Yield Of Fruit Crops Research Articles

Genome-wide analysis of the Actinidia chinensis NHX family and characterization of the roles of AcNHX3 and AcNHX7 in regulating salt tolerance in Arabidopsis

Soil salinization, which leads to the excessive accumulation of Na+ in plants, affects plant growth and development and reduces the yield of fruit crops. To minimize Na+ toxicity, the Na+/H+ antiporters (NHX) mediate the transport of Na+ into vacuoles to promote Na+ compartmentalization or reduce the Na+ concentration in the cytoplasm by promoting Na+ efflux. NHX family members have been identified in many plant species. However, few studies have reported on NHX family members in kiwifruit. In this study, eight NHX family members were identified in the Actinidia chinensis genome. These AcNHXs were clustered into three groups based on phylogenetic analysis. Further analysis of gene structures and conserved motifs of these AcNHX proteins supported the clustering patterns. Collinearity analysis showed that segmental duplication has played an important role in the expansion of the AcNHX family. Multiple cis-acting elements involved in abiotic stress or hormonal responses were detected in the promoters of AcNHX genes. Gene expression analysis revealed that the responses of AcNHXs to salt stress varied. AcNHX3 and AcNHX7 were shown to play a role in regulating salt tolerance in yeast and Arabidopsis, respectively. These findings provide valuable information for future studies aimed at examining the roles of AcNHX proteins in regulating salt tolerance in kiwifruit, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Pineapple SWEET10 is a glucose transporter.

SWEET transporters are a unique class of sugar transporters that play vital roles in various developmental and physiological processes in plants. While the functions of SWEETs have been well established in model plants such as Arabidopsis, their functions in economically important fruit crops like pineapple have not been well studied. Here we aimed to investigate the substrate specificity of pineapple SWEETs by comparing the protein sequences of known glucose and sucrose transporters in Arabidopsis with those in pineapple. Our genome-wide approach and 3D structure comparison showed that the Arabidopsis SWEET8 homolog in pineapple, AcSWEET10, shares similar sequences and protein properties responsible for glucose transport. To determine the functional conservation of AcSWEET10, we tested its ability to complement glucose transport mutants in yeast and analyzed its expression in stamens and impact on the microspore phenotype and seed set in transgenic Arabidopsis. The results showed that AcSWEET10 is functionally equivalent to AtSWEET8 and plays a critical role in regulating microspore formation through the regulation of the Callose synthase5 (CalS5), which highlights the importance of SWEET transporters in pineapple. This information could have important implications for improving fruit crop yield and quality by manipulating SWEET transporter activity.

A Ground-based Platform for Reliable Estimates of Fruit Number, Size, and Color in Stone Fruit Orchards

Automatic in-field fruit recognition techniques can be used to estimate fruit number, fruit size, fruit skin color, and yield in fruit crops. Fruit color and size represent two of the most important fruit quality parameters in stone fruit (Prunus sp.). This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of a commercial mobile platform, sensors, and artificial intelligence software system for fast estimates of fruit number, fruit size, and fruit skin color in peach (Prunus persica), nectarine (P. persica var. nucipersica), plum (Prunus salicina), and apricot (Prunus armeniaca), and to assess their spatial and temporal variability. An initial calibration was needed to obtain estimates of absolute fruit number per tree and a forecasted yield. However, the technology can also be used to produce fast relative density maps in stone fruit orchards. Fruit number prediction accuracy was ≥90% in all the crops and training systems under study. Overall, predictions of fruit number in two-dimensional training systems were slightly more accurate. Estimates of fruit diameter (FD) and color did not need an initial calibration. The FD predictions had percent standard errors <10% and root mean square error <5 mm under different training systems, row spacing, crops, and fruit position within the canopy. Hue angle, a color attribute previously associated with fruit maturity in peach and nectarine, was the color attribute that was best predicted by the mobile platform. A new color parameter—color development index (CDI), ranging from 0 to 1—was derived from hue angle. The adoption of CDI, which represents the color progression or distance from green, improved the interpretation of color measurements by end-users as opposed to hue angle and generated more robust color estimations in fruit that turn purple when ripe, such as dark plum. Spatial maps of fruit number, FD, and CDI obtained with the mobile platform can be used to inform orchard decisions such as thinning, pruning, spraying, and harvest timing. The importance and application of crop yield and fruit quality real-time assessments and forecasts are discussed.

