Undamaged Fruit Research Articles

Shell structure impacts Camellia oleifera fruit splitting during dehydration

This study aims to enhance the processing efficiency of Camellia oleifera fruit by exploring the potential relationship between the splitting characteristics during the dehydration process and the structure of the C. oleifera shell. The analysis focused on understanding the structural changes, moisture transfer, and shrinkage strain of the C. oleifera shell during the shelling processes. The results indicate that the essence of shelling C. oleifera fruit is the uneven shrinkage strain of the shell after dehydration, with the uneven shrinkage of the mesocarp being the primary driving force for the separation of seeds from the shell. Because the cuticle prevents moisture transfer and epidermal cells limit shell shrinkage, the exocarp can restrict the efficiency of the shell shrinkage strain. By damaging the exocarp structure, the shelling efficiency of C. oleifera fruit can be increased by more than 50 % under both natural drying and hot air drying. Moreover, under hot air drying, the shelling efficiency of C. oleifera fruit with a damaged exocarp at a low temperature (55 ℃) is 12.5 % higher than that of undamaged fruit at a high temperature (75 ℃). This study provides new insights into improving the shelling efficiency of C. oleifera fruit.

Comparison of the performance of two polar equations in describing the geometries of elliptical fruits

ABSTRACT In nature, the two-dimensional (2D) profiles of fruits from many plants often resemble ellipses. However, it remains unclear whether these profiles strictly adhere to the ellipse equation, as many natural shapes resembling ellipses are actually better described as superellipses. The superellipse equation, which includes an additional parameter n compared to the ellipse equation, can generate a broader range of shapes, with the ellipse being just a special case of the superellipse. To investigate whether the 2D profiles of fruits are better described by ellipses or superellipses, we collected a total of 751 mature and undamaged fruits from 31 naturally growing plants of Cucumis melo L. var. agrestis Naud. Our analysis revealed that most adjusted root-mean-square errors (> 92% of the 751 fruits) for fitting the superellipse equation to the fruit profiles were consistently less than 0.0165. Furthermore, there were 638 of the 751 fruits (ca. 85%) with the 95% confidence intervals of the estimated parameter n in the superellipse equation not including 2. These findings suggest that the profiles of C. melo var. agrestis fruits align more closely with the superellipse equation than with the ellipse equation. This study provides evidence for the existence of the superellipse in fruit profiles, which has significant implications for studying fruit geometries and estimating fruit volumes using the solid of revolution formula. Furthermore, this discovery may contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving the evolution of fruit shapes.

Genome divergence and reproductive incompatibility among populations of Ganaspis near brasiliensis.

During the last decade, the spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, has spread from eastern Asia to the Americas, Europe, and Africa. This fly attacks many species of cultivated and wild fruits with soft, thin skins, where its serrated ovipositor allows it to lay eggs in undamaged fruit. Parasitoids from the native range of D. suzukii may provide sustainable management of this polyphagous pest. Among these parasitoids, host-specificity testing has revealed a lineage of Ganaspis near brasiliensis, referred to in this paper as G1, that appears to be a cryptic species more host-specific to D. suzukii than other parasitoids. Differentiation among cryptic species is critical for introduction and subsequent evaluation of their impact on D. suzukii. Here, we present results on divergence in genomic sequences and architecture and reproductive isolation between lineages of Ganaspis near brasiliensis that appear to be cryptic species. We studied five populations, two from China, two from Japan, and one from Canada, identified as the G1 vs G3 lineages based on differences in cytochrome oxidase l sequences. We assembled and annotated the genomes of these populations and analyzed divergences in sequence and genome architecture between them. We also report results from crosses to test reproductive compatibility between the G3 lineage from China and the G1 lineage from Japan. The combined results on sequence divergence, differences in genome architectures, ortholog divergence, reproductive incompatibility, differences in host ranges and microhabitat preferences, and differences in morphology show that these lineages are different species. Thus, the decision to evaluate the lineages separately and only import and introduce the more host-specific lineage to North America and Europe was appropriate.

