Small Fruits Research Articles

Transcriptome and hormones analysis provide insights into elongated fruit somaclonal mutant in ‘Akihime’ strawberry

Fruit shape is an important agronomic trait. However, the regulatory mechanism of strawberry fruit shape remains largely unknown. In this study, we firstly compared cultivated strawberry ‘Akihime’ with its elongated fruit somaclonal mutant (finger strawberry). The plant height, crown diameter, leaf length and some photosynthetic indexes were no significant changes between ‘Akihime’ and finger strawberry, while the fruit shape of them had obvious differences. Histological observation showed that fruit shape changes mainly resulted from the change of cell area, especially cell length, at small green fruit stage of ‘Akihime’ and finger strawberry. Next, the endogenous hormone contents of small green fruit of ‘Akihime’ and finger strawberry were investigated by HPLC-MS/MS. We found that the auxin content in the finger strawberry dramatically increased compared with ‘Akihime’, while the content of gibberellin and brassinosteroids had no significant difference between ‘Akihime’ and finger strawberry. Finally, small green fruits of ‘Akihime’ and finger strawberry were used for identifying key genes responsible for the elongated fruit phenotype through RNA-seq. A total of 674 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 248 up-regulated genes and 426 down-regulated genes. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed the DEGs were mainly enriched in DNA replication, cell cycle, plant hormone synthesis and signal transduction. Interestingly, auxin-related genes such as FaIAA33, FaSAUR76, FaSAUR34, FaARF and some transcription factors such as FaMYBs, FabHLHs, FaNACs were differentially expressed in ‘Akihime’ and finger strawberry, which may play a crucial role in the formation of elongated fruit mutant phenotype. These results will provide some insights into the regulatory mechanism of strawberry fruit shape and are helpful for appearance quality improvement of strawberry.

Tomato POLLEN DEFICIENT 2 encodes a G-type lectin receptor kinase required for viable pollen grain formation.

Pollen development is a crucial biological process indispensable for seed set in flowering plants and for successful crop breeding. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating pollen development in crop species. This study reports a novel male-sterile tomato mutant, pollen deficient 2 (pod2), characterized by the production of non-viable pollen grains and resulting in the development of small parthenocarpic fruits. A combined strategy of mapping-by-sequencing and RNA interference-mediated gene silencing was used to prove that the pod2 phenotype is caused by the loss of Solanum lycopersicum G-type lectin receptor kinase II.9 (SlG-LecRK-II.9) activity. In situ hybridization of floral buds showed that POD2/SlG-LecRK-II.9 is specifically expressed in tapetal cells and microspores at the late tetrad stage. Accordingly, abnormalities in meiosis and tapetum programmed cell death in pod2 occurred during microsporogenesis, resulting in the formation of four dysfunctional microspores leading to an aberrant microgametogenesis process. RNA-seq analyses supported the existence of alterations at the final stage of microsporogenesis, since we found tomato deregulated genes whose counterparts in Arabidopsis are essential for the normal progression of male meiosis and cytokinesis. Collectively, our results revealed the essential role of POD2/SlG-LecRK-II.9 in regulating tomato pollen development.

COMPARISON OF THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT FRUIT DRYING METHODS ON THE CONTENT OF SELECTED BIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

The aim of the work was to evaluate the effect of hot air and infrared drying on the content of total polyphenols and anthocyanin dyes in selected types of small fruits. In the work we used chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa Michx.) variety Nero, elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) variety Haschberg, sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) variety Fanal, red currant (Ribes rubrum L.) variety Lake, black currant (Ribes nigrum L.) variety Triton, cherry elaeagnus (Elaeagnus multiflora Thunb), raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) variety Heritage and blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) variety Bluecrop. Drying was performed in a Concept S1060 hot air dryer and a Yden CI IR D5 infrared dryer. The analysis of the content of anthocyanin dyes was performed by the pH differential method, the determination of the total content of polyphenols was performed by the Folin - Ciocalteu method. By analyzing fresh fruits, we found the highest content of anthocyanin dyes in the fruits of chokeberry (3036.97 mg.100 g-1 DM) and the lowest in the fruits of cherry elaeagnus (83.86 mg.100 g-1 DM). The total polyphenol content ranged from 726.07 mg GAE.100 g-1 dry matter (cherry elaeagnus) to 7895.61 mg GAE.100 g-1 DM (chokeberry). After drying in a hot air dryer, the content of anthocyanin dyes decreased by 62.20% (in elderberry) to 72.52% (in cherry elaeagnus) and the content of total polyphenols by 45.16% (in chokeberry) to 53.34% (in red currant). After drying in an infrared dryer, the decrease in the content of anthocyanin dyes was 50.41% (in elderberry) to 71.22% (in cherry elaeagnus) and total polyphenols 41.05% (in chokeberry) to 47.89% (in sour cherry).

