Young Fruit Research Articles

Genome-wide identification and comprehensive analyses of NAC transcription factor gene family and expression patterns during somatic embryogenesis in Dimocarpus longan Lour

The NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2 form a huge plant-specific gene family of NAC TFs that are involved in the growth, development, and regulation of biotic and abiotic stress responses. Although the draft genome of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) has been published, however the comprehensive data regarding the functions, evolution, and expression patterns of the NAC family are still unavailable. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of the NAC transcription factor family in longan was performed, and a total of 114 NAC genes were found. We investigated the NAC gene family exploring the phylogeny, domain conservation, intron/exon, motifs, cis-regulatory elements, protein-protein interaction, and expression profiles of RNA-seq samples in different tissues and early somatic embryogenesis of longan. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the genes with similar gene structure and motif distribution were clustered in the same group. Cis-element identification indicates the possible role of NAC genes in biological and physiological processes. Protein-protein interaction identified the DlNACs homologous with Arabidopsis proteins. We further investigated the expression pattern of DlNAC genes in different tissues (pulp, stem, large fruit, young fruit, and flower) during somatic embryogenesis at embryogenic callus (EC), incomplete compact pro-embryogenic cultures (ICpEC), and globular embryos (GE) stages. The qRT-PCR results showed that the DlNAC genes were expressed higher at EC and GE stage compared with ICpEC stage. In conclusion, our results provide insight into the evolution, diversity, and characterization of NAC genes in the longan and provide a base for understanding their biological roles and molecular mechanisms in plants.

Biology, morphology and damage of the lesser Coconut weevil, Diocalandra frumenti (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in southern Vietnam

Abstract. Nguyen HU, Nguyen TH, Chau NQK, Le VV, Tran VH. 2020. Biology, morphology and damage of the lesser coconut weevil, Diocalandra frumenti (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in southern Vietnam. Biodiversitas 21: 4686-4694. The lesser coconut weevil, Diocalandra frumenti, is an emerging pest of coconut trees in Vietnam. To help develop control options for D. frumenti, this study investigated its morphological and biological characteristics, and quantified damage levels on coconut trees. Results from the study showed that attack by D. frumenti on coconut trees is correlated with characteristic damage symptoms (e.g., oozing sap) on all maturity stages of coconut fruits throughout the year (24.7% infestation), with higher damage levels on young fruits (57.6%). Results also showed that infestation levels on trees (58.9%), coconut bunches (19.4%), and fruits (7.77%) varied greatly. Adults have four different morphologies, but genetic study showed that they are all one species. The life cycle from egg to adult averaged 167± 34.3 days. The average development time for eggs, larvae, female pupae, male pupae, male adults, and female adults was 5.62 ± 0.62, 142.3 ± 34.3, 9.79 ± 0.86, 10.2 ± 1.26, 81.5 ± 34.7, and 81.8 ± 37.2 days, respectively. In conclusion, D. frumenti is an important pest in coconut trees with significant fluctuations in the duration of its development stages, and variation in shape, color, and size of the eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults. They can attack any coconut orchard and have harmful impacts on coconut trees, coconut bunches, and fruits throughout the year.

In vitro efficiency of embryo rescue of intra- and interspecific hybrid crosses of sweet cherry and Chinese cherry cultivars

