Quality Of Fruit Crops Research Articles

Influence of plant growth regulators on fruit set, yield and quality of mango varieties under HDP

Plant hormones are signal molecules produced within the plant, and occur in extremely low concentrations. Phytohormones determine the formation of flowers, fruit set, stems, leaves, shedding of leaves, and development and ripening of fruits. They shape the plant, affecting seed growth, time of flowering, sex of flowers, senescence of leaves and fruits. Hormones are vital for plant growth and lacking them, plants would be mostly a mass of undifferentiated cells. Plant growth regulators include salicylic acid, CPPU, tricontanol and brassinosteroid. The production of poor quality fruits is a matter of common experience. It would be therefore worth while to improve the yield and quality of fruit crops by foliar application of plant growth regulators. The use of growth regulators has become an important component of agro-technical procedures for most of the cultivated plants and especially for fruit plants. In this review, we focus on the role of plant growth regulators on fruit production.

MdASMT9-mediated melatonin biosynthesis enhances basal thermotolerance in apple plants.

High temperatures negatively impact the yield and quality of fruit crops. Exogenous melatonin (MT) application has been shown to enhance heat tolerance, but the response of endogenous MT to heat stress, particularly in perennial fruit trees, remains unclear. The present study investigated the effects of high temperatures on transgenic apple plants overexpressing the MT biosynthesis gene N-acetylserotonin methyltransferase 9 (MdASMT9). Endogenous MT protectedtransgenic plants from heat stress by increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), and protecting the chloroplasts from damage. Application of MT and overexpression of MdASMT9 also reduced abscisic acid accumulation through promoting MdWRKY33-mediated transcriptional inhibition of MdNCED1 and MdNCED3, thus inducing stomatal opening for better heat dissipation. Furthermore, MT-enhanced autophagic activity through promoting MdWRKY33-mediated transcriptional enhancement of MdATG18a under heat stress. These findings provide new insights into the regulation of endogenous MT and its role in improving basal thermotolerance in perennial fruit trees.

Experience in optimizing the pollination of fruit crops

Studying the dependence of the yield and quality of fruit crops on pollination by bees is necessary, among other things, from the point of view of the protection of bees and biodiversity. Perennial fruit plantations in the Rostov region occupy 30 thousand hectares. Fruit trees such as apricot, quince, plum, cherry, sweet cherry, pear, and apple are essential honey plants for bees. The study aimed to develop methods and techniques for optimising the pollination of fruit crops based on established flowering periods and varietal characteristics of plants and determining the bioresource potential of gardens in the region. Using the method of accumulating sums of effective temperatures, it was established that the flowering of gardens begins with the mass flowering of apricot in the second ten days of April and ends with the flowering of quince at the end of May. The average duration of flowering of plants was 7–14 days. Observations of yield dynamics showed an increase in the number of fruits when optimising pollination by 20–27 times in cherries and sweet cherries. Taking into account the changes in the natural and climatic conditions of the Rostov region when moving through the territory, the physiological characteristics of fruit trees, as well as the mutual pollination of different varieties, the timing of migrations of bee colonies for cross-pollination and planting patterns when planting an orchard are proposed. Monitoring of the bioresource potential of gardens showed that the total area of parks in the region is 27 thousand hectares, with a bioresource potential for honey collection of 434.1 tons. The most significant bioresource potential for honey collection is characterised by the area of gardens in the territory of the 4th honey collection district (154.1 tons). In the 1st region, this figure is 95.5 tons, slightly less in the 3rd region - 73.4 tons. Using all listed methods for regulating work with an apiary and agricultural technology for growing gardens will create conditions for increasing their productivity by 10.8 times, or by 73.3%.