Tomato Firmness and Shelf-Life Increased by Application of Stimulated Calcium

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) had almost 190 million tonnes produced in 2021. Tomato fruit suffer losses of up to 50% during harvest and transport, which causes financial hardship, reduces the amount of food available and causes environmental harm. Calcium plays an important role in cell wall strength. This work assessed the use of a calcium transport stimulant (MCAS) to increase the firmness of tomato fruit in the laboratory and the foliar application to tomato plants. Then, handling damage was simulated. In the laboratory, the calcium with MCAS significantly increased the fruit firmness compared to the untreated and calcium without MCAS, which were not significantly different. When calcium with MCAS was applied to tomato plants foliarly before harvest, the calcium with MCAS-treated fruit were significantly firmer than the untreated or calcium without MCAS-treated fruit for up to 10 weeks after harvest, and this was achieved by applying only 0.91 kg ha−1 calcium. Finally, when fruit were exposed to a simulated drop, the calcium with MCAS-treated fruit remained firmer than the undamaged fruit or dropped fruit with calcium without MCAS. Calcium with MCAS could significantly increase the fruit firmness and increase the shelf-life of tomatoes while applying less calcium.

Coffee fruit rot in Puerto Rico: distribution, ecology and associated fungi

Anthracnose of coffee fruits caused by Colletotrichum species is responsible for major losses in coffee production worldwide. In most coffee-producing countries, this disease has been present for many years. Recently coffee fruit rot (CFR), a disease complex of Colletotrichum spp. and Fusarium spp. as casual agents, was described in Puerto Rico but it has not yet been quantified. This study surveys incidence and severity of CFR, correlates it to elevation, cultivation methods (full sun, shade or intercalated with taller plants) and the presence of the coffee berry borer (CBB), and identifies rot-associated fungi. We found that CFR is present throughout Puerto Rico at varying levels and that environmental and cultivation factors are associated with CFR incidence and severity. Specifically, increased altitude and shade correlated with lower CFR incidence. In addition, fruits damaged by the CBB were found to have significantly more disease than undamaged fruits. Lastly, we isolated 7 fungal genera associated with CFR, the most prevalent being Colletotrichum and Fusarium. Overall, this study suggests that planting coffee at higher altitude under shade and controlling CBB can reduce CFR.

From Harvest to Market: Non-Destructive Bruise Detection in Kiwifruit Using Convolutional Neural Networks and Hyperspectral Imaging

Fruit is often bruised during picking, transportation, and packaging, which is an important post-harvest issue especially when dealing with fresh fruit. This paper is aimed at the early, automatic, and non-destructive ternary (three-class) detection and classification of bruises in kiwifruit based on local spatio-spectral near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral (HSI) imaging. For this purpose, kiwifruit samples were hand-picked under two ripening stages, either one week (7 days) before optimal ripening (unripe) or at the optimal ripening time instant (ripe). A total of 408 kiwi fruit, i.e., 204 kiwifruits for the ripe stage and 204 kiwifruit for the unripe stage, were harvested. For each stage, three classes were considered (68 samples per class). First, 136 HSI images of all undamaged (healthy) fruit samples, under the two different ripening categories (either unripe or ripe) were acquired. Next, bruising was artificially induced on the 272 fruits under the impact of a metal ball to generate the corresponding bruised fruit HSI image samples. Then, the HSI images of all bruised fruit samples were captured either 8 (Bruised-1) or 16 h (Bruised-2) after the damage was produced, generating a grand total of 408 HSI kiwifruit imaging samples. Automatic 3D-convolutional neural network (3D-CNN) and 2D-CNN classifiers based on PreActResNet and GoogLeNet models were used to analyze the HSI input data. The results showed that the detection of bruising conditions in the case of the unripe fruit is a bit easier than that for its ripe counterpart. The correct classification rate (CCR) of 3D-CNN-PreActResNet and 3D-CNN-GoogLeNet for unripe fruit was 98% and 96%, respectively, over the test set. At the same time, the CCRs of 3D-CNN-PreActResNet and 3D-CNN-GoogLeNet for ripe fruit were both 86%, computed over the test set. On the other hand, the CCRs of 2D-CNN-PreActResNet and 2D-CNN-GoogLeNet for unripe fruit were 96 and 95%, while for ripe fruit, the CCRs were 91% and 98%, respectively, computed over the test set, implying that early detection of the bruising area on HSI imaging was consistently more accurate in the unripe fruit case as compared to its ripe counterpart, with an exception made for the 2D-CNN GoogLeNet classifier which showed opposite behavior.