Hybrid cherry seedlings are very hard to obtain as the embryos easily abort during development and loose germination ability, especially some interspecific hybrids. An in vitro technique of embryo rescue has been developed for intra- and interspecific hybrids with the embryos by crossing 4 sweet cherry genotypes as maternal, and these have been planted in South China where the climate is not ideal for planting sweet cherry due to its hot and humid climate in summer and warm climate in winter. The success of embryo rescue approach is affected by several factors, in which the genotypes are one of the main factors for embryo germination and significant differences were found with the same genotypes that were used differently either as maternal or paternal in cross breeding. ‘Chaoyang-1’ (‘CY-1’) as mother performed the best, and ‘Zijing’ (‘ZJ-1’) and ‘CY-1’ were the best parents as fathers in cross breeding. The embryo development stage, breaking dormancy method and in vitro culture condition significantly affected the efficiency of seedlings production. When the development of their embryos reached to 0.5 to 0.7, then the young fruit was harvested and stored at 4 °C for 35 days were found to be the best initiating materials for culturing, and the embryo germination rates after removal of the embryo coat reached up to 69.84 ± 2.75 %, and their shoots were robustly and fastly grown. The medium when combined with different concentrations of plant growth regulators (PGRs) were tested, the optimal medium for immature embryo culturing was found to be 1/2 MS supplemented with 2 mg L−1 BA and 1.8 mg L−1 IAA, the multiplication of shoots culture media was MS +0.3 mg L−1 BA +0.4 mg L−1 IAA or MS +0.7 mg L−1 BA +0.1 mg L−1 IAA, the 1/2 MS medium supplemented with 0.3 mg L−1 IBA and 1.1 mg L−1 IAA showed the best for the rooting of shoots. Taken together, this system by integrating the genotypes, embryo development and in vitro culture condition with pre-treatments together significantly improved the rates of production of hybrid cherry seedlings. This is the first study to systematically explore all these factors on cherry embryo rescue in order to produce hybrid seedlings to breed new cultivars for the subtropical monsoon climatic areas like South China and provide new insights to keep the micropropagation of hybrid shoots with different PGRs.

Single-molecule real-time sequencing of the full-length transcriptome of loquat under low-temperature stress.

In this study, third-generation full-length (FL) transcriptome sequencing was performed of loquat using single-molecule real-time(SMRT) sequencing from the pooled cDNA of embryos of young loquat fruit under different low temperatures (three biological replicates for treatments of 1°C, -1°C, and -3°C, for 12 h or 24 h) and the control group(three biological replicates for treatments of room temperature), Illumina sequencing was used to correct FL transcriptome sequences. A total of 3 PacBio Iso-Seq libraries (1–2 kb, 2–3 kb and 3–6 kb) and 21 Illumina transcriptome libraries were constructed, a total of 13.41 Gb of clean reads were generated, which included 215,636 reads of insert (ROIs) and 121,654 FL, non-chimaric (FLNC) reads. Transcript clustering analysis of the FLNC reads revealed 76,586 consensus isoforms, and a total of 12,520 high-quality transcript sequences corrected with non-FL sequences were used for subsequent analysis. After the redundant reads were removed, 38,435 transcripts were obtained. A total of 27,905 coding DNA sequences (CDSs) were identified, and 407 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were ultimately predicted. Additionally, 24,832 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified, and a total of 1,295 alternative splicing (AS) events were predicted. Furthermore, 37,993 transcripts were annotated in eight functional databases. This is the first study to perform SMRT sequencing of the FL transcriptome of loquat. The obtained transcriptomic data are conducive for further exploration of the mechanism of loquat freezing injury and thus serve as an important theoretical basis for generating new loquat material and for identifying new ways to improve loquat cold resistance.

Penampilan Karakter Hortikultura Beberapa Varietas Tomat Hibrida di Rumah Kaca Dataran Rendah

Urban farming activities are needed to support food security, nutrition, and vitamins for families in urban areas. Information on the characteristics of tomato varieties for urban farming in the greenhouse is still limited. The objective of this research was to evaluate the horticultural characteristics of several hybrid tomato varieties grown in the lowland greenhouse. The experiment was carried out using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) on 5 hybrid tomato varieties with 3 replications at Gunadarma University’s greenhouse, Depok City, West Java, from October 2018 to January 2019. There were significant differences for all quantitative characters among 5 varieties. Tymoti and Tantyna varieties showed good performance at lowland and had good size for vegetable tomato type. Agatha and Ultima varieties showed a fruit size decreasing to 40% in lowland greenhouse. Rewako variety was not suitable for lowland because of the highest flower dropping and lowest fruit setting. Plant growth, young fruit color, and fruit shape in the longitudinal section are important identification keys of tomato variety.
 Keywords: determinate, indeterminate, Solanum lycopersicum, urban farming

Fijian youth entrepreneurs: championing health through sustainable food systems.

