Currants and gooseberries (Ribes sp.) are important berry crops with high nutritional value, and the efficient development of new cultivars depends on the characterisation of Ribes genetic resources and successful inclusion into breeding materials. Ribes breeding programs are characterised by the extensive use of interspecific crosses to introduce required traits. In some cases, this makes it challenging

The present experiment was conducted to assess the ability of the cutting of 18 pomegranate cultivars, 10 of which are local types and the other 8 are exotic varieties. The experiment was carried out in the controlled greenhouse, using two types of cuttings, semi-hardwood and hardwood and 4 IBA treatments (0, 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg L−1). The measurements concerned biometric parameters of the roots

Berry abscission is a serious problem in table grape during postharvest storage and transport, causing significant economic losses. To explore the mechanism of berry abscission, we compared the abscission-susceptible grape genotype ‘Hutai No. 8’ with the abscission-resistant grape genotype ‘Xiangfei’ during post-harvest storage. Compared with ‘Xiangfei’, in ‘Hutai No. 8’, the berry detachment force

Polyploid breeding is an effective way to improve ornamental traits of horticultural plants. Colchicine, an anti-mitotic agent, is widely used to induce 2n gametes in horticultural plants, allowing for the production of polyploid plants through sexual hybridization. Based on an understanding of flower bud development and meiosis in pollen mother cells (PMCs) of Paeonia lactiflora cv. ‘Fen Yu Nu’, 2n

Aril whitening (AW) or aril paleness is a physiological disorder in pomegranate fruit that occurs during fruit growth and developmental stages in main production areas in Iran, resulting to decrease in fruit quality. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of preharvest green net shading and postharvest treatments of salicylic acid (SA) or hot water (HW) on fruit quality parameters and

Blueberry texture is one of the most commercially relevant quality traits. This parameter is closely associated with maturity and significantly affects post-harvest storage. Measuring small fruit firmness is challenging and critical due to the lack of a cheap, rapid, and easily interpretable standardized method of analysis. The digital durometer (53215 TP–Turoni, I), based on the Shore scale, has been

This study was undertaken to assess morphological characteristics of rooting, gravitropism, floral fitness, ethylene tolerance, and vase-life of 16 ethylene mutants of snapdragon, generated via seed mutagenesis of the inbred line OAK564 with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). This included screening of seedlings of ethylene mutant lines for rooting response following challenge by different levels of 1-

The quality and quantity of the water used in agriculture are important factors to ensure sustainable agricultural production. It is crucial to determine the responses of plants under deficit irrigation conditions in the arid and semi-arid areas to varying salinity of irrigation water. The responses of spinach were investigated in terms of agronomic and physiological aspects to different water salinities

Chilling injury (CI) is a severe problem for peach fruit during cold storage. Application of 1-methylcyclopropylene (1-MCP) or methyl jasmonate (MeJA),can alleviate CI in melting flesh peach fruit. However, no information was available about 1-MCP or MeJA on chilling tolerance in stony hard peach fruit and their regulatory mechanisms. In this study, the effects of 10 μmol L−1 1-MCP or 10 μmol L−1 MeJA

Disease development of ‘Lingwu Long’ jujube fruit treated with acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) at 4 ± 1℃ for storing 30 d was evaluated by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, phenylpropanoid metabolism, and cell wall metabolism. Compared to the control, jujube fruit treated with AEW had a lower disease index. At the end of storage, AEW treatment maintained lower malondialdehyde (2.1 μmol

Fruiting shoots are comprised of leaves, fruits, and branches, which determine the grape yield and the quality of produce. Fruiting shoots are also the important structural unit for studying the relationship between the source and sink. The number of leaves, leaf area, photosynthetic activities, and density are directly or indirectly affecting the ability of the fruiting shoot to fix CO2 and provide

Vaccinium species such as blueberry, cranberry and bilberry are widely planted in the world and have high economic values. Current varieties are mostly generated by conventional breeding methods, and application of biotechnology especially genetic modification in the breeding process is seldom. Moreover, mechanistic studies of orphan genes in Vaccinium species are more and more important to facilitate

Broccoli heads are typically packaged and marketed in petroleum-based heat-shrinkable or stretch-cling films that are not biodegradables. These types of films are not compatible with global strategies to reduce plastics waste. One of these strategies is development of biodegradable packaging materials that can be used as an alternative food package. Therefore, a biodegradable stretch-cling film, based

Prunus armeniaca L. is widely cultivated in the Mediterranean area including Southern Italy where local cultivars are recognized for their excellent quality. Gradual warming and abrupt variations of seasonal temperatures are expected to significantly impact the Mediterranean area with potential implications on many crops including apricot. In this scenario, the identification of physiological processes

Source–sink balancing is crucial for a fruit load capacity in date palm trees. In date palm trees, coordination of suckers as sink strength with berries as source strength is very significant for economic yield production. The purpose of this study was to use the number of fruit bunches in two fruiting conditions of Off (less than 6 bunches) and On (more than 8 bunches) to identify the source-sink

Capacity of mango tree to withstand drought (absence of soil moisture) can be attributed to stress resilient physiological processes inside the cell and also at whole plant level. To test this hypothesis, photosynthetic traits were recorded over the period of time. Further, desiccation tolerance of photosystem II (PSII) in excised mango leaves were measured by employing chlorophyll fluorescence imaging