Bruise measurement of fresh market apples caused by repeated impacts using a pendulum method

This paper presented an approach using a pendulum method to measure bruise damage of apples to overcome the limitation of the drop test on impact control on a specific fruit zone. Conditions included three impact energies (0.011, 0.042, and 0.094 J) and four repeated series (1, 3, 5, and 10) across three surface zones (top/stem shoulder, middle/cheek, and bottom/calyx shoulder) on large and small fruit. A full factorial experimental design was performed to investigate the effects of these factors on bruise damage. Twelve smaller areas separated from each zone of a pair of large/small apples and twelve treatments between the three impact energies and four repeated impact series corresponded to each other to reduce errors caused by the variance of specimens. Impact parameters (impact force and contact time), bruised area (BA), volume (BV), and susceptibility (BS, the ratio of BV to impact energy) were counted/calculated, respectively. It was demonstrated that the apple surface zone and repeated impact series could significantly affect bruise sizes and susceptibility to bruising. Results indicated that the impact force clearly increased with increased impact series before five impacts, but the increment decreased successively for every single impact, and the same was true for BA and BV, while the contrary was true for BS. More repeated impacts with lower intensity were more likely to reduce BA and BV compared to fewer impacts with higher intensity. The contact time decreased from the top to the bottom zone at both 0.011 and 0.042 J impacts. The fruit zone near the stem was more susceptible to causing smaller bruise sizes at a 0.042 J impact.

Aromatic border plants in early season berries do not increase parasitism of spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii.

The spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, is a South-East Asian vinegar fly that is a serious worldwide economic threat to the small fruit industry. Typical control consists of weekly pesticide applications, which can have nontarget effects, increase residual pesticides and lead to the development of resistance within pest populations. One potential alternate method of control is the planting of aromatic intercrops to attract the natural enemies of D. suzukii and/or repel the flies directly. We intercropped strawberry rows with flowering sweet alyssum or ryegrass-clover (control) to evaluate their efficacy at mitigating D. suzukii infestation through the attraction of two specialized larval parasitoids, Leptopilina japonica (Novkovic and Kimura) and Ganaspis brasiliensis (Ihering). Our study did not demonstrate any significant effect of sweet alyssum intercropping on the infestation rate of D. suzukii in strawberries or parasitism level. However, we found that advanced sampling date and recorded numbers of D. suzukii larvae and parasitoids were positively correlated, indicating higher populations at the end of the strawberry-growing season. Sweet alyssum intercrops did not reduce D. suzukii infestation rates or increase parasitism levels, likely due to low population numbers in early season berry varieties. Aromatic intercrops may be more effective for increasing pest control in later season crops. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Bee richness and abundance in small fruit farms from semiarid landscape, NE, Brazil

Bee diversity and current status of native populations is barely known in cropland from semiarid Sergipe, where fruit production is a growing activity among small farmers. Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae) is spread among small growers in Canindé de São Francisco and Poço Redondo in Sergipe state, Northeastern Brazil, in semiarid Caatinga, causing landscape change and habitat loss. Available evidences support that cross-pollination provided by bees may increase seed set and fruit production, despite self-pollination. We aimed to access bee richness and abundance within Guava orchard and identify landscape parameters important to these patterns. Survey was conducted in ten Guava orchards during the flowering period (n=10) from May to December 2017. Nine bee species were recorded and the high density and generalist bees Trigona spinipes and Apis mellifera comprised 92% of the flower visitors. No other social native bees were found, and solitary bees were scarce. No significant influence of landscape structure was found for bee richness, while bee abundance was affected by environmental diversity, isolation, and distance to caatinga patches and continuous vegetation reserves. Landscape simplification threatened bee diversity and pollination services. These results highlight the importance of providing bee habitat within farmlands, rearing stingless bees and restoring natural habitats along streams to increase wild bee populations within crops.