Evaluation of interaction in the system "genotype of stock-scion/stock combinations of apple tree - habitat" at temperature stresses of the summer period in the Krasnodar Territory

The yield of fruit crops depends significantly on the climatic conditions of growing. High-temperature stresses of the summer growing season can lead to a decrease or even death of the crop. In the Krasnodar Territory, more and more new records of the onset of high temperatures are observed in the summer months, when the average daily temperature exceeds the climatic norm by 4-7 degrees. The purpose of the study is to study the sustainability of apple tree trips for summer high-temperature stresses, an assessment of the interaction in the system "Genotype of stock-scion/stock combinations of apple tree-habitat" in the conditions of a changing climate, as well as identifying the rootstocks that are most adapted to the soil-climatic conditions of the South of Russia. The relevance of the work is due to the enhancement of harmfulness of high-temperature stresses during the passage of the most important stage of laying the generative organs of the future harvest and ripening the current. An assessment of the drought-resistance of the apple trees in conditions of an elevated temperature background was carried out. Apple tree Prikubanskoy cultivar on semi-dwarf rootstock CK 2 and dwarf rootstock M 9 and CK 7, had the greatest leaf boom and their better water-holding ability. The most productive were the trees on the M 9 and SK 7 stocks. In the trees on the semi-dwarf stocks, the highest and steadily growing yield was on the SK 2 stock. Consequently, the implementation of genetic-physiological systems of adaptability of drought-resistant briefings determined the level of yields of the graft trees of the apple tree. The use of apple trees with a high biopotential of resistance to abiotic stress is an element of biologized compensation for the damaging effect of climatic stressors in the ecologized technology for the production of gardening products.

Influence of rootstock on the quality of sweet cherry fruits in the conditions of the Lower Volga region

Sweet cherry is a thermophilic and whimsical crop that reacts painfully to unfavorable meteorological conditions, such as frost, drought or high humidity in the air and soil. At the same time, this crop requires a uniform supply of heat and moisture during the growing season. In the climatic conditions of the Volgograd region, stressful situations often arise that can partially or completely reduce the yield of fruit crops, especially those introduced to our region from other regions. To reduce the risk of losing the yield of fruit plantations, including sweet cherry, it is necessary to pay special attention to the choice of the variety, as well as the rootstock on which this variety is grafted. The publication presents the results of studying the influence of rootstocks on the qualitative and quantitative indicators of sweet cherry fruits, such as taste, weight, uniformity, color, and productivity. According to the results of the study in the field (in the garden), varietal-rootstock combinations were identified that have one-dimensional, crack-resistant, large fruits, while maintaining high and stable productivity. According to the results of research, it was found that the rootstock affects not only the strength of growth and the shape of the crown, but also the quality of the fruit. The most dependent of the studied varieties on the type of rootstock is Euphoria, the lowest weight of berries was observed on the rootstock VSL-1. At the same time, this rootstock has a higher percentage of resistance to cracking of the fruit. Based on the conducted research, it can be concluded that with the help of rootstock, it becomes possible to influence the quality indicators of fruits.

Estimation of Growth Rates and Decomposition Analysis of Major Fruit Crops in Punjab, India

Horticulture has been increasingly significant in supplying key elements to Punjabis’ diets. From 2010-11 to 2018-2019, the study examines the trends and variations in area, production, and yield of fruit crops in Punjab. The state’s trends in fruit area, production, and yield tend to be good for key fruits (citrus, mango, guava, and pear) in practically all areas. The decline in production of guava during the year 2016-17 and in production of pear during the year 2015-16 & 2016-17 was due to downward growth in area in during these years. Results of Cuddy-Della Valle Index indicates that fluctuations in production of major fruits i.e. constantly increasing over time (from 2010-2019); however, instability in their area mounted and reached to the highest levels for guava, mango and pear again in 2017-18 and 2018-19. While, disparity in pear production were the highest in 2015-16 followed by 2016-17. On the basis of growth rate data these can be ascribed to expansion in area to a great extent and remarkably in productivity improvement. During the study period, fruit production differs due to area in guava and pear, though productivity is not changed greatly. The results of decomposition analysis specify comparably intense stimulus of area expansion in production of guava and pear. Due to the scarcity of agricultural land, there are few opportunities to expand the area of fruit crops. As a result, improvements in fruit crop output levels are essential to maintain healthy growth in fruit output