Antioxidant response and quality of sunburn Beurré D'Anjou pears (Pyrus communis L.)

Sunburn is a physiological fruit disorder induced by exposure to excessive solar radiation. This disorder leads to significant losses in the yield of marketable fruits by negatively affecting quality parameters such as maturity and external color of the fruits. The purpose of this work was to characterize the physiological and biochemical aspects related to oxidative metabolism in Beurré D'Anjou pear fruit with different sunburn levels. Fruits were collected and classified into three sunburn levels at harvest: no sunburn (S0), mild sunburn (S1), and moderate sunburn (S2). On sunburned area, the maturity indices were measured on the fruit flesh, while external color, photosynthetic and photoprotective pigments, total phenols, electrolyte leakage, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant capacity and antioxidant enzymatic activities were determined on fruit peel. The hue angle and saturation of peel color of pears with different sunburn levels showed significant reduction with increasing damage. These changes in peel color were associated with a reduction in chlorophyll content and variations in carotenoid and anthocyanin levels. Due to metabolic changes resulting from defense and adaptive responses to high solar radiation, sunburned tissues showed significantly increased firmness, soluble solids content, and starch degradation, and lower acidity compared to undamaged fruits. We observed also increased antioxidant capacity in the peel of S1 and S2 fruit, related to higher phenolic contents and increased SOD and APX activities. Consistent with previous reports in apple, our study demonstrates that sunburn affects pear fruit quality traits and maturity state by enhancing oxidative metabolism.

Long preharvest deficit irrigation as a tool to reduce purple spot incidence in ‘Algerie’ loquat

• Purple spot is a physiological disorder of loquat that strongly depreciates crop value. • Season and block effects on purple spot incidence were confirmed. • Early and midday oriented fruit were more affected. • Long preharvest deficit irrigation attenuated purple spot incidence. • Calcium and nitrogen fruit content did not differ between spotted and healthy fruit. Loquat is a subtropical pome fruit of high economic value, since it is the earliest spring fruit reaching the markets. Different agricultural techniques may advance loquat fruit ripening and increase therefore its crop value. Unfortunately, a technique of great interest in this regard such as preflowering deficit irrigation (DI) has been found to increase the incidence of a specific loquat physiopathy known as purple spot. In order to clarify the environmental and cultural factors involved in purple spot appearance, we have compared its incidence in three consecutive years, determining the physiological stage and the size of the fruit at which the physiopathy appears, the amount of damaged fruit growing in different sections of the canopy, and compared fruit size and mineral composition of pulp and skin of fruit in damaged and undamaged fruit. We also compared purple spot incidence among five irrigation treatments (full irrigation, preflowering DI, and three different combinations of preflowering plus preharvest DI) in order to select DI treatments that reduce purple spot incidence while maintaining the benefits of harvest advancement. Our results show that purple spot was first detected at color break, when fruit had almost reached its final diameter. Late and earlier purple spot appearance was very rare. Damaged fruits were only slightly larger than healthy fruit. Significant variations in the incidence of purple spot were found among experimental blocks and years, with a low incidence in 2008/09 and 2009/10, and much larger in 2010/11. In all years, early maturing fruit and fruit growing in the canopy sections receiving more sunlight (South oriented) were more damaged by purple spot. In addition, DI treatments advancing fruit ripening provoked a higher incidence of purple spot. In spite of this response, the irrigation treatments in which water stress was also imposed at preharvest reduced the damage suggesting that altering pulp/skin water status and fruit growth rate might reduce purple spot. Finally, potassium, magnesium and especially copper were in much higher concentration in damaged fruit, especially in the skin. Nitrogen and calcium seem not to play any role in this physiopathy despite early assumptions and commonly applied preharvest calcium treatments.