Horticultural Performance of Field Grown Somaclones and Irradiated Strawberry (Fragaria × Ananassa Duch.)Variants

In the present investigation horticultural performances of field grown somaclones and gamma irradiated strawberry were studied. The somaclones performed better with regard to vegetative and reproductive characters while axillary buds irradiated with lower dose of gamma rays (10 and 30 Gy) were more vigorous in terms of number of leaves and petiole length. Whereasaxillary buds irradiated with higher dose of gamma rays (50 and 60 Gy) showed abnormal fruit development, reduced growth, small leaf area and fruit size. A total of six variants were obtained on screening the somaclones and irradiated plantlets on the basis of phenotypic characters, fruiting characters and Single Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers. The frequency of variants was higher (3.22%) in soamclones than in irradiated plants (2.75%) obtained from axillary buds. These finding would be helpful in providing a powerful technological tool for the improvement of clonally propagated crops. Bangladesh J. Bot. 51(3): 555-563, 2022 (September)

DIVERSIDADE GENÉTICA ENTRE GENÓTIPOS DE MELÃO-DE-SÃO-CAETANO ACESSADA POR VARIÁVEIS MORFOAGRONÔMICAS

ABSTRACT Bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) is a plant species recommended by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) as hypoglycemiant. The characterization of plants is an essential step in any breeding program. The objective of the present work was to organize and characterize a bitter melon germplasm collection, based on morpho-agronomic characters, to assess its genetic diversity and identify genotypes of agronomic interest. Eighty-eight genotypes were characterized for 38 descriptors. Redundant descriptors were identified through Principal Component Analysis (PCA); after their exclusions, a new PCA was carried out to verify the dispersion among the genotypes. Groups in the PCA were defined using the kmeans clustering method. The groups were studied for phenotype pattern using radar chart. Populational diversity was estimated through Shannon and Pielou indexes. Intra group diversity was estimated through analysis of similarity (anosim). The relative importance of variables for diversity was also estimated. Seventeen variables were redundant. The genotypes were grouped into 5 groups. Groups G1 and G5 were antagonist regarding fruit and seed productions and fruit, leaf, and seed sizes. A trend of decrease in fruit, leaf, and seed sizes was found in groups from G1 to G5. The diversity was high. Intra group diversity was high among small fruit genotypes, and low for medium-sized fruit genotypes. The variable number of male flowers (NMFL) was identified as that presented the greatest contribution to estimation of diversity. The genotypes UFRRJ MSC072, 042, 028, and 087 stood out with the highest number of fruits produced.

Interaction of Different Drying Methods and Storage on Appearance, Surface Structure, Energy, and Quality of Berberis vulgaris var. asperma.

Seedless barberry fruit is native small fruit in Iran. To examine the impact of various drying methods and storage on the biochemical attributes (Vitamin C, Anthocyanin, Phenol, pH, TA), color index (a*, b*, L*, ab, and Chroma), drying time, and fruit microstructure (by SEM) of seedless barberry (Berberis vulgaris var. asperma), and effective moisture diffusivity coefficient (Deff), specific energy consumption (SEC), energy efficiency (EE) of the dryers, this experiment was performed. Drying treatments include microwave (100, 170, and 270 W), oven (60 and 70 °C), cabinet (50 and 70 °C), shade, sun, and fresh samples (control) and storage 6 months after drying (in polyethylene packaging and at a temperature of 5–10 °C). Results showed minimum and maximum drying times (50 min and 696 h), were related to microwave (270 W) and shade methods, respectively. The highest color values were observed in fruits treated with control, shade and sun treatments and the lowest values were observed in cabinet (70 °C) methods. According to the SEM results, microwave significantly affected surface structure of the dried sample compared to others. The findings indicated that the use of artificial drying methods than natural methods (sun and shade) cause a more significant reduction in color indexes, while vitamin C, soluble solids, and anthocyanin were significantly maintained at a high level. Storage reduced anthocyanin content of fruits almost 12%. Moreover, it was discovered EE and SEC values varied in the range of 1.16–25.26% and 12.20–1182 MJ/kg, respectively. Deff values were higher in microwave 270 W.