The health of Pacific people is known to be at risk because of the onset of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes. The scale of the problem requires innovative approaches to bring about change. One such approach is the development of a sustainable food system in combination with the leadership of Pacific youth. This study sought to engage Pacific youth as part of the solution to reducing NCDs through social enterprise and championing of sustainable food systems. Four young Fijian vegetable and fruit entrepreneurs shared their stories as part of a participatory action research of Talanoa/storytelling, with social media workshops, networking and promotional opportunities. Findings revealed that youth entrepreneurs are passionate about food and health, family and tradition; some are already food influencers and champions and they are keen to grow their businesses. Yet, there is limited support for small business development with a social purpose and youth-led campaigns. The study indicates a growing potential to develop local youth-led social entrepreneurship and innovation to address NCDs in exciting new ways. There is an urgent need to support innovation interventions to advocate for sustainable food systems for the Pacific, that promote positive human health needs and address, more broadly, climate change effects.

Bioactive Compounds and Nutritional Value of Cagaita (Eugenia dysenteric) during its Physiological Development

The Cerrado is the second largest vegetation formation in Brazil, after the Amazon, and is the richest tropical savanna in the world in terms of biodiversity. This study aimed to evaluate cagaita fruits for bioactive compounds and nutrients during their physiological development. The fruits were assessed for phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, vitamin C, and β-carotene in the period between 10 and 37 Days after Anthesis (DAA); the basic chemical composition and mineral levels were estimated at 18 DAA. Bioactive compounds acted mainly as a result of the defense system, especially in younger fruits, whereas the vitamin C content was relatively low throughout fruit development. The basic chemical composition of cagaita fruits was characterized by high moisture content, and lower protein, carbohydrate, and ash contents, and considerable lipids levels. Most of the physiological changes in the fruits started from the 27th day onward, which may indicate the beginning of climacteric in the fruit, culminating in the synthesis and degradation of compounds, leading to ripening. The cagaita fruit presents great potential for agricultural applications and shown potential use in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Effectiveness of Dunaliella salina Extracts against Bacillus subtilis and Bacterial Plant Pathogens.

Several bacteria pathogens are responsible for plant diseases causing significant economic losses. The antibacterial activity of Dunaliella salina microalgae extracts were investigated in vitro and in vivo. First, biomass composition was chemically characterized and subjected to extraction using polar/non-polar solvents. The highest extraction yield was obtained using chloroform:methanol (1:1 v/v) equal to 170 mg g−1 followed by ethanol (88 mg g−1) and hexane (61 mg g−1). In vitro examination of hexane extracts of Dunaliella salina demonstrated antibacterial activity against all tested bacteria. The hexane extract showed the highest amount of β-carotene with respect to the others, so it was selected for subsequent analyses. In vivo studies were also carried out using hexane extracts of D. salina against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum on young tomato plants and fruits of tomato and zucchini, respectively. The treated young tomato plants exhibited a reduction of 65.7% incidence and 77.0% severity of bacterial speck spot disease. Similarly, a reduction of soft rot symptoms was observed in treated tomato and zucchini fruits with a disease incidence of 5.3% and 12.6% with respect to 90.6% and 100%, respectively, for the positive control.

Ex situ conservation of the Moraceae Family in the Bogor Botanical Gardens, West Java

