Peach Crops Research Articles

Rooting of herbaceous minicuttings of diff erent cultivars of peach rootstocks under the eff ect of IBA

The use of sexually propagated rootstocks is a major problem for peach crops in Brazil due to lack of plant homogeneity, which aff ects orchard production and longevity. To tackle the heterogeneity problem, clonal propagation is a promising alternative for the production of quality seedlings. There are few rootstocks options available in Brazil for stone fruit, and research work in this area is relatively recent. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the technical feasibility of the propagation of some peach cultivars such as Capdeboscq, Aldrighi, Nemared, Nemaguard and Flordaguard, through herbaceous minicuttings. In addition, diff erent concentrations of IBA (0, 1.000, 2.000 and 3.000mg L-1) were tested. The minicuttings were immersed in a solution for fi ve seconds and, then, placed in a SANPACK® hinged clear plastic package for food, with 10x13x20cmof height, width and length, respectively, containing medium vermiculite. The experiment was conducted with four replications of 20 minicuttings, and kept in a greenhouse. At day 60, the rooting percentage, number and average length of the three longest roots, number and length of the longest rooting, and number and length of the longest shoot were evaluated. After the rooting period, the greatest rooting percentage for Capdeboscq cultivar was observed, with 74 %, using IBA concentrations of 2.000 and 3.000mgL-1.

A model for canning peach crop value using a software for dynamic modeling

A model for canning peach crop value using a software for dynamic modeling

Scientific research contribution to fruticulture development

This study aimed to evaluate the research contribution on development of peach, apple and guava crops in Campos das Vertentes region, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. It was developed in two stages: the first one by consulting web of science base, where articles about these three fruit were being sought. The search for articles related to selected fruits was performed by ten key identification variables for each one of the following technologies: cultivars, seedlings, dormancy, pruning, fruit thinning, fruit protection/bagging, irrigation, harvesting, post-harvest and commercialization. The second stage was carried out by means of interviews with the peach, apple and guava producers in Barbacena, Sao Joao Del Rei and Lavras respectively, which were selected for being development poles of this region. The results were tabulated separately for the first stage and the second stage, confronted the results of interviews with the search of articles. It was concluded that research and technology generation has contributed to the development of peach, apple and guava crops in Campo das Vertentes area.

Occupational respiratory allergy in peach crop workers.

Occupational respiratory diseases in workers of peach tree crops have been reported punctually and have been associated with sensitization to proteins present in both pollen and leaf tree. We report the study of 37 workers with respiratory symptoms related to occupational exposure to peach trees. Prick tests and specific IgE determinations were performed with extracts from leaves and branches of peach tree. Immunodetection in leaf extract was realized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis SDS-PAGE-immunoblotting with patient sera and rabbit serum anti-Pru p 3. Immunodetection inhibition was performed with rPru p 3 and pollen profilins. The clinical relevance of sensitization was demonstrated by specific bronchial challenge test (SBCT) with peach leaf extract. Most patients suffered symptoms when peach trees had leaves, specifically during thinning and harvesting fruit (rhinoconjunctivitis: 100% and asthma: 67.5%). Sensitization to leaf extract was demonstrated in 86% of patients. IgE-immunoblotting with peach leaf extract revealed in six patient sera a pair of bands of 10 and 16 kDa, and in nine a 16-kDa band. Those bands could be two isoforms of peach leaf lipid transfer proteins( LTP), so the recognition frequency of some LTP isoform by our patient sera was 42%. 33% of the sera recognized a doubled band of about 14.5 kDa and this recognition was inhibited by nPho d 2. The SBCT with peach leaf extract was positive in the asthmatic sensitized patients tested. Sensitization to peach leaves was the cause of occupational respiratory symptoms in our patients. Some patient sera revealed IgE-binding proteins matching LTP and/or profilin.