Mathematical modeling of climatological data to estimate passion fruit crop yield (Passiflora edulis L. f. Flavicarpa y purpurea)

Abstract Passion fruit crop yield depends on the behavior of climatic variables, and modeling the dependence relationship of these variables regarding crop yield offers information aimed at facilitating agribusiness decision making. As main aim, passion fruit crop yield was estimated using mathematical models. A multivariate and univariate statistical analysis of meteorological variables was carried out during the observation period between 2007 and 2014 of selected weather stations, identified and located in the Colombian middle tropics (County of Huila). The relationship between yield with the following agroclimatic variables were analyzed: temperature, sunlight, relative humidity, rainfall and ENSO at monthly resolution with empirical and mechanistic models, recommended in scientific literature. Results showed that the multiple regression model requires the highest yield peaks; the adjustment of the multiple regression model is low, while univariate models such as the ARIMA model showed better adjustment in the time series analyzed. The Stewart’s water-yield model has better performance to estimate yield as a function of evapotranspiration in the different phenological phases.

A high-throughput <i>S-RN</i>ase genotyping method for apple

Knowledge of the genotypes for the self-incompatibility locus (S-locus) in apple varieties and in genotypes being used as parents is critical for breeding and commercial production. We present a high-throughput set of molecular markers for the identification of 13 common S-RNase alleles (S1, S2, S3, S5, S7, S8, S9, S10, S20, S23, S24, S25 and S28). This set is composed of seven allele-specific quantitative PCR-based High-Resolution Melting assays and four multi-allelic SSR markers. Validation of these markers was performed using 86 apple accessions, including cultivars with known S-genotypes and recent commercial varieties arising from the Plant & Food Research (PFR) cultivar breeding programme. We also characterized the S-genotypes of 183 genotypes representing some of the most valuable parents within PFR’s cultivar breeding programme. The results of this work demonstrate the practical usefulness of this marker set to provide accurate cross-compatibility information to optimise choice of pollenisers in commercial apple orchard design, and to identify compatible parents and guide parental selection when executing apple breeding programmes, to optimise fruit crop yield and quality.

Agronomic Responses of Major Fruit Crops to Fertilization in China: A Meta-Analysis

With increasing application of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizers, especially in China’s fruit crops, the agronomic responses of fruit crops to fertilization may be reduced with time. Thus, the quantification of these responses would be useful for establishing nutrient recommendation and fertilizer management for fruit crops. Here, a meta-analysis including 552 paired data for agronomic response and 1283 sets for amounts of optimal fertilization from 293 field studies in China were performed to systemically quantify these variations of yield response (YR), relative yield (RY), agronomic efficiency (AE), and partial factor productivity (PFP) in response to the application of N, P, or K fertilizer under different groups including fruit crop types, time, and regions. The results showed that the average YRs to N, P or K fertilizer were 7.6, 5.2, or 5.9 t ha−1, indicating related RYs of 78.0%, 82.9%, or 82.4%, respectively. All of the RYs for N, P, or K application in studies after 2000 were higher and less variable than those before 2000. Higher RYs were also shown for deciduous fruit trees when compared with evergreen fruit trees. The average AEs of N, P, and K fertilizer in China’s fruit crops were 29.1, 32.4 and 20.2 kg kg−1, all of them were negatively correlated with fertilizer rate. Due to a higher yield response and less fertilizer rate, annual crops (mainly watermelon and melons) had significantly higher AE than that of perennial crops. The average PFPs of N, P, and K fertilizer in China’s fruit crops were 129, 205, and 113 kg kg−1, all of which showed a declining trend with time. These findings demonstrated that the building-up of soil indigenous nutrient supply (indicated by RY) together with improving fruit varieties, as well as pest management and other forms of management could make external fertilization less important for increasing the yield of fruit crops in China. A rational nutrient management is therefore crucial for balancing yield and environmental concerns in countries like China, India, and other countries where fertilizers are often overused.

The use of nanotechnology to increase quality and yield of fruit crops.