Influence of Nano-Chitosan Loaded with Potassium on Potassium Fractionation in Sandy Soil and Strawberry Productivity and Quality

Under sandy soil conditions, increasing the efficiency of potassium (K) fertilizers is considered to be a major limiting factor for improving the productivity and quality of fruit crops. In this context, utilizing nanotechnology has emerged as a novel technique to increase the efficiency of K applications. In our study, two field trials were conducted, in two consecutive seasons (2019/2020 and 2020/2021), to compare the effects of nano-chitosan loaded with K as a foliar treatment with those of conventional soil applications of K on plant growth, yield, and quality of strawberry plants grown in sandy soil. Strawberry plants were treated with 12 different treatments, which were replicated three times in a randomized complete block design in each growing season. Potassium sulfate (K2SO4, 48% K2O) was applied to the soil at a rate of 150.0 kg acre−1 (recommended rate, 100%). Meanwhile, the spraying of nano-chitosan loaded with K was applied at 1000 mg L−1 as a control. In addition, K2SO4 was applied either individually or in combination at the rate of 112.5 or 75.0 kg acre−1 with four nano-chitosan-K dosages (250, 500, 750, and 1000 mg L−1). After harvesting, soil samples were collected and prepared to determine K fractions. As well, plant samples were collected to determine the vegetative growth parameters and the foliage content of NPK and chlorophyll. Eventually, the yield traits and quality parameters were evaluated. A principal component analysis was conducted to determine the interrelationships of the treatments’ averages and their effects on yield components and quality traits. A combined analysis was performed for the two studied seasons and the values were the mean of six replications. The results indicated that the application of common K fertilizer (150.0 kg K2SO4 acre−1) resulted in the maximum increase in soluble and exchangeable K in the soil, which was comparable to those observed with 112.5 kg K2SO4 acre−1 + 1000 mg L−1 nano-chitosan-K and 112.5 K2SO4 acre−1 + 750 mg L−1 nano-chitosan-K. The total yield, marketable yield, and fruit firmness were all significantly increased by the latter two treatments compared to the control group. Furthermore, plots treated with 112.5 kg K2SO4 acre−1 + 1000 mg L−1 nano-chitosan-K significantly increased the total soluble solids, vitamin C levels, acidity, total sugar, and anthocyanin levels in strawberry fruits. In conclusion, under sandy soil conditions, the utilization of nanoparticles could be an indispensable tool for manipulating fertilization management when cultivating strawberries. The K status of the soil was improved by applying 75% of the recommended dose of mineral K in combination with 1000 or 750 mg L−1 of nano-chitosan-K, without compromising strawberry yield or quality.

Effect of Seaweed Extracts on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Fruit Crops: A Review

Seaweed or Marine macro-algae are often regarded as an underutilized bioresource, many have been used as a source of food, raw materials for industry, and therapeutic and botanical purposes for decades. Moreover, several plant growth-stimulating compounds found in seaweed and products derived from seaweed have made them popular supplements to crop production systems. This article provides an in-depth analysis of how different seaweed species and seaweed products affect the plant growth and development of fruit crops. They also increase plants' biochemical components and can alleviate abiotic stress.

Planting Arrangement and Effects of Planting Density on Tropical Fruit Crops—A Review

With the growing importance of fruits as valuable food resources, attention has been paid in recent years to enhance productivity and quality. Increasing productivity per unit area through agronomic management is one of the important strategies to increase the production of fruit crops. Keeping this view, this review was undertaken to improve understanding of the planting arrangement and the effect of planting density on productivity and quality of fruit crops. This review will thus provide updated and in-depth information about the influence of planting density on yield and fruit quality, which will also be useful for the growers, consumers, exporters, and processing industry. In fruit crops, the effect of plant density and planting arrangement is well documented. From the review, it is understood that yield per unit area is the product of fruit yield plant−1 and the number of plants per unit area. Fruit size increases with a decreasing planting density, while total yield increases with an increasing density at a certain level. However, fruit quality decreases with an increasing planting density.