Host range extension of Cydia pomonella granulovirus: adaptation to Oriental Fruit Moth, Grapholita molesta

Among various Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV) isolates, the Mexican isolate (CpGV-M) has demonstrated a significant ability to reduce damage induced by the oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck) (=Cydia molesta) in peach crops. To obtain a more efficient virus for G. molesta control, an experimental virus population was constructed by mixing various CpGV isolates. This mixture was then selected for replication in a G. molesta laboratory colony. After 12 successive passages on this alternative host, the insecticidal efficacy of the virus population had improved. The concentration of virus occlusion bodies required to kill 90 % of neonate larvae was 450-fold lower than that of the original isolate mixture, and 120-fold lower than that of the CpGV-M isolate alone. Following adaptation to this alternative host, the efficacy against its natural host, the codling moth, C. pomonella, was conserved. This mixed isolate population can be produced on C. pomonella without loss of efficacy, which is useful from a commercial production perspective. This adapted virus isolate mixture is likely to prove more effective than individual component isolates at controlling G. molesta.

Use of sodium metasilicate for management of peach brown rot

ABSTRACT Peach brown rot, caused by the Monilinia fructicola fungus, is the main disease affecting peach crops, and it is mainly controlled via frequent fungicide applications. This study aimed at searching for alternatives to the intensive use of chemicals, evaluating silicon doses to control pre and postharvest peach brown rot and their influence on maturation parameters and fruit quality. Treatments consisted of control (water) and sodium metasilicate doses (2 g L-1, 4 g L-1, 6 g L-1, 8 g L-1 and 10 g L-1 of water). The following assessments were made: spore germination and in vitro mycelial growth, brown rot incidence, soluble solids, titratable acidity, flesh firmness, total polyphenol content and fruit ethylene production and respiration rate. The 2 g L-1 dose reduced spore germination by 95 %. Doses of 6 g L-1 and 8 g L-1 satisfactorily reduced the disease incidence in the field, with 77 % and 89.2 % control, respectively. Sodium metasilicate resulted in the maintenance of great fruit firmness, reduced respiration and ethylene production and increased total polyphenol synthesis, but it did not influence the titratable acidity or soluble solids. Applying 6 g L-1 may potentially control pre and postharvest peach brown rot, besides increasing the total polyphenol synthesis and maintaining a higher flesh firmness.

Engineering carpel-specific cold stress tolerance: a case study in Arabidopsis.

Climate change predictions forecast an increase in early spring frosts that could result in severe damage to perennial crops. For example, the Easter freeze of April 2007 left several states in the United States reporting a complete loss of that year's peach crop. The most susceptible organ to early frost damage in fruit trees is the carpel, particularly during bloom opening. In this study, we explored the use of a carpel-specific promoter (ZPT2-10) from petunia (Petunia hybrida var. Mitchell) to drive expression of the peach dehydrin PpDhn1. In peach, this gene is exceptionally responsive to low temperature but has not been observed to be expressed in carpels. This study examined carpel-specific properties of a petunia promoter driving the expression of the GUS gene (uidA) in transgenic Arabidopsis flowers and developed a carpel-specific ion leakage test to assess freezing tolerance. A homozygous Arabidopsis line (line 1-20) carrying the petunia ZPT2-10 promoter::PpDhn1 construct was obtained and freezing tolerance in the transgenic line was compared with an untransformed control. Overexpression of PpDhn1 in line 1-20 provided as much as a 1.9°C increase in carpel freezing tolerance as measured by electrolyte leakage.