Nanotechnology is currently being widely employed in agriculture and horticulture. The most widely investigated and developed factor related to fruit trees is nanofertilizers (NFs), which play very important roles in increasing vegetative growth, improving reproductive growth and flowering, thereby increasing productivity, product quality and ultimately increasing shelf-life and decreasing fruit waste. These nanomaterials, which are generally sprayed at low concentrations on trees at different time intervals and in frequent sessions, are also considered as growth stimulants. Macro- and micro-scale NFs such as zinc, boron, chitosan, and fertilizer nanocomposites such as ZnFeMnB (zinc, iron, manganese, boron), NPKMg (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium), and calcite have been shown to significantly improve the vegetative and reproductive traits of fruit trees such as pomegranate, strawberry, mango, date, coffee and grape. Knowledge on the effects of NFs on fruit trees and biological reasons for their effects on different traits is incomplete and there is an urgent need for extensive research on these topics. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

CREDIT WORTHINESS OF SOME FARMERS IN NUBARIA

Agricultural credit plays an important and, indeed, crucial role in solving many of the difficult problems faced by farmers, especially their young ones, where financing is the mainstay of agricultural investment. The research problem is the high level of financing requirements in the new lands, in addition to some economic problems facing the agricultural sector in general and the new lands in particular. The objective of the research is to determine the creditworthiness of a sample of farmers in the new lands and to determine their ability to achieve a return that allows the repayment of the loan Its cost, and increase the net income of the borrower. As well as to identify the social and economic characteristics of the sample of the research, and identify the most important financing problems facing the new land farmers, and how to overcome them. The results showed that the increase in the volume of loans to cover the costs had a positive effect on the productivity of acres of crops. The ratio of debt coverage to the total average yield of field crops was achieved more than once, covering about 1.4 of the total debt. The yield of vegetable crops achieved more than twice, about 2.2of the total debt. As for the ratio of debt coverage to the total average yield of fruit crops, it achieved three times, about 3.3 of total debt. That is, all crops have a return that covers the required debt, ie, they have a high credit capacity. Although the bank is vulnerable to high risk loans, it does not cover the total return of crops by 100% although all the sample has guarantees other than crop yield, which makes them have credit capacity exceeding 100% of their crop yield. To cover the bank debt from the net yield of crops.

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.

STUDY OF NEPETAE CATARIAE HERBA FRUITS AS PROMISING MEDICINAL PLANT RAW MATERIAL

Nepetae catariae herba is used in the Russian Federation as spice. The chemical compounds of herb have been studied. This plant has been introduced into the culture. There are its domestic varieties. The fruits of the plant accumulate up to 25% of fatty oil and contain specific laballenic acid, which has a wide range of antimicrobial and fungicidal actions. The yield of fruit crops is 5–6 c/ha.The aim is to study some criteria for the standardization of the quality of Nepetae catariae herb as a new medicinal plant raw material.Materials and methods. The studied fruits are from the biological collection of Federal State Budgetary Institution of All – Russia Research Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. Binocular magnifier brand MBS-10 and Axioplan 2 imaging microscope by Carl Zeiss were used. The sample preparation was carried out according to the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation (XIV edition). Anatomical diagnostic features were studied in powder and cross section with staining reagents for the presence of some biologically active substances. Qualitative reactions were carried out with water and alcohol-water extracts from the fruits. The content of the lipid complex according to pharmacopoeia monograph 2.5.0035.15 has been determined.Results. A description of the external and diagnostic anatomical features is given. The main groups of biologically active substances and the content of the lipid complex in a possible new material – the fruits of Nepeta cataria – have been identified.Conclusion. The description of the external features of the fruit has been specified. For the first time, crushed fruits have been characterized. It has been established that the morphology of endocarp cells and seed embryo cells are best preserved in a mellow fruit. Physico-optical properties of cellular structures and the ability for basic microchemical reactions are preserved in all zones of pericarp and seeds. Qualitative reactions showed the presence of the following components in the fruits: saponins, flavonoids and a lipid complex. A dispersion composition has been studied. The yield of the lipid complex and its appearance have been determined. Fruits can be used as promising fat-oil raw materials. The results of the study can be used in drafting Pharmacovigilance Reference Document considering a promising type of medicinal plant raw material on the basis of Nepetae catariae herba fruits.