Deep Learning model of sequential image classifier for crop disease detection in plantain tree cultivation

Plantain tree is the most popular crop grown all over the world and banana (Musa spp.) is the most marketable fruit. It is the leading food in many countries, especially in developing countries. Plant diseases are significant aspects that result in a serious reduction in the quantity and quality of fruit crops. Plantain tree cultivation is affected by various diseases such as Black Sigatoka/Yellow sigatoka, Panama, Bunchy top, Moko, chlorosis, etc. Rapid and novel approaches for the apt discovery of diseases help farmers in developing better decisions and efficient control measures. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) have been proved their efficiency in several fields and it has recently moved in the field of crop disease classification and detection. The objective of this research work is to create a Deep Learning Model for the disease classification and its early prediction to support farmers in plantain tree cultivation. A new sequential image classification model is proposed to detect the diseases by combining RNN and CNN, which is named as Gated-Recurrent Convolutional Neural Network (G-RecConNN). The input to the proposed model is the sequences of plant images. The experiments are carried out in real-time datasets collected from the state named Tamil Nadu situated in the Southern part of India. This method aims at numerous advantages such as reduced pre-processing of the data, easy online performance evaluation and advancements with less real data, etc. The experimental results inspired the utilization of the G-RecConNN model with farmer support systems that will process continuous banana tree images as part or whole for the early detection of banana tree diseases.

Fungal and Oomycete Diseases of Minor Tropical Fruit Crops

Minor tropical fruits are grown on a small scale and provide income to smallholder farmers. The cultivation of these fruit crops indirectly contributes to the economy of producing countries as well as to food and crop security. Dragon fruits, guava, passionfruit, lychee, longan, mangosteen, durian, and rambutan are common minor fruit crops. In recent years, the international trade of some of these minor tropical fruits, particularly dragon fruit, passionfruit, guava, and lychee, has increased due to their nutritional value, with various health benefits. Similar to other crops, minor fruit crops are susceptible to fungal and oomycete diseases. These diseases negatively affect the yield and quality of fruit crops, leading to substantial losses. In this context, the knowledge of disease types and causal pathogens is fundamental to develop suitable disease management practices in the field as well as appropriate post-harvest treatments.

Micronutrients and plant growth regulators affecting the yield and quality of fruit crops: A review

The application of micronutrients and plant growth regulators has a greater impact on enhancing plant productive efficiency by altering various aspects of horticultural attributes like a biometric response, fruiting potential, and qualitative parameters. All metabolic and cellular processes of fruit crops are influenced by micronutrients. The role of boron and zinc are well-known for nitrogen metabolism, cell division, and hormonal regulation which ultimately end with proliferation in flowering and fruiting by increasing fruit set and reducing fruit drop. The role of plant growth regulators (PGR) in plants in changing or normalizing the physiological cycle to create better plant health is well known. Hence, the combination of both these growth-promoting substances (micronutrients and PGR) in an optimum amount can positively and significantly influence the physiological activities of the plant. However, the literature regarding the combined effect of micronutrients and PGR on fruit crops is very limited. So this review paper focuses on the combined effect of these plant bio-stimulants, showcasing their remarkable role in fruit production.

Farmers’ Perception on Insect Pollinators Decline and Conservation Methods in Himachal Himalaya, India

Insect pollinators are important for the sustainability of agriculture and other natural ecosystems. Many insects such as bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, moths and beetles are main pollinators of many fruit crops. The climate well as soil of Himachal Pradesh is apt for growing many kinds of fruit crops but in the last few years, produce and quality of fruit crops is decreasing due to lack of sufficient pollination. This study was conducted to assess the pollinator declining factors and farmers’ perception in respect of pollinator conservation and management methods in Himachal Himalaya. The diversity and distribution of insect pollinators is declining due to many threatening factors observed in Himachal Himalaya. These factors include: loss of insect habitats; pests and diseases of honey bees; use of pesticides; cell phone radiations; environmental pollution; susceptibility to climate change; impact of introduced species; escalation in mono-cropping; livestock grazing and mowing; forest fires; ruthless honey hunting and introduction of exotic honey bees.
 The farmers are practicing here apiculture as a part time as well as whole time profession although there are different types of constraints such as lack of all-season bee forage, heavy snowfall, paucity of labour, honey bee absconding and meager knowledge of medicines. Majority of the farmers expect to have financial help for various horticultural works, management technology and training activities. The farmers have knowledge about different aspects of honey production, processing, storage and marketing. But only a few farmers are aware about different pests, predators and diseases of honey bees as well as their remedial measures. To minimize the effect of pesticides, majority of farmers sprayed them in the morning and during nonflowering session.

