhouse and fully irrigated (control) or irrigated at 50% and 25%. The number of berries per plant and the berry weight were evaluated every 4 days. The anthocyanin content and composition of berries were evaluated with the same periodicity using HPLC. The effect of WD on the yield parameters of two evaluated F. vesca genotypes differed depending on the harvest time. The cumulative yield of plants under WD was not less than that of the control plants for 20–24 days after the start of the experiment. Additionally, berries accumulated 36–56% (1.5–2.3 times, depending on the harvest time) more anthocyanins compared with fully irrigated plants. Our data show that slight or moderate WD at a stable air temperature of about 20 °C positively affected the biosynthesis of anthocyanins and the yield of F. vesca berries.

Influence of Foliar Application of Calcium Nitrate and Potassium Nitrate On Qualitative and Quantitative Traits of Seedless Barberry (Berberis vulgaris L.)

Foliar application of nutrient is more efficient than soil-applied. In this project the effect of calcium nitrate and potassium nitrate on qualitative and quantitative traits was investigated in seedless barberry (Berberis vulgaris L.). Seedless barberry shrubs with different reproductive statuses (ON and OFF) were treated with spraying of calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2) or potassium nitrate (KNO3) solutions at concentration of 0.5% and distilled water (as control) four times during different fruit growth and development stages. The results showed that foliar application of both chemical salts significantly increased the number of clusters per branch, the number of berries per branch and the number of berries per cluster in 2017. The highest and the lowest number of clusters per branch, and the number of berries per branch were obtained in KNO3 and control treatments, respectively in 2018. Also, the greatest number of berries per cluster was recorded in treated plants with Ca(NO3)2 in 2018. The nitrogen content of fruit was higher in Ca(NO3)2 treatment. The highest fruit calcium content was obtained in Ca(NO3)2 treatment in both seasons. Berries treated with distilled water (control) were redder, and the fruits treated with Ca(NO3)2 and KNO3 (0.5%) were brighter in the 2017 season. However, the quality of treated fruit with Ca(NO3)2 and KNO3 (0.5%) was higher than the control in both years. The results showed that foliar spraying with Ca(NO3)2 and KNO3 significantly improved the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of barberry fruit compared to the control.

Qualitative indicators of redcurrant varieties (Ribes rubrum L.) selected by the Professor V.L. Symyrenko Department of Horticulture of NULES of Ukraine

This study presents the findings on the qualitative indicators of seven varieties of redcurrant (Ribes rubrum L.), five of which are selected by the Professor V.L. Symyrenko Department of Horticulture of NULES of Ukraine. The largest average weight of berries had the varieties 'Buzhanska' (0.58 g) and 'Polyana Holosiivska' (0.59 g). These varieties also stand out among others in terms of maximum berry weight. In certain years of research, the fruits of 'Buzhanska' weighed 1.05 g. The 'Lebidka' variety had the largest cluster weight (6.98 g) due to the large number of berries in it (17 pcs.). The uniformity of berries in the cluster of the studied varieties is average (from 63 to 73% depending on the variety). The highest yields per bush were achieved by 'Buzhanska' (4.20 kg/bush), 'Kyianochka' (4.42 kg/bush) and 'Polyana Holosiivska' (4.0 kg/bush). The varieties 'Jonkheer van Tets' (c.), 'Polyana Holosiivska', 'Buzhanska' and 'Snizhanka' are rich in vitamin C. The highest dry soluble solids content was found in the 'Lebidka' variety (12.94%). The most sugars in the fruit were accumulated by the varieties 'Snizhanka' (5.40%), 'Buzhanska' (5.23%) and 'Malva' (5.13%). The white-fruited varieties 'Snizhanka' and 'Lebidka' are particularly notable for their dessert flavour, as they have the best sugar to total acidity ratio (TAR) among the varieties studied – 4 and 3, respectively, and the highest flavour score (9 points)

Morphological, mechanical, and thermal characterization of electrospun three‐dimensional graphite nanoplatelets/polystyrene ultra‐fine fibril composite fabrics