A Bio-rational Management Strategy Using Insect Growth Regulators Against Conopomorpha sinensis (Bradley) and Quality Assessment of Litchi Fruit

The litchi fruit borer, Conopomorpha sinensis (Bradley) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), is one of the major destructive and main pest of litchi fruits in Southeast Asia, including Bangladesh. This experiment was carried out in three different litchi orchards to develop a bio-rational management strategy using insect growth regulators (IGRs) to control the population of C. sinensis. The effectiveness of emamectin benzoate 5%, buprofezin, lufenuron, lufenuron (5%) + emamectin benzoate (5%), and abamectin were evaluated on the basis of fruit damage, yield of undamaged fruit and size, % fallen fruit, and total number of larvae in fallen fruits in three different litchi orchards. In our results, treatment with buprofezin showed the lowest (13.3%) level of fruit damage, followed by lufenuron + emamectin benzoate, abamectin, emamectin benzoate, and lufenuron, all of which were statistically significant compared with the untreated control. Furthermore, the highest number of undamaged fruits rate and mean fruit length were 86.7% and 17.8 mm, respectively, for buprofezin treatment compared to control (75.5 and 16.2). A large number of damaged, fallen fruits were found in the control plots (11.3%), while their number was lowest in buprofezin-treated orchards (4.1%). The chemical composition of litchi fruits was not affected by the application of IGRs. Indeed, levels of vitamin C, sugars, and titratable acidity increased in IGR-treated fruits compared with fruits from the control plots. Moreover, IGR treatments had a positive effect on total phenol (except lufenuron + emamectin benzoate) and flavonoid content of litchi fruits, improving their quality and as a source of antioxidants. Therefore, buprofezin can be used to manage the litchi fruit borer in organic litchi orchards.

Poor Host Status of Australian Finger Lime, Citrus australasica, to Ceratitis capitata, Zeugodacus cucurbitae, and Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Hawai'i.

Simple SummaryTephritid fruit flies are major economic pests for fruit production and impede international trade. Different host fruits are known to vary in their suitability for fruit flies to complete their life cycle. International regulatory standards that define the legal host status for tephritid fruit flies categorize fruits as a natural host, a conditional host, or a nonhost. For those fruits that are natural or conditional hosts, infestation rate can vary as a spectrum ranging from highly attractive fruits supporting large numbers of fruit flies to very poor hosts supporting low numbers. Finger lime, Citrus australasica, is a new crop in Hawai’i, and no information existed on its susceptibility to Hawai’i’s tephritid fruit fly pests. Host status testing was conducted using no-choice cage tests and field collections. Ceratitis capitata and Zeugodacus cucurbitae readily oviposited into finger limes, but individuals rarely developed to the pupal or adult stage. Finger lime was not infested by Bactrocera dorsalis and is probably a nonhost. For export, a postharvest treatment may still be required despite the very low infestation rate. Heat treatment, irradiation, and a systems approach are options to reduce the risk of exporting tephritid fruit flies in Hawai’i finger limes.We examined the host status of the Australian finger lime, Citrus australiasica F. Muell. (Rutaceae), to Hawai’i’s tephritid fruit fly pests using laboratory and field studies. In high-density (500 flies, 1:1 males and females) no-choice cage exposures (25 × 25 × 25-cm cage size), both undamaged and punctured finger limes were infested by Ceratitis capitata and Zeugodacus cucurbitae at a low rate compared to papaya controls, whereas Bactrocera dorsalis did not infest undamaged fruit, suggesting finger lime is a nonhost. In low-density (50 females) no-choice cage exposures, C. capitata and Z. cucurbitae readily oviposited in undamaged fruit but individuals rarely developed to the pupal or adult stage. For C. capitata, 274 finger limes exposed to 2000 gravid females, which laid an estimated 14,384 eggs, produced two pupae and no adults. For Z. cucurbitae, 299 fruit exposed to 2000 gravid females, which laid an estimated 4484 eggs, produced four pupae and one adult. Field sampling of undamaged fruit from the tree and off the ground from commercial farms produced five C. capitata pupa and one adult from 1119 fruit, for an infestation rate of 0.05 flies per kilogram of fruit; field collections found no natural Z. cucurbitae or B. dorsalis infestation, but the number of fruit available was too low to demonstrate nonhost status with a high degree of confidence.