Growth, yield and fruit quality of specialty banana in response to yeast extract and potassium amendments

Nutrient and bio-stimulant amendments are important for growth, yield, and quality of fruit crops under environmentally stressed site conditions. Our field study was conducted to evaluate the effect of potassium fertilization and yeast extract on growth, yield and finger quality of banana grown under arid and semi-arid marginal site conditions in Egypt. Using different levels of Potassium at 500 & 1000 mg as a foliar application and yeast extract at one & two liters per plant as a drench soil application and their combinations doses added monthly six times during the period from October to March. The obtained results showed a positive correlation between the values of the studied parameters (growth, productivity and fruit quality) and the yeast and potassium levels. As a result, the parameters values increased as the yeast and the K2SO4 levels increased to a higher level during the two growing seasons. Herein, yeast extract 2000 ml + K2SO4 1000 mg/l/plant was statistically the superior. In addition, yeast extract 2000 liters + K2SO4 500 mg/l/plant statistically ranked 2nd after the above-mentioned superior treatment. On the contrary, the lowest values of these parameters were obtained by Control yeast extract 1 liter/plant. The remaining treatments have occupied an intermediate position between the treatments mentioned above in both seasons.

Влияние гуминового препарата «BIO-Дон» на содержание элементов питания в почве и качество черешни

The work deals with the study of the influence of humic preparation ‟BIO-Don” on indicators of soil fertility, the enzymatic activity of Сalcic Chernozem (Pachic) at the experimental site, as well as on the productivity and quality of fruit crops, for example, cherries varieties Talisman and Vasilisa in terms of work experience in the open ground in the territory of «Agrofirm “the Red garden”». Treatment of fruit trees was carried out once by drip irrigation in a dosage of 300 l/ha of working solution with a concentration of gp 0.008 g/l for carbon, soil samples were taken before treatment, two weeks and a month after the application of the humic preparation, a site without the use of “BIO-Don” was used as a control option. The treatment of plants with a humic preparation increases the activity of the enzymes catalase, invertase and phosphatase, especially during the period of mass ripening of fruits. Accordingly, at the same time, the content of mobile phosphorus and exchangeable potassium decreases, which is due to the increased removal of these elements by plants. Chemical analysis of fruit products for the content of soluble solids and titrated acidity revealed a statistically significant increase in these indicators in fruits from areas treated with humic preparation, which is manifested by their greater taste saturation.

Vulnerability of Temperate Fruit Production to Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation Measures: A Review

Climate change refers to a statistically significant variation in either the mean state of the climate or in its variability, persisting for an extended period (typically decades or longer). As per United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), change of climate is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time period. The earth’s climate, although relatively stable over the past 10,000 years or so, has always been changing, mainly due to natural causes such as volcanic activity. However, since the second half of 20th century more rapid change has taken place, which has been attributed mainly due to human activities. Plausible climate change scenarios include higher temperatures, changes in precipitation, and higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Temperate region of the country, comprising mainly north-west and north east Himalayan region has witnesses a dramatic change in climate over the past 30 years, where adverse effect of climate change on temperate fruit production has been noticed. The carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulpherdioxide, etc. form greenhouse gas (GHG) pools in the atmosphere. Increase in the concentration of these gases is responsible for global climate change. According to Inter Governmental Panel on climate Change (IPCC), the climate is defined as the average weather, or more rigorously, as the statistical description of the weather in terms of the mean and variability of relevant quantities over periods of several decades (typically three decades as defined by Meteorological Organization). These quantities are most often surface variables such as temperature, precipitation, and wind, but in a wider sense the climate is the description of the state of the climate system. Global climate change and increasing climatic variability are recently considered a huge concern worldwide due to enormous emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and its more apparent effect on fruit crops because of its perennial nature. The changed climatic parameters affect the crop physiology, biochemistry, floral biology, biotic stresses like disease pest incidence, etc. and ultimately resulted to the reduction of yield and quality of fruit crops. So, it is big challenge to the scientists of the world. Mitigation is the most important measures to reduce the devastating effect of climate change.