Drosophila suzukii preferentially lays eggs on spherical surfaces with a smaller radius

Drosophila suzukii is an agricultural pest that predominantly harms small fruits, having a serrated ovipositor that is able to pierce the skin of ripening fruits. Its oviposition preference has been studied from various aspects including chemical and physical properties of oviposition substrates. However, its preference for certain shapes or sizes of substrates has not been explored. In this study, we tested the oviposition preference of D. suzukii for artificial oviposition substrates with different surface curvatures using 27 strains recently established from wild populations collected in Japan. We found that D. suzukii laid more eggs on a surface with smaller radii (4.8 and 5.7 mm) compared with larger radii (7.7 and 9.6 mm). We also found that the most preferred radius differed among strains. Notably, the preference was independent of the volume of substrates, suggesting that D. suzukii uses the surface curvature as a cue for its oviposition site selection. These results provide an additional explanation for why D. suzukii preferentially uses small fruits as its oviposition sites.

Biochemical characteristics of small-fruited citrus from distant crosses with Fortunella Sw.

Small-fruited citrus such as Fortunella Sw are becoming popular among a large variety of citrus fruits. Resistance, repeat flowering capacity, abundant fruiting combined with dwarfness, as well as the nutritional value of the fruits promote the use of the plants in hybridization to create new genotypes. The paper presents the quality characteristics of fruits of small-fruited hybrid forms derived from interspecific hybridization with Fortunella Margarita as the mother plant. The objects of the study were five promising forms: 202; 78; 90-3; Kip-14, Kalamondin-1, bred from interspecific hybridization under the auspices of the FRC SSC RAS. A brief pomological description of the size of the fruits and the juice extraction is presented in the paper. Moreover, two promising forms were established: 78 and 202. Kip-14 was distinguished by the smallest fruits with a mass of about 6.8 g and a thin skin. The study of the chemical composition of small-fruited hybrids showed that they were rich in vitamins, sugars and acids. In terms of quantity, sucrose predominates; its greatest amount was identified in the forms of Kalamondin-1 (38.09 g/kg), 78 (36.94 g/kg) and 202 (35.30 g/kg). It was revealed that in terms of sugar content, all hybrids were inferior to the original mother plant. 78 and Kip-14 were characterized by high content of soluble solids – more than 17%. 8 organic acids were identified in the fruits of the hybrids. Among the main organic acids, citric acid was dominant, the hybrid 202 – 6.53 g/100 g was indicated with high values of it. Kalamondin-1 had the highest amount of malic, succinic, acetic, lactic and oxalic acids. In terms of ascorbic acid, the hybrid Kip-14 was the leader (37.23 mg/100 g), and the fruits of this form were rich in sorbic acid (0.005 g/100 g). The largest amount of lactic acid (0.10 g/100 g) was observed in 90-3 hybrid. Fruits of 202 and Kip-14 did not contain oxalic acid.

Essential Oils as a Source of Ecofriendly Insecticides for Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and Their Potential Non-Target Effects.

The spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) is one of the main invasive pests of small fruits in the world. Thus, 19 essential oils (EOs) were selected to analyze the effects through toxicity and repellency on oviposition and D. suzukii adults. In addition, their lethal and sublethal effects on the pupal endoparasitoid Trichopria anastrephae were evaluated. The EOs of C. flexuosus and Mentha spp. had the highest toxicity observed in the topical application bioassay for D. suzukii. In contrast, the EOs of C. verum, C. citratus QT citratus, and C. winterianus showed the highest toxicity in the ingestion bioassay for D. suzukii. The dry residues of C. verum and C. citratus QT citratus reduced the oviposition of D. suzukii. In the repellency bioassays, the 19 EOs analyzed repelled ≅ 90% of the D. suzukii females. All EOs evaluated using the LC90 values of the products provided mortality of less than 20% of T. anastrephae adults and did not cause a reduction in the parasitism of surviving T. anastrephae females. We conclude that the EOs evaluated have the potential to be used in the management of D. suzukii. They can also serve as selective active ingredients for the formulation and synthesis of new biopesticides.

Determination of bound volatiles in blueberries, raspberries, and grapes with an optimized protocol and a validated SPME-GC/MS method

Bound volatiles are odorless aroma reservoirs that modify flavor when released during food processing, and their determination is important to understand the aroma of fruit beverages. However, the generation of oxidation/degradation artifacts during analyses of glycosidically-bound volatiles has not been compared across fruit species and their dependence on diverse acidic and enzymatic hydrolytic conditions remains unclear. This work aimed to optimize and compare different hydrolytic conditions for the analysis of glycosidically-bound volatiles in blueberries, raspberries, and grapes with a solid-phase microextraction – gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS) methodology. Enzymatic hydrolyses using AR2000® at 100 mg.mL−1 and Pectinex Ultra SPL® at 25–100 μL.mL−1 showed profiles characterized by the expected alcohols, while using AR2000® at 200–400 mg.mL−1 and citric acid at 50–100 mM resulted in profiles defined by artifacts (hydrocarbons, norisoprenoids, and aldehydes). (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, linalool, citronellol, and geraniol presented Odor Activity Values (OAV) > 1 for most small fruit genotypes.