Comparative analysis of the nutritional profiles of selected Solanum species grown in Sri Lanka

Nutritional profiles of eggplant, aubergine or brinjal (local name, Wambatu) (Solanum melongena L.), eggplant (local name, Elabatu) (Solanum melongena var. insanum L.) and wild eggplant/turkey berry (local name, Thibbatu) (Solanum torvum Sw.) were determined. Healthy and undamaged fruits in medium maturity were collected using stratified random sampling design from all agro-climatic zones of Sri Lanka, sorted and cleaned. Composite samples were prepared by oven drying a portion of the sample at 45 °C and freeze-drying the rest. Proximate composition, mineral contents, fatty acid profile and vitamin composition were determined using standard procedures and presented on fresh weight basis.Among studied Solanum species, the nutritional significance of S. torvum was upheld by the highest quantities of protein, total carbohydrate, almost all minerals, vitamins C, D and E while the nutritional importance of S. melongena var. insanum was highlighted by the highest quantities of PUFA and MUFA. Moreover, S. melongena (Wambatu) comprised of the highest contents of dietary fibre and vitamins K, A, B1 and B2, indicating the higher nutritional value of S. torvum (Thibbatu) and S. melongena (Elabatu). Furthermore, the highest commercially cultivated S. melongena (Wambatu) contained significantly higher amounts of Cd and As than the other two Solanum species tested.

Effect of Ethylene-Insensitive Mutation etr2b on Postharvest Chilling Injury in Zucchini Fruit

Zucchini is a vegetable fruit that is very susceptible to postharvest chilling injury, and fruit ethylene production is correlated with chilling injury sensitivity, such that the more tolerant the cultivar, the lower is its ethylene production. It is expected that zucchini fruit with reduced sensitivity to ethylene would have a higher chilling injury tolerance. In this study, we compared the postharvest fruit quality of wild type and ethylene-insensitive mutant etr2b, in which a mutation was identified in the coding region of the ethylene receptor gene CpETR2B. Flowers from homozygous WT (wt/wt), mutant plants in homozygous (etr2b/etr2b) and heterozygous (wt/etr2b) were hand-pollinated, and all fruits were harvested with the same length, at about 8 days after pollination. After harvesting, fruit of each genotype was randomly divided in 3 batches of 12 fruits each (four replications with three fruits each), and then stored at 4 °C and 95% RH. At 0, 7, and 14 days after cold storage, each batch was used to assess ethylene production, respiration rate, weight and firmness loss, chilling injury, and oxidative stress metabolites. The results showed a lower chilling injury associated with lower cold-induced ethylene production in the mutant fruit, in comparison with the WT fruit. These data demonstrated that the ethylene-insensitive etr2b mutant fruit was more tolerant to chilling injury, confirming that basal ethylene in the still undamaged fruit could function as a modulator of post-harvest chilling injury. Moreover, the higher chilling tolerance of the etr2b mutant fruit was not associated with MDA content, but was concomitant with a reduction in the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in the refrigerated mutant fruit.