THE COMPETITIVE SITUATION OF THE EGYPTIAN FRESH PEACH EXPORTS IN THE FOREIGN MARKETS

The research problem is concentrated in that despite the comparative advantage for production of the fresh peach crop, Egypt occupies position No. 19 among the biggest exporters of the crop in the world with a relative importance amounted to about 0.34% of the total world exports of fresh peaches in 2014. This is in addition to a decline in the relative importance of the amount of exports from peach to represent about 1.6% of the total fresh fruit exports in 2013. The research aims to study the current situation of production and Exports of the Egyptian fresh peach crop and the study of competitiveness indicators inside the most important export markets. These results of the research showed that the total area of the peach amounted to about 81 000 feddans as an average for the period (2001-2014), while the productive area of about 74 000 feddans , also show that there is significant decrease in fruitful peach area as much as about a thousand feddans annually during the study period. As it turns out that productivity increased from about 2.92 tons per feddan in 2001 to about 4.75 tons in 2014, as the average amount of production as much as about 334 000 tonnes as an average for the period of the study. Results showed the increasing value of the production of peaches from about 320 million pounds in 2001 to about 596 million pounds in 2014, growing at a rate of about 86%.The results also showed the increasing amount of Egyptian exports of fresh peach crop from about 115.5 tons in 2001 to around 11264 tonnes in 2014, with an average of about 5,600 tons during the period (2001-2014). It is also showed that there is a statistically significant annual increase amounted to about 1099 tons. As shown by the results of the geographical distribution of the most important export markets for the Egyptian Peach crop, Iraq comes at the forefront of the importing countries, representing about 42.3% of the total volume of Egyptian exports as an average for the period (2008 to 2014), followed by the United Kingdom, Italy and Saudi Arabia with relative importance reached about 17.7%, 8.9%, 8.1% during that period, respectively. It turns out that the best export periods of peaches in terms of quantity are the months of April and May as the amount of exports reached about 8870 tons representing about 95% of the average Egyptian exports during the period (2011 -2013), which amounted to about 9333 tons. As indicated the results of the study of export performance are indications that Egypt has a comparative advantage phenomenon in the export of fresh peach, where more than comparative advantage coefficient phenomenon for the right one in most of the years of study where estimated at 1.08 on average for the period (2010-2014), as transactions estimated instability of both quantity production and export quantity and export price, 7.6, 32.7, 22.7, respectively, which indicates that despite the instability of the amount of production of peaches in the recent period, but there is a demand on exports of them in the world market,

Nematode community structures in different deciduous tree fruits and grape in Colorado, USA and impact of organic peach and apple production practices

Although free-living nematodes improve soil health and crop production, plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) damage crop plants and reduce crop yield. In this investigation, surveys were conducted to determine the PPNs associated with Colorado tree fruit orchards, and research blocks were evaluated to study the effects of crops and production practices on nematode community structure, a soil health indicator. During the surveys, a total of 16 PPN genera were observed: eight in grape, eight each in pear, cherry and peach, seven in apple and 11 each in prune, plum and apricot soils. Xiphinema sp. (dagger nematode), Pratylenchus sp. (root lesion nematode) and Meloidogyne sp. (root-knot nematode) were the predominant nematodes. Based on the results, Xiphinema sp. can be considered an important and other two potentially important PPNs. In the research blocks, nematode diversity, abundance, and structural indices were compared in organic and conventional peach and apple production systems as well as the apple cultivars ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘Cameo’. Both peach and apple organic production systems had higher nematode diversity and significantly higher total nematodes than their conventional counterparts. A significant interaction of variety and production system in apple was observed for Ditylenchus and total fungivores, Helicotylenchus, Paratylenchus, and Discolaimium populations. In peach, nematode indices such as percentage of fungivores, fungivore/bacterivore and fungivore/(fungivore + bacterivore) ratios, richness, diversity, and Maturity Index were significantly higher in organic soils. In apple, the Enrichment Index and Structure Index were significantly higher in the organic production systems, whereas the Basal Index was significantly lower in organic production systems as compared to the conventional ones. Subsets of other parameters studied were not significantly different between the organic and conventional production system in both apple and peach crops. These results indicate that crop type as well as management practices influence nematode communities and that organic apple and peach production may be better than conventional apple and peach production with respect to improved nematode community structure. However, soil improvement such as addition of organic matter, especially in conventional production systems and in apple orchards, might improve soil health and productivity.