Biogeography of Zehneria (Cucurbitaceae) and a New Species from India

Abstract— Zehneria is one of the most diverse genera in Cucurbitaceae with 75 accepted species mainly in Southeast Asia and tropical Africa. Here, we describe Zehneria neorensis, a new species from Neora Valley in the mountains of West Bengal, India, which has 7‐10 cm long twisted fruiting pedicels, the longest pedicels reported in the genus so far. Based on morphological data, we also suggest the transfer of Melothria morobensis to the genus Zehneria. With a molecular phylogenetic and global biogeographic analysis based on 3856 nucleotides of plastid and nuclear ribosomal DNA, we demonstrate that the genus Zehneria most likely originated on the African continent 24 (30‐19) million years ago and spread from there at least five times to Madagascar and three times to Asia. Zehneria neorensis represents an independent colonization event from Africa to India about 11 (15‐7) million years ago. Three lineages reached New Guinea/Australia and finally moved into Polynesia. We infer a rate of at least 20 long-distance dispersal (LDD) events per 10 million years in the genus. This high LDD frequency is most likely a result of the small berry fruits and small flattened seeds of Zehneria, which seem perfectly adapted to long-distance bird dispersal. Field observations are needed to investigate a potential effect of the newly discovered extended and coiling pedicels in Zehneria neorensis on seed dispersal efficiency. The new species adds to a growing list of rather old Cucurbitaceae lineages in the Himalayan foothills, supporting the hypothesis of long climatic stability in the region.

DISEASE DETECTION EXPERT SYSTEM IN WATERMELON PLANTS USING CERTAINTY FACTOR METHOD BASED ON MOBILE

Watermelon is one of the fruit commodities currently being developed in West Nusa Tenggara by making Central Lombok Regency as its production center. The problems that are often faced by farmers in watermelon farming, apart from pests, watermelon plants are also often affected by diseases that cause the plants to wilt and then dry, white spots on the flesh, the growth of leaves and small fruit so that it has an impact on decreasing productivity caused by lack of knowledge farmers in recognizing and dealing with diseases in watermelon plants so that they are often mishandled. This research was conducted with the aim of producing an expert system that can be used to detect diseases in watermelon plants and provide solutions for handling them so that watermelon farmers can make prevention and treatment efforts quickly before the disease is transmitted to many other watermelon plants. This expert system was built with the Mobile-based Certainty Factor Method with the Android operating system so that it can be downloaded in the Playstore by watermelon farmers or anyone who needs it so that it is expected to help farmers detect diseases in watermelon plants and provide appropriate handling steps based on related theories.

Bazı Bitki Ekstrelerinin Cerrahi Maske Üretiminde Kullanılabilirliğinin Antibakteriyel Açıdan Araştırılması

Bu çalışmada, nar (Punica granatum L.) kabuğu, pıtrak (Xanthium strumarium L.) bitkisinin
 büyük ve küçük meyveleri, alman papatyası (Anthemis nobilis L.) çiçeği, mayıs papatyası
 (Matricaria chamomilla L.) çiçeği, kırmızı biber (Capsicum annuum L.) tohumu, yeşil biber
 (Capsicum annuum L.) tohumu ekstrelerinin ve gümüş suyunun antibakteriyel etkisi araştırılmıştır.
 Çalışmanın sonunda pıtrak (Xanthium strumarium L.) bitkisinde, Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922)
 üzerinde kontrole göre %166,6 oranla, Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213) üzerinde ise %70
 oranla daha fazla antibakteriyel zon tespit edilmiştir. Ağız florasından yayılan bakterilerde ise
 en yüksek antibakteriyel etki kontrole göre %166,6 oranla daha fazla zon tespit edilen pıtrak
 (Xanthium strumarium L.) bitkisinde ve gümüş suyunda görülmüştür. Bitki ekstreleri içeren
 cerrahi maske örneklerinin antibakteriyel etkisi incelenmiş olup, pıtrak (Xanthium strumarium L.)
 ekstresi içeren örneğin kontrole göre %39 daha az bakteri üremesi sağladığı tespit edilmiştir.