Abstract. Sahromi. 2020. Ex situ conservation of the Moraceae Family in the Bogor Botanical Gardens. Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 6: 505-511. Moraceae belongs to a family of flowering plants and is a large family that has many species of around 1000 species. In the world, this family is known as Mulberry (mulberry family) or Ara family (fig family), in Indonesia is known as beringin-beriginan family. Bogor Botanical Gardens as an ex situ plant conservation institution has collected Moraceae species in the form of botanical gardens with the aim of preservation and research. The research aim was to re-identify the collection of species of Moraceae in the Bogor Botanical Gardens, West Java by carrying out a re-inventory and secondary data search in the Bogor Botanical Gardens Registration units, as well as exploring their potential uses. The results of inventorization in the Bogor Botanical Gardens collection, there were about 56 species of Moraceae family or about 9.33% of species of Moraceae in the Asia tropics and Australasia, and there were 12 genera, namely Ficus, Artocarpus, Morus, Streblus, Taxotrophis, Antiaris, Brosimum, Castilla, Milicia (Chlorophora), Dorstenia, Parartocarpus, and Piratinera. Habitus of species of family Moraceae in the Botanical Gardens collection which is mostly in the form of trees, then shrubs, semi-epiphytes and herbs. Potential uses of Moraceae family, include: (i) the genus Artocarpus as a producer of edible fruits and seeds, young fruit as a vegetable, a good source of carbohydrates, a good producer of wood, (ii) the genus Ficus as a producer of fruit (edible fruit), plants medicine, ornamental plants, protective plants and as a key species (keystone), (iii) genus Morus as a producer of fruit and its leaves as food for silkworms.

Small Auxin Up RNAs influence the distribution of indole-3-acetic acid and play a potential role in increasing seed size in Euryale ferox Salisb

BackgroundAquatic Euryale ferox Salisb. is an economically important crop in China and India. Unfortunately, low yield limitations seriously hinder market growth. Unveiling the control of seed size is of remarkable importance in improvement of crops. Here, we generated a new hybrid line (HL) with larger seeds by crossing South Gordon Euryale and North Gordon Euryale (WT) which hasn’t been reported before. However, the functional genes and molecular mechanisms controlling the seed size in Euryale ferox Salisb. remain unclear. In this study, we focused on the differentially expressed genes in the auxin signal transduction pathway during fruit development between HL and WT to explore candidate regulatory genes participated in regulating seed size.ResultsBoth concentration and localization of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at two growth stages of fruits of WT and HL were detected by LC-MS and immunofluorescence. Although IAA content between the two lines did not differ, IAA distribution was significantly different. To elucidate the mechanism and to seek the key genes underlying this difference, RNA-seq was performed on young fruits at the two selected growth stages, and differentially expressed genes related to the auxin transduction pathway were selected for further analysis.ConclusionHybrid Euryale ferox Salisb. expressed significant heterosis, resulting in non-prickly, thin-coated, large seeds, which accounted for the significantly larger yield of HL than that of WT. Our study indicated that Small Auxin Up RNAs (SAURs) -mediated localization of IAA regulates seed size in Euryale ferox Salisb. We found that some SAURs may act as a positive mediator of the auxin transduction pathway, thereby contributing to the observed heterosis.

Chilling sensitivity of four near-isogenic fruit-color genotypes of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbitaceae) and its association with tocopherol content

• Fruit color genes B and D affected chilling sensitivity of summer squash. • Yellow B/B fruit were more chilling sensitive than green b/b fruit. • Gene D (enhanced pigmentation) alleviated chilling sensitivity caused by gene B . • Exocarp tocopherol content accorded with chilling tolerance of the genotypes. • Low-tocopherol B/B d/d fruit were prone to chilling injury. Accessions of Cucurbita pepo vary in the sensitivity of their young fruit (summer squash) to chilling injury (CI). The dominant gene B ( Bicolor ), which confers yellow fruit coloration, is known to increase susceptibility of summer squash to CI as compared with green, b/b , fruit. Another dominant gene, D ( Dark stem ), confers dark plant stems and somewhat enhanced coloration of the young fruit. However, the effect of this gene on chilling sensitivity of summer squash is unknown. Freshly harvested fruit of vegetable marrow-type summer squash from four near-isogenic genotypes, B/B D/D , B/B d/d , b/b D/D , and b/b d/d , were stored for 14 d at three temperature regimes, 4–5, 8–9, and 11–12 °C. Storage at 4–5 °C resulted in CI development in the fruit of all four genotypes. The yellow, B/B genotypes suffered injury also at 8–9 °C, especially the fruit of the light yellow, B/B d/d genotype that showed slight CI symptoms even at 11–12 °C. Chilling tolerance of the genotypes was in accordance with the total tocopherol contents of their exocarp, being highest in the green-skinned b/b accessions and lowest in the light yellow B/B d/d genotype. Relatively higher tocopherol content and lower CI severity were observed in the fruit of the enhanced-yellow B/B D/D genotype. The dominant D allele can partially alleviate the CI sensitivity of summer squash that is conferred by the dominant B allele.