Agronomic Performance of Peach Trees Grown in Subtropical Region

Peach trees are temperate climate fruit trees most planted in subtropical and tropical regions. This advance of the peach crop is mainly due to the introduction of less cold-demanding new cultivar varieties and which require using less specific techniques, such as plant growth regulators and pruning. Within this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate phenological aspects and the yield potential of the cultivars Granada, Aurora-1, Dourado-2, Douradao, Big-Aurora, Marli and Chiripa, grafted onto the “Okinawa” rootstock, planted in the region of Sao Manuel-SP, during two cultivation cycles. The experimental design used was a completely randomized design with 7 treatments and 5 replicates, with the experimental unit represented by two plants.”Granada” had early harvest in mid-September, and “Chiripa” in late November and early December, in which the former was the early-ripening cultivar and the latter was the late-ripening one. “Aurora-1” and “Dourado-2”, had the highest yield values, 18.95 and 16.57 t·ha-1 respectively, followed by “Big-Aurora” with yield values of 12.13 t·ha-1. For subtropical regions, such as S&atildeo Manuel-SP, less cold-demanding cultivars are recommended, such as Aurora-1, Dourado-2 and Big-Aurora. The planting of early- and late-ripening varieties, such as Granada and Chiripa, respectively, is an interesting alternative for producers wanting to scale their production.

Employing molecular markers to identify Monilinia fructicola in Ecuadorian peach orchards

ITS and SCAR molecular markers were used to identify Monilinia species in 21 fungal isolates from infected peaches in four Ecuadorian provinces. The results confirmed Monilinia fructicola as the causal agent of brown rot in the analysed samples. This is the first report that uses molecular methods to identify this pathogen in Ecuadorian peach crops.

Peach genomics and genome-wide association study: a review

Peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) is one of the most predominant stone fruits in Rosaceae family. The broad climate adaption, diverse cultivation region and good fruit taste make it one of the favorate fruits by consumers. Improving fruit quality and enhancing disease/pest resistance are always a focus for peach genetists and breeders to follow with interests. This paper reviews the main achievements on linkage map and physical map construction, development of various molecular markers, whole genome sequencing and transcriptome sequencing for peach in recent years, and also elaborates the applications of genome wide association study (GWAS) with high density SNP markers in peach and other plant crops. This review also provides a theoretical basis for GWAS analysis in the future study to identify high efficient markers of targeted traits for peach.

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios as indicators of water status and nitrogen effects on peach trees

Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios are tools that are widely used in ecophysiological studies of forest and herbaceous plants. However, the use of isotope discrimination techniques with fruit trees has been very limited. Three irrigation strategies were applied to peach trees (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch. cv. Andross): full irrigation throughout the growing season; restricted irrigation during stage-II of fruit growth (70% restriction); and restricted irrigation during stage-III (30% restriction). These irrigation treatments were combined with three different nitrogen fertilization treatments: 0, 60 and 120kgNha−1. The stable carbon isotope ratio (δ13C) in fruit proved a reliable indicator of peach crop water status and physiological water use efficiency. The leaf carbon isotope ratio was not affected by either the irrigation or N treatments. δ13C in endocarp tissues exhibited a powerful discriminatory capacity for water stress during phase II of fruit growth, whereas δ13C in the mesocarp was an interesting tracer for water stress in phase III of fruit growth. There was an important relationship between leaf N content and photosynthetic efficiency during period GSII, which enhanced leaf WUE. The stable nitrogen isotope ratio (δ15N) in the fruit mesocarp was significantly related to the amount of N applied and the origin of this N. The nitrogen isotope ratio did not, however, exhibit a good discriminative capacity when we studied the influence of water and nitrogen on plant response.

POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION OF PEACH PALMS UNDER SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL CONDITIONS

The Amazonian peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth), has been cultivated in southeastern Brazil for heart-of-palm production. Internationally known as a gourmet vegetable, the peach palm heart-of-palm market is expanding in Brazil. Due to its recent introduction in the southeastern Brazilian region, there are so far few studies on water consumption of the species. Being from an Amazonian habitat under a high rainfall throughout the year, the peach palm demands a suitable condition of soil water to yield economically. However, the Brazilian southeastern region, the main market for heart-of-palm in Brazil, shows seasonal soil water deficit, and thus, peach palms must be grown under irrigation. Aiming to quantify the water consumptive use of a peach palm commercial crop, to support an appropriate irrigation management, this experiment was designed to estimate the peach palms transpiration rate through sap flow measurements using the heat dissipation probe method. Sensors were installed in twelve peach palms divided into four classes, according to the main stem height and diameter, with three replications per class, to represent a standard peach palm clump of a commercial crop. Measurements have been carried out in nine year-old peach palms spaced 2 x 1 m, under irrigation, to evaluate the potential evapotranspiration. The calibration equation used was obtained in the laboratory by using a hydraulic system to simulate the sap flow. Partial results indicate the proper functioning of the sensors under field conditions, showing reliability and consistency of values, when compared to the air evaporative demand. Further measurements have been performed such as the leaf area, which has been measured in the peach palms from this experiment and in other ten peach palms. The latter were used to evaluate the relative transpiration, as well as to extrapolate the results for the entire population.