Field, semi‐field and greenhouse testing of HOOK SWD, a SPLAT‐based attract‐and‐kill formulation to manage spotted‐wing drosophila

AbstractNative to Southeast Asia, the spotted‐wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) has become a major pest of small fruit crops in the Americas and Europe because females can oviposit in ripening fruit. Currently, D. suzukii management relies heavily on chemical control; thus, more sustainable approaches like attract‐and‐kill need to be evaluated to reduce insecticide use. In previous studies, HOOK SWD, an attract‐and‐kill product that combines attractants, phagostimulants and an insecticide (spinosad), showed promise for D. suzukii control; still, little is known about its performance under field conditions and under varying pest and host‐fruit densities, as well as its residual activity. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of HOOK SWD when applied in commercial blueberry farms, when deployed in semifield cages under different D. suzukii adult and fruit densities and when aged for 30 days in the greenhouse. Results from field experiments showed that HOOK SWD could reduce fruit infestation in blueberry farms; however, its efficacy varied in space and time. Semifield cage studies revealed that relatively high densities of both D. suzukii adults and fruit can reduce the effectiveness of HOOK SWD, which might explain the variation in its efficacy in the field. Ageing HOOK SWD in a greenhouse for at least 30 days yielded no significant decrease in insecticidal activity. Altogether, these studies show that HOOK SWD can potentially suppress D. suzukii populations in the field, but it should be used as part of an integrated pest management program instead of a stand‐alone control tool, especially under high pest and fruit densities.

Glochidion malingheense (Phyllanthaceae), a new species from Guizhou, China

Glochidion malingheense, a new species from southwestern Guizhou, China, is described. Morphologically, the new species is most similar to G. oblatum Hook. f. in having angled branchlets, leathery leaves, and thick pericarp of capsules that become lignified to some extent when dry, but clearly differs from the latter by its long pedicelled pistillate flowers that are with oblong sepals, short cylindrical styles, depressed globose ovary, subcircular to broadly ellipticum sepals of staminate flowers, 3 stamens and smaller fruits.

Morphological characteristic analysis of dry fruits of annatto (Bixa orellana L.)

The present research work was performed to explore the engineering properties of annatto (Bixa orellana L.) fruits and seeds in dried large and small variety. The geometric properties (length, breadth, thickness, arithmetic mean diameter, geometric mean diameter, sphericity, aspect ratio and surface area), gravimetric properties (bulk density, true density and porosity) and frictional properties (angle of repose and static coefficient of friction) were determined for small pods, large pods, small seeds and large seeds of annatto fruit by following standard methods. The moisture content of dried annatto fruits were ranged from 11.27 to 9.36% (w.b.) and for the seeds 6.67±1.5% (w.b.). The average arithmetic mean diameter of large pods was 30.33±3.19 mm and for small fruits was 23.49±2.29 mm. The true density, bulk density and angle of repose were also determined for small and large pods and seeds. The coefficient of friction was maximum (0.53±0.05) for small annatto pods in cardboard surface and minimum (0.14±0.057) for large dried pod in rubber surface. These properties finds application in developing a power operated decorticator to ease the separation of seeds from annatto pods without losing its valuable pigment present in its seed coat.

Modification of the existing maximum residue levels for copper compounds in other small fruits and berries.

In accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, the applicant Spiess‐Urania Chemicals GmbH submitted a request to the competent national authority in Austria to modify the existing maximum residue levels (MRLs) for the active substance copper compounds in the whole group of other small fruits and berries. The data submitted in support of the request were found to be sufficient to derive MRL proposals for the whole subgroup of other small fruits and berries. Adequate analytical methods for enforcement of mineral copper independently from its chemical form are available for matrices under consideration at the validated limit of quantification (LOQ) of 5 mg/kg. Based on indicative risk assessment results, EFSA concluded that the long‐term intake of copper residues resulting from the intended and existing uses, natural background levels and monitoring levels might present a risk to consumer health. Although residues in other small fruits and berries are minor contributors to the overall consumer exposure, a risk management decision has to be taken on whether it is appropriate to increase the existing MRLs for these crops, given that a potential consumer intake concern could not be excluded.