AbstractUltra‐fine fibril composites were produced by electrospinning of a polymer solution containing polystyrene (PS)/dimethylformamide (DMF) with different concentrations of three‐dimensional graphite nanoplatelets (3D‐GNPs). Berry's number of PS/DMF polymer solution was extensively studied to produce minimum electrospun PS fiber diameters. Three‐dimensional GNPs of different weight percentages were dispersed in the optimized PS/DMF to produce ultrafine fibril composite fabric. The electrospun average diameters decreased from 1.5 μm for PS fibers to 890 nm for 3D‐GNPs/PS fibril composites, respectively, at 12 and 9.8 Berry's number. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy samples' micrographs confirm a homogenous dispersion and alignment of 3D‐GNPs in PS fibril composites. Thermal and mechanical characteristics of fabrics were determined using thermogravimetric analysis, thermomechanical Analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). It was found that there was an increase in percentage elongation, tensile strength, thermal stability, and glass‐transition temperature for 3D‐GNPs PS fibril composite fabrics compared to PS fabrics. Diminishing the value of loss tangent, measured by DMA, was used as an approach to predict the maximum amount of 3D‐GNPs weight percent dispersion in electrospun PS/dimethylformamide solution. One of the most important potential applications of the electrospun 3D‐GNPs/PS fibril composite fabrics is in the interiors of vehicles and aerospace industries as it characterizes by its good thermal and mechanical properties as well as its low density.

Intrinsic Viscosity and Molecular Parameters of Wheat Starch-Cess Seed Gum-Sucrose Mixture

This study aimed to determine the effect of different substitution levels of cress seed gum (CSG, 0-15%) and sucrose (SUC, 0-10%) on the dilute solution properties of native wheat starch (NWS) in terms of intrinsic viscosity, Huggins constant, power-law model slope, berry number, master curve slope, critical concentration, shape factor, and swollen specific volume. In the presence of CSG, the intrinsic viscosity of NWS increased from 0.686 to 0.760 dl/g, the molecular conformation changed from random coil to rod-like, the specific swollen volume enhanced from 0.27 to 0.32 dl/g and the shape factor altered from spherical to prolate. In contrast, sucrose reduced the intrinsic viscosity of NWS to 0.379 dl/g and the specific swollen volume to 0.15 dl/g, altered the conformation to a more random coil and the shape factor to a more compact sphere. In the ternary system, the parameters were close to those of the starch-gum mixture. It can be concluded that CSG overcame the weakening effect of SUC on the NWS solution properties in the ternary system.

Biological Flora of the British Isles: Crataegus monogyna

Abstract This account presents information on all aspects of the biology of Crataegus monogyna Jacq. (Hawthorn) that are relevant to understanding its ecological characteristics and behaviour. The main topics are presented within the standard framework of the Biological Flora of the British Isles: distribution, habitat, communities, responses to biotic factors, responses to environment, structure and physiology, phenology, floral and seed characters, herbivores and disease, history and conservation. Crataegus monogyna is native to the British flora, occurring frequently in hedgerows, scrubs, thickets and woodland. It can be found throughout almost all of Europe, on all soils of medium conditions regarding pH value, nutrient and water supply. Crataegus monogyna is a deciduous shrub or rarely a small tree of 2–8 m. Its twigs and branches bear sharp thorns about 1 cm long. Crataegus monogyna is of both ornamental and ecological value. During flowering in May and June, shrubs may appear white through a multitude of flowers, presenting pollen and nectar to a variety of different insects. Starting in August, almost the whole shrub can become dark red with the huge number of small red berries (pomes) produced during fruiting. The fruit are a preferred food for many birds. Although hybridizing freely and frequently with the other native species, Crataegus laevigata (Poir.) DC., the two species are easily recognizable in natural stands in the British Isles. Elsewhere, and with the occurrence of horticultural naturalizations and many intermediate forms of hybrid origin with closely related Crataegus species (especially the similar looking one‐styled species Crataegus rhipidophylla Gand. s.l. and Crataegus × subsphaerica Gand. s.l.) expert knowledge is required to avoid misidentifications and thus inaccurate understanding of frequency and distribution–not only on continental Europe but also increasingly in the British Isles. Identification in the field is further complicated by inbreeding of horticultural stock, which suffers from a myriad of descriptions and given names at different hierarchical levels. Cultivars are commonly planted in hedges and along roadsides or for ornamental purposes. The origin of this stock is not always known, so genetic exchange with the natural populations may lead to introgression and thus genotypes that are more adapted than the local genotypes in a changed environment.