Impact of foliar fertilization on apple and pear trees in reconciling productivity and alleviation of environmental concerns under arid conditions

ABSTRACTDrought and heat stress are significant factors limiting fruit crop yield in arid conditions. Foliar fertilization is a common practice of supplying fruit crop production with mineral nutrients, especially under limited soil nutrient availability conditions. To evaluate potential effectiveness of the foliar application of macro-, micronutrient and growth regulators on dynamics of physiological parameters of the pear and apple cultivars under abiotic stresses, three–year experiments were carried out under arid conditions at the Russian Research Institute of Arid Agriculture during the 2015–2017 growing seasons. It has been revealed that foliar nutrition reduces the negative influence of heat stress, stabilizes the functional state of plants, thereby enhancing resistance to drought. During the most severe drought periods of vegetation, under the influence of foliar nutrition, there was a significant increase in the total water content (TWC), relative leaf turgidity (RLT) and water retention capacity (WRC); and also index of leaf water deficiency (LWD) was improved as compared to the non-treated control. All foliar treatments involving the macro-, micronutrient and growth regulators significantly enhanced fruit crop yield of pear and apple varieties over the control, yield enhancement was obtained 2.7–22.0 t ha−1 for the Talgar beauty (pear variety), 2.2–19.3 t ha−1 for the Renet Symirenko (apple variety), and 1.6–10.5 t ha−1 for the Starkrimson (apple variety). The most effective treatments for water consumption coefficient (WCC) were plantafol and speedphol. The results suggest that foliar plantafol and speedfol could be used as part of an efficient, sustainable fertilizer program for apple and pear trees for maintaining or improving fruit quality, productivity, and avoiding negative efficacy of abiotic stresses.

Machine vision for counting fruit on mango tree canopies

Machine vision technologies hold the promise of enabling rapid and accurate fruit crop yield predictions in the field. The key to fulfilling this promise is accurate segmentation and detection of fruit in images of tree canopies. This paper proposes two new methods for automated counting of fruit in images of mango tree canopies, one using texture-based dense segmentation and one using shape-based fruit detection, and compares the use of these methods relative to existing techniques:—(i) a method based on K-nearest neighbour pixel classification and contour segmentation, and (ii) a method based on super-pixel over-segmentation and classification using support vector machines. The robustness of each algorithm was tested on multiple sets of images of mango trees acquired over a period of 3 years. These image sets were acquired under varying conditions (light and exposure), distance to the tree, average number of fruit on the tree, orchard and season. For images collected under the same conditions as the calibration images, estimated fruit numbers were within 16 % of actual fruit numbers, and the F1 measure of detection performance was above 0.68 for these methods. Results were poorer when models were used for estimating fruit numbers in trees of different canopy shape and when different imaging conditions were used. For fruit-background segmentation, K-nearest neighbour pixel classification based on colour and smoothness or pixel classification based on super-pixel over-segmentation, clustering of dense scale invariant feature transform features into visual words and bag-of-visual-word super-pixel classification using support vector machines was more effective than simple contrast and colour based segmentation. Pixel classification was best followed by fruit detection using an elliptical shape model or blob detection using colour filtering and morphological image processing techniques. Method results were also compared using precision–recall plots. Imaging at night under artificial illumination with careful attention to maintaining constant illumination conditions is highly recommended.

Consideraciones sobre la produccion de frutas en Venezuela

En la presente revisión se presenta información sobre superficie, producción, y rendimiento de los frutales en Venezuela. Además se hacen consideraciones sobre los sistemas de producción, destacando limitaciones, avances y sugerencias. La fruticultura en Venezuela ocupa el 3er. lugar dentro del sector agrícola vegetal. Existen 167.691 Ha de frutales y una producción 2.232.088 TM por año. Se producen comercialmente una docena de rubros frutícolas, siendo los principales: plátano, banano, naranjo y piña. Las áreas de producción van desde zonas bajas y áridas, en donde se obtienen uvas y piñas; hasta zonas altas y húmedas donde se hallan duraznos y fresas. Ha habido reducción de la superficie plantada, con excepción de lechosa, piña y aguacate. El manejo hortícola de los huertos frutícolas es heterogéneo, ya que se observa desde bajo hasta alto nivel de tecnología. La incorrecta aplicación de las prácticas hortícolas origina baja productividad y calidad de fruta. La poscosecha podría mejorarse a través del desarrollo e implementación de normas de clasificación, empaque, embalaje, y cadena de frío. La exportación de frutas venezolanas se ha reducido en los últimos años y se concentra en mango, naranja y lima Tahití. Los principales destinos son Colombia, Europa, Norteamérica y las islas del Caribe. Sólo la naranja se procesa de manera importante en Venezuela. Las perspectivas para la fruticultura venezolana es continuar como una actividad dirigida al mercado interno, no se vislumbra una mayor participación del país en el mercado internacional.