Conventional and alternative pre-harvest treatments affect the quality of ‘Golden delicious’ and ‘York’ apple fruit

Apple trees cv. ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘York’ were sprayed from bloom to fruit maturity with different products to evaluate the effect of pre-harvest treatments on fruit quality, including insect/disease damage and physicochemical fruit traits. Apple trees were assigned to five treatments: unsprayed (control), holistic solution (foliar nutrients and probiotics), insecticides, antimicrobials (fungicides and antibiotics), and a combination of antimicrobials + insecticides. The treatments started soon after bloom and were carried out every two weeks until fruit were ready to harvest. Diseases such as sooty blotch (complex of several fungi) and flyspeck (Zygophiala jamaicensis Mason) were the major source of damage on fruits. ‘Golden Delicious’ trees had a higher percentage of undamaged fruit than ‘York’, but all trees had some percentage of damaged fruit. Damage was most severe in the control (unsprayed) and insecticide treatments, intermediate in the holistic treatment, and much lower in the antimicrobial and antimicrobial + insecticide treatments (p < 0.003 for all comparisons). There was also a significant interactive effect (p < .0001) of cultivars and pre-harvest spray treatment on apple fruit mass. For both cultivars there was a strong effect of spray treatment on size, with larger apples produced in the antimicrobial and antimicrobial + insecticide treatments, but these effects were more pronounced in 'York' than in 'Golden Delicious' apples. ‘Golden Delicious’ trees produced 1.4-fold heavier and bigger fruits compared to ‘York’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ fruit were more mature than ‘York’ at harvest. Pre-harvest treatments also affected other quality parameters of apple fruit, such as soluble solids content (SSC) and starch-iodine index. Using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), ‘Golden Delicious’ fruit could be well classified according to the holistic, antimicrobial, and antimicrobial + insecticide treatments. Control and insecticide samples clustered together, indicating similarities between fruit quality. Overall, pre-harvest spray treatment affected the quality of ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘York’ apples, mainly the fruit mass and disease infection.

Fruit Volatiles of Creeping Cucumber (Solena amplexicaulis) Attract a Generalist Insect Herbivore.

Herbivorous insects employ host plant volatile blends as cue for host recognition. Adults of Aulacophora foveicollis Lucas (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) feed on leaves, flowers, and fruits of Solena amplexicaulis (Lam.) Gandhi (syn: Melothria heterophylla) (Cucurbitaceae), commonly known as creeping cucumber. Currently, this pest is controlled by insecticides application. Hence, it is necessary to find out volatile components from fruits attracting the insect, which might be used for eco-friendly pest management program. behavioral responses of females were measured by Y-tube olfactometer bioassays towards volatile blends from undamaged (UD), insect-damaged (ID), and mechanically damaged (MD) fruits with the aim to identify the compounds responsible for host fruit location. Volatile organic compounds were identified and quantified by GC-MS and GC-FID analyses, respectively. Nonanal was predominant in volatile blends of UD, ID, and MD fruits. 1-Octen-3-ol, 3-octanone, 2-octanol, heptadienal (2E,4E), 1-pentadecanol, and 1-hexadecanol were present in volatile blends of ID and MD fruits, but females did not show response to these six compounds. 1-Octanol and 1-heptadecanol were unique in volatile blends of UD fruits after 4hr of damage, but females did not show response to these compounds. Females were more attracted to volatile blends from UD fruits after 4hr of damage in comparison to volatile blends released by UD fruits, due to increased emissions of (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal and 2E-nonenal. A synthetic blend of 3.35μg (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal and 1.72μg 2E-nonenal dissolved in 25μl CH2Cl2 could be used for the development of baited traps to control this insect pest in integrated pest management strategies.