End-to-End Automatic Berry Counting for Table Grape Thinning

Bunch shape and berry size indicate the quality of table grapes and crucially affect their market value. Berry thinning is one of the most important tasks in grape cultivation to achieve an ideal bunch shape and to make sufficient space for individual berries. A successful practice by skilled grape farmers in Japan is using the number of berries in a bunch to guide the thinning process; hence, a technique for automatically counting the number of berries in a working bunch has been long desired by farmers to improve the efficiency of the thinning task. This research presents a novel end-to-end berry-counting technique based on a deep neural network (DNN), and its contributions are as follows. First, because a DNN requires massive training data, a novel data augmentation technique simulating the thinning process is proposed. Second, a new location-sensitive object detection model that integrates explicit location information and supplementary classification loss into a state-of-the-art instance segmentation model was proposed for detecting the number of berries in a working bunch with a high accuracy. Third, a set of features, together with their extraction algorithms, is designed for predicting the number of berries in a bunch (3D counting) using the berries detected on a single 2D image. Experiments using data collected from farmers’ grape-thinning process have been conducted to validate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Gibberellin Application Improved Bunch Rot Control of Vignoles Grape, but Response to Mechanical Defoliation Varied Between Training Systems.

Late-season bunch rot causes significant crop loss for grape growers in wet and humid climates. For 3 years (2016 to 2018), we integrated prebloom mechanized defoliation (MD) in the fruit zone and bloom gibberellin (GA) applications, either alone or in combination, into the bunch rot control program of Vignoles, a commercially valuable grape variety that is highly susceptible to bunch rot. We hypothesized that both treatments would decrease bunch rot through modification of cluster architecture or fruit zone microclimate compared with vines treated with the standard chemical control program. Grapevines were trained to two popular training systems, four-arm Kniffin (4AK) and high-wire bilateral cordon (HWC). Treatment responses varied between training systems. MD, alone or in combination with GA, reduced bunch rot incidence and severity every year on 4AK-trained vines, an effect attributed mainly to fruit zone improvements. Conversely, MD alone did not reduce bunch rot incidence on HWC-trained vines, despite significant improvements in cluster architecture (reduced number of berries per cluster and cluster compactness). GA applications were more effective than MD at reducing cluster compactness, regardless of training system. As a result, GA reduced bunch rot incidence and severity when applied alone or with MD on 4AK- and HWC-trained vines. All treatments positively improved fruit-soluble sugar concentration on both training systems, while positive effects on titratable acidity were more consistent across training systems with MD.

Three-dimensional photogrammetry with deep learning instance segmentation to extract berry fruit harvestability traits

Fruit cluster characteristics such as compactness, maturity, berry number, and berry size, are important phenotypic traits associated with harvestability and yield of blueberry genotypes and can be used to monitor berry development and improve crop management. The goal of this study was to develop a complete framework of 3D segmentation for individual blueberries as they develop in clusters and to extract blueberry cluster traits. To achieve this goal, an image-capturing system was developed to capture blueberry images to facilitate 3D reconstruction and a 2D-3D projection-based photogrammetric pipeline was proposed to extract berry cluster traits. The reconstruction was performed for four southern highbush blueberry cultivars (‘Emerald’, ‘Farthing’, ‘Meadowlark’ and ‘Star’) with 10 cluster samples for each cultivar based on photogrammetry. A minimum bounding box was created to surround a 3D blueberry cluster to calculate compactness as the ratio of berry volume and minimum bounding box volume. Mask R-CNN was used to segment individual blueberries with the maturity property from 2D images and the instance masks were projected onto 3D point clouds to establish 2D-3D correspondences. The developed trait extraction algorithm was used to segment individual 3D blueberries to obtain berry number, individual berry volume, and berry maturity. Berry maturity was used to calculate cluster maturity as the ratio of the mature berry (blue colored fruit) number and the total berry (blue, reddish, and green colored fruit) number comprising the cluster. The accuracy of determining the fruit number in a cluster is 97.3%. The linear regression for cluster maturity has a R2 of 0.908 with a RMSE of 0.068. The cluster berry volume has a RMSE of 2.92 cm3 compared with the ground truth, indicating that the individual berry volume has an error of less than 0.292 cm3 for clusters with a berry number greater than 10. The statistical analyses of the traits for the four cultivars reveals that, in the middle of April, ‘Emerald’ and ‘Farthing’ were more compact than ‘Meadowlark’ and ‘Star’, and the mature berry volume of ‘Farthing’ was greater than ‘Emerald’ and ‘Meadowlark’, while ‘Star’ had the smallest mature berry size. This study develops an effective method based on 3D photogrammetry and 2D instance segmentation that can determine blueberry cluster traits accurately from a large number of samples and can be used for fruit development monitoring, yield estimation, and harvest time prediction.