효과적인 공간 데이터 마이닝을 위한 SOA 기반 데이터 통합 프레임워크 설계

Recently, the concern of IT-in-Agriculture convergence technology that combines information technology and agriculture is increasing rapidly. Especially, the crop cultivation related prediction services by spatial data mining (SDM) can play an important role in reducing the damage of natural disaster and enhancing crop productivity. However, the data conversion and integration procedure to acquire the learning dataset of SDM for the prediction service need a lot of effort and time, because of their heterogeneity between distributed data. In addition, calculating spatial neighborhood relationships between spatial and non-spatial data necessitates requires the complicated calculation procedure for large dataset. In this paper, we suggest a SOA-based data integration framework that can effectively integrate distributed heterogeneous data by treating each data source as a service unit and support to find the optimal prediction service by improving productivity of learning dataset for SDM. In our experiment, we confirmed that our framework can be effectively applied to find the optimal prediction service for the frost damage area, by considering the case of peach crop cultivation in Icheon in Korea.

First report of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma fraxini’ (group 16SrVII phytoplasma) associated with a peach disease in Canada

Peach ( Prunus persica ), family Rosaceae, is native to China . In Canada , the province of Ontario produces 82% of the nation's peach crop. The Canadian Clonal Genebank , also located in Ontario, currently holds 83 accessions of peach. The …

Horizontal String Blossom Thinner Reduces Labor Input and Increases Fruit Size in Peach Trees Trained to Open-center Systems

Hand thinning of fruit is among the most labor-intensive orchard practices and consequently contributes significantly to peach (Prunus persica) production costs. Research reported in 2008 on a string blossom thinner for vertical tree canopies demonstrated that this new mechanical method has potential to favorably impact grower profitability by reducing labor requirement and by improving fruit size and quality. A string thinner prototype for open-center tree canopies was tested in six orchards in 2008. Peach blossom removal in upper canopy regions ranged from 23% to 69% with the new string thinner oriented in a horizontal or inclined position to thin the tops of vase-shaped trees. Optimal thinning with the horizontal string thinner was with a 2.0 km·h−1 tractor speed, reducing peach crop load by an average of 47%, reducing follow-up hand thinning time 32%, and increasing fruit in higher market size categories 22% to 31%. Net economic impact (realized economic savings) of mechanical thinning at 2.0 km·h−1 versus hand thinning alone ranged from $799 to $911 per hectare. Total yield was sometimes reduced by string thinner treatments; however, high-market-value yields were comparable across treatments. Two combination treatments—mechanical thinning followed by hand blossom thinning and thinning with a horizontal followed by a vertical string thinner—suggested additional strategies for achieving the most desirable thinning results.

Horizontal String Blossom Thinner Reduces Labor Input and Increases Fruit Size in Peach Trees Trained to Open-center Systems

Hand thinning of fruit is among the most labor-intensive orchard practices and consequently contributes significantly to peach (Prunus persica) production costs. Research reported in 2008 on a string blossom thinner for vertical tree canopies demonstrated that this new mechanical method has potential to favorably impact grower profitability by reducing labor requirement and by improving fruit size and quality. A string thinner prototype for open-center tree canopies was tested in six orchards in 2008. Peach blossom removal in upper canopy regions ranged from 23% to 69% with the new string thinner oriented in a horizontal or inclined position to thin the tops of vase-shaped trees. Optimal thinning with the horizontal string thinner was with a 2.0 km·h−1 tractor speed, reducing peach crop load by an average of 47%, reducing follow-up hand thinning time 32%, and increasing fruit in higher market size categories 22% to 31%. Net economic impact (realized economic savings) of mechanical thinning at 2.0 km·h−1 versus hand thinning alone ranged from $799 to $911 per hectare. Total yield was sometimes reduced by string thinner treatments; however, high-market-value yields were comparable across treatments. Two combination treatments—mechanical thinning followed by hand blossom thinning and thinning with a horizontal followed by a vertical string thinner—suggested additional strategies for achieving the most desirable thinning results.