Management of quiescent pathogens rots of mango with preharvest spraying of true fungicides and salicylic acid

The shelf life of mango ‘the king of fruit’ is found to be affected by several biotic and abiotic stresses as well as their various combinations. However, pathogenic infections in latent and quiescent state reduce commercial values by aggravating the dynamics of rotting and reduction in quality. Mango is succumbed to infection by several pathogens both before and after harvest. Colletotrichum state of Glomerella cingulata and Lasiodiplodia theobromae are important quiescent postharvest pathogens of mango and both of these survive within old foliages despite the prevailing high summer temperature above 35oC, chilling winter below 10 oC and heavy rains approx. 1100mm during monsoon months. A single preharvest foliar spray at 85 days before harvest with two fungicides namely Dithane M-45 (0.25%) and Bavistin (0.15%) followed by a single spray of Salicylic acid (0.5 – 2.0mM) before 30 days of harvest on young immature fruits was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of different treatments. The present finding suggests that both Dithane M-45 (0.25%) or Bavistin (0.15%) followed by Salicylic acid (2.0mM) are equally effective treatments with disease reduction of 66.67% over control for a storage period of 15 days at ambient room temperature.

Effects of annual distribution difference of precipitation on evapotranspiration characteristics of dry orchard in Loess Plateau, China

Precipitation is the main driving factor for hydrological cycle in rain-fed agricultural areas, which determines the water-related ecological environment and affects the evapotranspiration characteristics of crops. By analyzing the annual distribution characteristics of precipitation across different years, this study clarified the concentrated trend of precipitation in Jingning County. Based on a field experiment in 2018 and 2019, the changes of soil moisture with precipitation and the response process of orchard evapotranspiration characteristics to the annual distribution differences of precipitation were explored. The results showed that the concentration degree of precipitation was high in the study area over the years. The concentration period was mainly distributed in July and August, with the proportion of August being up to 75%. Moreover, the time of precipitation concentration period varied greatly among years. The response of soil moisture to precipitation was mainly concentrated in the 0-40 cm layer, while moisture in deep soil layer would change significantly only in response to heavy and continuous rain. Both 2018 and 2019 were water-rich years. The precipitation concentration degree in 2018 was high, and the concentration period was earlier and shorter, with the diurnal water consumption of apple trees showing a single peak with large amplitude. In 2019, the distribution of precipitation was uniform, the concentration period was late, and the diurnal water consumption showed double-peak with a small amplitude and a lagged large peak. The maximum water demand period of apple trees lasted a long time. The concentrated distribution of heavy rain in 2018 could not meet the physiological water demands of apple trees in the later period, which damaged the yield, and the utilization efficiency of precipitation decreased by 30.2% compared with 2019. In the Loess Plateau region, there is often a brief drought during the young fruit growth period, which would affect fruit quality. Therefore, water management during this period should be strengthened.

High concentrations of CPPU promotes cucurbitacin B accumulation in melon (Cucumis melo var. makuwa Makino) fruit by inducing transcription factor CmBt