EFFECT OF SALINE STRESS ON GROWTH OF FRUIT PLANTS (REVIEW ARTICLE)

Soil and irrigation water salinity are among the main problems hindering agricultural development, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, which depends on especially surface irrigation as the main means in agriculture. The salinity lead to low growth and production of plants, including fruit, as a result of the temporal, azalotic, or nutrients imbalance. Salinity of the soil or irrigation water greatly reduces the growth, productivity and quality of fruit crops by affecting their physiological, chemical and biological functions as they cause obstruction to the absorption of some elements by the plant and if it increased absorption of salts, it causes ion poisoning of the cell, as well as increased salts cause less absorption of water by the plant due to the high osmosis of soil water. There are many ways to reduce the salt stress in the growth of fruit plants, the most important of which is adding organic fertilizers such as humic acid or spraying with the amino acid proline.

Innovative approaches for improving water productivity in fruits crops

Among the various factors which affect the production and productivity of fruit crops, nutrient and water assume more significance. Since majority of the fruit crops in India are grown under water scarcity conditions, economising the limited water available through improved micro irrigation systems invariably enhances the productivity and quality of fruit crops. The concept of fertigation in perennial crops has given a definite edge over conventionally used basin method of irrigation coupled with basal or top dressing of fertilizers within the perimeter of trees. Mulching is very useful in protecting the roots of the plants from heat and cold and is used to cover soil surface around the plants to create congenial condition for the growth especially under rainfed conditions. Based on the research work carried out at ICAR-IIHR over the years, the fertigation schedule for important fruit crops of the region have been worked out. Partial root zone drying irrigation in papaya meeting 80% replenishment of evaporation even with one emitter per plant resulted in significantly higher number of fruits (54/plant) and higher water productivity (23.7 kg/m3) could be obtained by scheduling the irrigation at 40% evaporation replenishment through shifting of laterals at fortnightly intervals. Further, higher papaya yield (48.0 t/ha) was recorded with normal drip irrigation (wetting 80% soil volume) under closer spacing (1.5 m x 1.5 m). Sensor based irrigation technologies with energy of the system provided by solar power and controlled by smart phones increases the usability of the system.

Manipulation of Source-Sink Relationship in Pertinence to Better Fruit Quality and Yield in Fruit Crops: A Review

Profuse flowering and fruiting creates high demand for a limited source of carbohydrates, which affects fruit set and development. These plenty number of flowers and fruits must be reduced to allow the trees to produce fruit that meets market expectations for size, colour and quality. The concept of source-sink relationship and the regulation of carbon partitioning in plants is useful for better understanding of crop physiology and the influence of yield limiting factors on crop production. This relationship between source leaves and the various sink organs not only affects fruit production in the current season, but also the long term performance due to perennial nature of fruit trees. Modelling early season whole-tree carbohydrate supply and demand has greatly improved the understanding of response of trees to manipulation strategies relating source-sink alliance. Various strategies has been adopted to manipulate source-sink relationship like flower bud inhibition, flower thinning, fruitlet thinning, defoliation, girdling, pruning, application of hormones and nutrients etc. Thus, balance between vegetative and reproductive growth is an important aspect for improvement in yield and quality of fruit crops.