Flesh temperature during impact injury and subsequent storage conditions affect the severity of colour change caused by red drupelet reversion in blackberries

Red drupelet reversion (RDR) is a physiological occurrence in blackberries where drupelets revert from black at harvest to red postharvest. The objectives of this trial were to assess the effects of temperature during mechanical injury and temperature changes following injury of blackberries on the subsequent development of RDR. Individual fruit were subjected to mechanical injury from a steel ball dropped from a height of 25 cm at initial temperatures of 15, 25, and 35°C. Following injury, fruit were cooled to 2°C rapidly in a -24°C cooler or slowly in a 2°C cooler. Colour of the impact site and of undamaged control fruit were measured 24 h and 7 days after the initial impact injury using a colourimeter. Impact injury caused a significant colour difference (∆E) compared to control in 95% of fruit. There were significant interactions between initial temperatures and cooling rates on the colour of the impact site 24 h and 7 days after treatment. Higher fruit temperatures at the time of mechanical injury and a faster cooling rate post-injury were associated with increased lightness and chroma. The results confirm that mechanical injury to blackberry fruit leads to RDR, and that temperature of fruit at the time of injury and subsequently can influence the severity of RDR.

Description, Biology, and Impact of the Fruit-Feeding Moth, Mompha luteofascia sp. n. (Lepidoptera: Momphidae), on Miconia calvescens (Melastomataceae) in Costa Rica

AbstractFruits of Miconia calvescens DC. (Melastomataceae) were dissected to study insect frugivory in this plant in its native habitat in Costa Rica. Larvae of an unknown Mompha species (Lepidoptera: Momphidae), Anthonomus monostigma Champion (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and unidentified Diptera and Hymenoptera were found in M. calvescens fruits. The Mompha species, described here as new as Mompha luteofascia Koster &amp; Badenes-Pérez, was the most abundant insect frugivore in M. calvescens, infesting up to 38.1% of the fruits sampled. Feeding damage by M. luteofascia was positively correlated with fruit maturity, and resulted in significantly reduced numbers of seeds and rates of seed germination. Miconia calvescens fruits with medium damage (50–75% of the pulp missing) and high damage (75–100% of the pulp missing) had an average of 96 and 99 seeds, respectively, whereas undamaged fruits contained an average of 127 seeds per fruit. In fruits with medium and high fruit damage, only 1.9 and 0.1% of the seeds germinated, respectively, whereas 34.8% of the seeds germinated in undamaged fruits. Mompha luteofascia developed through three instars, as determined from measurement of head capsules. Larvae usually fed as one individual per each fruit attacked, exiting fruit to pupate in foliage or litter. Parasitism of M. luteofascia larvae was substantial, averaging 64 and 38% at the two study sites. Although host specificity of M. luteofascia has not been evaluated, the significant reductions in seed numbers and seed germination caused by its larvae indicate that this species deserves further assessment as a potential biological control agent of M. calvescens.

Некорневые обработки кальцийсодержащими препаратами против развития горькой ямчатости на яблоках

Приведены результаты применения кальцийсодержащих удобрений — Calcium 44 LG, Alga Ca и Algical, Интермаг Ca, в комплексе Интермаг Ca + Басфолиар Келп — в фазы развития плодов яблони для управления формированием качественных показателей плодов в процессе созревания и снижения потерь от горькой ямчатости при хранении. Опыты проводили в 2015 – 2017 гг. на плодах яблонь позднего срока созревания сорта Ренет кубанский, выращенных в условиях Прикубанской зоны плодоводства Краснодарского края. Применение кальцийсодержащих удобрений способствовало улучшению минерального состава плодов яблони по сравнению с контролем в среднем на 15 – 20 %. Максимальный эффект, предотвращающий появление горькой ямчатости (до 100,0 %), получен при некорневой обработке яблонь комплексом препаратов Интермаг Ca + Басфолиар Келп. В результате хранения через 7 месяцев отмечена разница между опытным и контрольным вариантами по товарному анализу плодов. Выход неповрежденных плодов яблони в варианте с обработкой составил 96 %. Контрольный вариант имел до 8,0 % плодов с горькой ямчатостью, что снизило выход товарных сортов до 89 %. Использование минеральных удобрений позволило улучшить химический состав яблок в съёмной зрелости по содержанию витаминов на 5 – 10 %. Полученные результаты свидетельствуют о наличии высокого стимулирующего действия исследуемых кальцийсодержащих удобрений на оптимизацию минерального состава яблок, что обеспечило снижение потерь от физиологического заболевания «горькая ямчатость» и позволило увеличить выход товарных сортов на 7 – 10 % после длительного хранения.