N-(2-Chloro-4-pyridyl)-N′-phenylurea (CPPU) is a cytokinin-like plant growth regulator, which application in melon fruit set often produced bitter fruit caused by cucurbitacin B (Cu B) accumulation. However, more evidence is required to uncover the role of CPPU in regulating Cu B synthesis. In this study, two oriental melon cultivars ‘YMR’ (easy to present bitter fruit in maturation) and ‘HDB’ (hardly produce bitter fruit at maturity) were used. Four concentrations of CPPU (2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg L−1) were set and hand pollination was used as control. Cu B accumulated in roots and fruit of 7 days after flower (7 DAF), which in ‘YMR’ was higher than those in ‘HDB’, and consistent with Cu B biosynthetic genes expression patterns. Furthermore, Cu B content in fruit significantly increased with CPPU concentrations and reached the highest level at 7 DAF, then decreased after 14 DAF, and which treated by 20 mg L−1 CPPU was always higher than that of controls and other low CPPU concentrations. Meanwhile, fruit bitterness evaluation suggested 20 mg L−1 CPPU increased the occurrence of bitterness during melon maturation. Transcription analysis suggested that the expression of Cu B biosynthetic genes (CmBi, Cm710, CmACT) and CmBt, the fruit-specific transcription factor, were significantly induced by 20 mg L−1 CPPU. Transient over-expression of CmBt in young fruit of ‘YMR’ increased Cu B biosynthetic genes (CmBi, CmACT, Cm710 and Cm890) expression and promoted Cu B accumulation. Taken together, this study demonstrates that 20 mg L−1 CPPU promotes Cu B accumulation in melon fruit by inducing CmBt and its biosynthetic genes.

Soil biota from newly established orchards are more beneficial to early growth of cherry trees than biota from older orchards

Growth of young fruit trees replanted into old orchard soil is often poor relative to growth in soil that has not previously been planted with fruit trees. There is evidence that a consortium of deleterious soil biota, commonly referred to as the replant disease complex, are responsible for this poor early growth. We used a bioassay, comparing cherry plant growth in sterilized and non-sterilized subsamples of soil, to assess the net effect of soil biota from 18 orchards in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada with differing histories of fruit tree production (previously cropped ‘old’ orchards, and not previously cropped ‘young’ orchards). Generally, shoot height increment was larger in non-sterile soil from young orchards than from old orchards (two-factor ANOVA; P < .001). When soil from young orchards was sterilized plant weight was lower, compared to the non-sterilized counterpart (two-factor ANOVA; P = .006). Pratylenchus populations in root tissue were greater in plants grown in old orchard soils than in young orchard soils (one-factor ANOVA; P < .001). Multiple regression analyses showed that FDA hydrolysis, an indicator of microbial activity, was the only variable that significantly predicted plant growth response to sterilization for the variables shoot height increment (R2 = 0.6; P = .001) and plant weight (R2 = 0.5; P = .002). Overall, results from this study suggest that management practices that stimulate microbial activity will benefit growth of cherry trees in previously cropped ‘old’ orchards, and not previously cropped ‘young’ orchards.

Antioxidant Activity and Polyphenolic Profile of Walnut (Juglans regia L.) Green Husks and Liqueurs

Summary The beneficial effects of walnuts and walnut products on human health, due primarily to their rich polyphenolic content, have been appreciated as an empirical fact for centuries. The purpose of this study is to determine the polyphenolic contents of liqueurs made from the walnut selections ‘Rasna’ and ‘Sava’ and the walnut cultivar ‘Šampion’ (all harvested at three different times), as well as the polyphenolic contents of their green husks. The walnut liqueurs were prepared according to two traditional recipes using young walnut fruits. The highest antioxidant capacity was recorded in the liqueur made from the ‘Rasna’ walnut selection (89.94%), whereas the highest contents of phenols (83.28 mg GAE/g FW), flavonoids (0.83 mg QE/g FW) and proanthocyanidins were found in the liqueur made from the ‘Šampion’ cultivar (14.75 mg CE/g FW). The youngest ‘Rasna’ walnuts, harvested at the first experimental time point, exhibited the highest phenolic and tannin contents, whereas the highest flavonoid content was observed in the ‘Šampion’ cultivar. The biochemical results obtained indicate a decrease in the polyphenolic content of walnut fruits with their growth and development. Moreover, the polyphenolic profiles of the walnut liqueurs considered were found to be greatly affected by the method of preparation and the cultivar/selection of walnuts.