Zoneamento agroclimático para o pessegueiro e a nectarineira no Estado do Paraná

O pessegueiro e a nectarineira são culturas com grande potencial climático e de mercado, mas ainda pouco exploradas no Estado do Paraná. O objetivo deste trabalho foi indicar zonas de menor risco climático para produção dessas culturas no Estado do Paraná, utilizando informações climáticas e agronômicas. Para tanto, foram usados dados históricos de 32 estações meteorológicas do IAPAR, para estimar e mapear os riscos de geadas tardias e o total médio de horas de frio (hf) abaixo de 7,2ºC no período maio-setembro. As regiões em que a última geada ocorre antes da fase de floração e com número de horas de frio adequado às exigências das variedades, foram consideradas aptas. Grande parte do norte, oeste e litoral do Paraná não apresenta horas de frio suficientes para as espécies. As áreas localizadas ao sul, com altitudes acima de 800 m, são as mais adequadas. Dentro da área apta, foram classificadas oito zonas, de acordo com a necessidade de frio das variedades de pessegueiro e nectarineira, e a característica de cada região: zona 1 (75 a 150 hf); zona 2 (150 a 200 hf); zona 3 (200 a 250 hf); zona 4 (250 a 300 hf); zona 5 (300 a 350 hf); zona 6 (350 a 400 hf), zona 7 (400 a 450 hf) e zona 8 (> 450 hf). As zonas de menor altitude acumulam menos horas de frio e são recomendadas para variedades com menor necessidade de frio. As zonas de maior altitude, que se apresentam com temperaturas mais baixas, têm maior somatório de horas de frio e são recomendadas para variedades com maior necessidade de frio (> 400 horas de frio). A última geada severa provável ocorre no final de agosto, nas regiões mais frias, e não prejudica a floração do pessegueiro e nectarineira. Os resultados obtidos neste estudo possibilitam a adoção de políticas de incentivo a essas culturas com baixo nível de risco, no Estado do Paraná.

Controle de pragas do pessegueiro através do ensacamento dos frutos

Objetivou-se, no trabalho, buscar opções ao ensacamento de pêssegos, visando o controle eficiente das principais pragas do pessegueiro. Para isso, instalou-se um experimento em um pomar comercial de pêssego do cultivar Aurora 2, conduzido em sistema de vaso e espaçamento de 6 x 4 m. Os tratamentos foram os seguintes: T1 - Sacolas de TNT branco (45 g/m²) fechado, T2 - Sacolas de TNT branco (45 g/m²) aberto, T3 - Sacolas de TNT branco (20 g/m²) fechado; T4 - Sacolas de TNT branco (20 g/m²) aberto; T5 - Sacolas de polipropileno microperfurado transparente (furos de 1mm) fechado; T6 - Sacolas de polipropileno microperfurado transparente (furos de 1mm) aberto; T7 - Sacolas de polipropileno microperfurado transparente (furos de 2mm) fechado; T8 - Sacolas de polipropileno microperfurado transparente (furos de 2mm) aberto; T9 - Sacolas de polietileno microperfurado leitoso (furos de 1mm) fechado; T10 - Sacolas de polietileno microperfurado leitoso (furos de 1mm) aberto; T11 - Sacolas de polietileno microperfurado leitoso (furos de 2mm) fechado; T12 - Sacolas de polietileno microperfurado leitoso (furos de 2mm) aberto; T13 - Sacolas de papel impermeável fechado; T14 - Sacolas de papel impermeável aberto; T15 - Testemunha (sem ensacamento). De acordo com os resultados concluiu-se que todas as embalagens foram eficientes no controle de moscas-das-frutas e pássaros, porém não para mariposa oriental. As sacolas com abertura no fundo podem ser utilizadas como opção ao ensacamento de pêssegos.