Implications of using two natural enemies of Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) toward tomato yield enhancement.

Tomato leaf miner (TLM), Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is one of the most destructive tomato pests worldwide. We tested quantity and quality of tomato fruits after simultaneous use of two biological control agents, the predatory mirid bug Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) and the egg parasitoid Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko against TLM. We varied the timing of predator releases (before or after pest establishment) and the number of parasitoids released (ten or 30 females per week per m2). The highest number of fruits per cage, percentage of undamaged fruits, total yield weight, and undamaged yield weight were all obtained with predator-in-first treatments, with or without parasitoid releases. Furthermore, measures of fruit quality were also highest in predator-in-first treatments, including, highest percentage of water, greatest proportional fresh weight of carbohydrates, most lycopene, most β-carotene, most flavonoids, and highest total chlorophyll. Thus, our findings support a predator-in-first augmentation approach for management of TLM.

Quantitative and qualitative loss of tomato fruits during mechanized harvest

ABSTRACT The use of mechanization in the harvesting of industrial tomatoes provides greater yield and speed of this stage. However, mechanical intervention in this process may alter the physiology of harvested fruits. Therefore, the objective of this study was to measure the quantitative losses of tomato fruits and to verify the physico-chemical behavior of fruits harvested based on physicochemical analysis in harvesters with different hours of use. Three self-propelled harvesters of the same brand and model with different working hours were used. Manually selected or undamaged fruits were harvested; afterwards, mechanized harvesting was carried out. Firmness, titratable acidity, soluble solids content (°Brix), pH, weight loss and fruit status classification proposed by the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Food Supply of 2002 were evaluated. Quantitative losses were divided into: losses on vines, losses on soil and total losses. It was found that the number of hours worked by the harvester did not affect the quantitative losses. The amount of overall damage in a certain amount of fruit is greater when the harvester has a greater number of hours worked. Mechanized harvesting affected the physical attributes of the fruits, such as firmness and percentage of weight loss.

Effects of flower thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on nutritional quality of banana (Zingiberales: Musaceae) buds

The abundance of banana flower thrips (Thrips hawaiiensis Morgan) in a banana (Musa acuminata Colla “Williams” cultivar) plantation was investigated using yellow sticky traps (29.70 cm × 21.00 cm) in 2015. Banana flower thrips occurred throughout the year with monthly variation, and the maximum occurrence was observed in October and November during the bud burst (73.80 ± 6.32 adults/trap) and young fruit (70.06 ± 5.69 adults/trap) periods. The damage rates were as follows: interior flowers >3rd-layer flowers > 2nd-layer flowers > 1st-layer flowers > young fruits. This result indicates that thrips migrated to lower bracts, young fruits, and other flower buds as bracts gradually opened. Results also showed that the reducing sugar, vitamin C, protein and ash contents in thrips-damaged flowers were all significantly lower than those in undamaged flowers, while there was no significant difference between damaged and undamaged young banana fruit. Our results indicated that the abundances of banana flower thrips were closely associated with the growing stage of banana. Thrips mainly infested flower buds and caused a reduction in nutrients for the host plant, especially the reducing sugar and vitamin C contents, which reduced the nutritional quality of banana fruits and the quality of flower bud by-products of banana.