Selection of Vis-NIR wavebands for forecasting apple fruitlet drop in response to chemical treatment

Apple trees tend to bear an excess of young fruits (fruitlets). Chemical thinning with an application of bioregulators early in the season is currently the most common solution to adjust fruit load. However, the results of this approach are highly inconsistent between seasons. In the present study, we identified the most informative bands in the visible-near infrared range for forecasting fruitlet destiny in response to the thinner application, which could be used to support grower decisions. “Golden Delicious” apple trees were monitored during two consecutive seasons, following the application of synthetic auxins commonly used in commercial orchards. Simple bands, band differences, and band ratios were investigated as features for forecasting fruitlet destiny from the first week of monitoring. Optimal threshold values and best wavelengths combinations were determined via the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. At the early stage of fruitlet development (4–6 days after treatment, DAT), applying thresholding to the band difference R 973 − R 404 was preferable (accuracies ranging from 66% to 87%), while applying thresholding to the band ratio R 693 / R 674 was preferable at 7–12 DAT (accuracies ranging from 76% to 95%). The present results indicate that the development of a simplified portable device for forecasting apple fruitlet drop seems feasible. Complimentary measurements performed on intact vs. denuded fruitlets revealed that the spectral differences observed can be explained by substantial changes in trichomes density that occur naturally during fruitlet development and affect the apparent pigment absorption. • Spectral wavebands were investigated to forecast apple fruitlet drop. • Optimal bands were identified with receiver operating characteristic curve. • Two to four optimal bands led to 66–95% accuracy depending on monitoring dates. • Later monitoring dates resulted in higher forecast accuracies. • Trichome density changes strongly affected apple fruitlet reflectance.

Association between food availability and young people's fruits and vegetables consumption: understanding the mediation role of the theory of planned behaviour.

To evaluate the relationship between fruits and vegetables (F&V) availability at home and young people's F&V consumption behaviour, and how the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) constructs could potentially mediate the relationship. Cross-sectional face-to-face survey questionnaire to assess the TPB constructs and home food availability assessed using open inventories method. F&V availability was categorised into low and high levels based on median split. Singapore. Two hundred and ten households (each consisting one parent-child pair) recruited via stratified cluster sampling with child participants ranging from 9 to 16 years of age. Mediation analyses were conducted using structural equation modelling. The relationship between home F&V availability and F&V consumption behaviour did not have a significant direct association, but there were significant indirect effects through the routes of perceived behavioural control (PBC) and intention as well as attitude and intention. Specifically, higher level of F&V availability at home was related to more positive PBC and attitude towards F&V, and subsequently greater intention to consume F&V and higher consumption of F&V. Parents should make F&V more readily available at home as increased exposure to F&V could be related to enhanced liking, sense of control and intention to consume F&V and facilitate children's healthy diet.

Volatile composition changes in navel orange at different growth stages by HS-SPME–GC–MS

This study investigated the changes in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of navel orange during fruit maturation. The volatiles in navel orange from July (young fruit period) to November (commercial maturation period) were separated by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Fifty-seven VOCs were identified and classified into five groups. Through principal component analysis, the samples of different months were discriminated, and one-way analysis of variance showed that 55 volatiles significantly differed during growth. Among the VOCs, the relative concentration of monoterpenes increased with maturity, and D-limonene was the component with the highest content. Similar behavior was exhibited for aldehydes, reaching the maximum content in November. On the contrary, esters decreased its concentration from July to November. The concentration of sesquiterpenes gradually increased, reaching the maximum level between August and November. Moreover, alcohols reached theirs largest content in September, β-Linalool had the highest content among the alcohols. These results provided important theoretical support for the development of navel orange components and comprehensively elucidate the flavor characteristics during the ripening of navel orange.

A new species of Eriobotrya (Rosaceae) from Yunnan Province, China

Eriobotrya laoshanica, a new species of Rosaceae from Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. The new species is easily distinguished from the most similar species E. malipoensis K. C. Kuan by its longer petioles (2–5 vs. 0.5–1 cm); indumentum on the lower leaf surfaces (densely tomentose vs. glabrous); much fewer flowers (15- to 30-flowered vs. 50- to 100-flowered) on the panicle; larger flowers (2.5–3 vs. 1.5–2 cm in diameter); and non-angulated (vs. angulated) young fruits.