Elma Bitkilerinin Tuz Stresine Tepkileri

Salt stress is a common agricultural problem that affects both quantity and quality of fruit crops. Responses of rootstocks against salinity possess importance due to demonstrating stress tolerance. Little is known about the early responses of apple plants to short term salinity. In our study, we investigated the physiological responses of an apple plant cv Fuji grafted onto M9 and MM106 rootstocks against 35 mM NaCl stress. After 1 month, salt-treated plants exhibited decreased chlorophyll content (SPAD). Salt stress decreased stomatal conductance values of Fuji/M9 and Fuji/MM106 by 17.0 and 30.1%, respectively when compared with own control. Membrane permeability decreased by 21.3 and 22.0% in salt-treated Fuji/M9 and Fuji/MM106, respectively compared with own control. Reduction due to salt stress in SPAD value, stomatal conductance and leaf relative water content and increase in leaf temperature and membrane permeability were greater in Fuji/MM106 than in Fuji/M9, suggesting that under short term salinity toxic effects of NaCl were less in Fuji/M9.

Influence of pre-harvest application of gibberellin and brassinosteroid on fruit growth and quality characteristics of pear (Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm.) Nakai) cv. Gola

Quality of fruit crop is an important parameter to decide the acceptability of the product. The present study consists of seventeen year old pear (Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm.) Nakai) trees subjected to seven treatments viz., GA3 (50 ppm,100 ppm), BR (0.5 ppm, 1.0 ppm), and GA3 + BR (50 ppm + 0.5 ppm and 100 ppm + 1 ppm) and water as control, sprayed thrice at 15 days intervals starting from petal fall stage. Each treatment was replicated thrice with one tree served as a treatment unit. The experiment was conducted in Randomized Block Design. The fruits treated with GA3 @ 50 ppm (T1) showed the highest fruit length (6.98 cm), breadth (6.81 cm), weight (175.9 g) and volume (171.16 cc). An improvement in terms of fruit quality was observed either alone or in combined application of GA3 and BR. The application of BR @ 1 ppm (T4) recorded the highest TSS (12.91°Brix) and lowest titrable acidity (0.42%) while the highest ascorbic acid content (6.95 mg / 100 g) and non reducing sugar (0.44%) was estimated under GA3 @ 100 ppm + BR @ 1 ppm (T6). Total sugar (7.88%) and reducing sugar (7.45%) was observed highest in GA3 @ 50 ppm + BR @ 0.5 ppm (T5). Based on this research combined application of GA3 + BR had a positive effect and therefore can be recommended for spray on pear in order to obtain higher yield and better quality.

Physiological disorders in perennial woody tropical and subtropical fruit crops: A review

The productivity as well as the quality of fruit crops is affected to a greater extent due to various physiological disorders. The extremes of environmental variables like temperature, moisture, light, aeration and nutritional imbalances result in disturbances in the plant metabolic activities leading to these disorders. While the symptoms may appear disease-like, they can usually be prevented by altering environmental conditions. In fruit crops, the deficiency of micronutrients causes many more disorders than that of macronutrients. These disorders have become widespread with diminishing use of organic manures, adoption of high density planting, use of rootstocks for dwarfing, disease and salt tolerance, unbalanced NPK fertilizer application and extension of horticulture to marginal lands. To get high quality fruit and yields, micronutrient deficiencies have to be detected before visual symptoms are expressed. This article presents a critical review on cause and characteristics of physiological disorders in important woody perennial fruit crops, viz. mango, litchi, guava, citrus, aonla, pomegranate, sapota, cashew, coconut, bael, ber and jackfruit, besides providing an insight into the gaps and researchable issues. The critical analysis of the nature, origin and causative factors of these non-pathogenic disorders will help in formulation of management strategies, reducing the loss to a significant level.

Ecophysiological aspects of fruit crops in the era of climate change. A review

The increased concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse effect gases has led to global warming, which has resulted in climate change, increased levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and changes in the hydrological cycle, affecting the growth, development, production and quality of fruit crops, which undoubtedly will be difficult to predict and generalize because the physiological processes of plants are multidimensional. This review outlines how the effects of high/low solar radiation, temperature, water stress from droughts, flooding and rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere affect fruit crops and their growth and physiology.