An accurate assessment of the absorption and accumulation of soil pollutants by plants is essential to avoid the entry of toxic compounds into the human and animal food chain. Therefore, this study evaluated the effectiveness of the amendment of a loamy soil with a mixed compost (CP) and a vermicompost (VC) from digestate, at doses of 10 t ha−1 (CPL and VCL) and 30 t ha−1 (CPH and VCH), in sustaining

In the present study, the protocol of polyploid induction via somatic embryogenesis of the Ngoc Linh ginseng (Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv.) (2n = 2x = 24) was developed. Ex vitro leaf explants were disinfected with AgNPs at concentrations of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5 g/L for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 min and cultured on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L 2,4-D, 0.5 mg/L NAA and 0.2 mg/L Kin for somatic

Apple (Malus domestica) is a delicious fruit of high economic value. However, numerous destructive fungi affect apples, greatly limiting their production. Many studies have shown that salicylic acid and jasmonic acid improve plant resistance to fungal diseases, but the potential mechanisms of cytokinin action and fungal diseases remain largely unreported. The IPT gene family encodes the proteins required

Arbutus unedo is a Mediterranean shrub or tree that produces edible fruits with promising applications for the food industry and nutraceutical applications. A deep understanding of the cell wall structure and modifications of its components during fruit softening would benefit the development of new food products and retail of fresh fruits. Aiming to enhance the valorization of A. unedo fruits, its

Shade nettings can be an effective technology for producing bell pepper under warm conditions. The physiological mechanisms through which shade nets improve plant growth and fruit yield are still not fully understood. The objectives were to determine the effects of shade level on plant and soil water status, plant growth and fruit yield of ‘Aristotle’ bell pepper. Trials were conducted in the spring/summer

Due to its many advantages, dwarfing and dense planting is an important mode of modern fruit tree cultivation. Phenols have been reported to play various roles in the growth regulation of plants. Here, to verify the correlation between chlorogenic acid (CGA) and the growth of pear trees, the CGA content of standard and dwarf pear trees as well as the effect of exogenous CGA upon their growth, were

Antagonistic Bacillus sp. (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QSB-6, Bacillus vallismortis HSB-2, Bacillus licheniformis XNRB-3, Bacillus velezensis XC1, Bacillus siamensis 2RS-9, Bacillus subtilis 4R-5, and Bacillus atrophaeus 9R-5) with common pathogens (Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium moniliforme, Alternaria alternata, Rhizoctonia solani, Albifimbria verrucaria, Phoma

In this study, the variety ‘Cuibao’ was used as material. Hydroponic culture trial was conducted to investigate the effects of nitrogen (N) and magnesium (Mg) on plant growth, quality, photosynthetic characteristics, antioxidant metabolism, and endogenous hormone of Chinese kale. Three N levels (2.5, 7.5 and 22.5 mmol/L) and three Mg levels (0.5, 1.4 and 4.2 mmol/L) were applied, respectively. The

Large-scale use of chemical fertilizers has brought about environmental pollution and raised food safety issues besides increasing the cost of production. The present study focused on using natural minerals inoculated with nutrient mobilizing microorganism so-called bio-mineral fertilizer to partially substitute chemical fertilizers dose. Two years of field trials and a pot culture experiment were

Tobacco straws are byproducts during cigarette manufacturing, which have drawn attention for how to dispose them not at the cost of environment. Processing them into biochar might turn waste into wealth given their potentials for soil amelioration and crop growth promotion. However, the effects of biochar application are variable which severely limits their application. The aim of this study was to

Caitai (Brassica compestris. var. tsai-tai Hort.) is a non-heading Chinese cabbage variety popular in south China. To meet with market demand, we bred novel purple and green Caitai cultivars, in which leaves, petioles, and stems appeared purple and green, respectively. To study the mechanism of color devlopment in the purple Caitai and green Caitai, the leaves, petioles, and stems from the two Caitai

In tropical cohesive soils of Brazil, ‘Rangpur’ lime provide high fruit yield to ‘Pera’ sweet oranges. However, the predominance of a single rootstock puts the citrus industry in this region at risk. To identify promising rootstocks for diversification of ‘Pera’ sweet orange orchard's in the tropical cohesive soils of Brazil, a trial was established with 37 citrus rootstocks on the northeast coast

Cold stress inhibits growth, reduces productivity and deteriorates fruit quality in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). It is thus of critical importance to elucidate the mechanisms by which tomato plants respond to cold stress. Jasmonates (JAs) are a group of phytohormones crucial for plant growth, development and stress responses. However, the role of JA and the mode of actions in the cold response in

Resistance is the plant ability to prevent or delay the infection and the development of a pathogen. The objective of this study was to determine the efficiency of treatments with chemical and biological products for the control of citrus canker during the establishment of citrus orchards through resistance induction. The treatments consisted of a combination of foliar and drench applications of products

Sustainable production in soilless cultivation systems may be achieved by using recycled organic materials as constituents of growing media (GM) and as organic fertilizers. Synchronizing nutrient releases from organic fertilizer mineralization with plant needs in containerized production is difficult to manage for greenhouse growers. This is further amplified by the diversification of GM constituents

The transport of sugar across membranes is essential for maintaining cellular sugar homeostasis and metabolic balance in plant cells, but there is limited information about the sugar transporter family in economically important fleshy fruits. Here, 130 sugar transporter genes were identified in the updated apple genome (GDDH13 v1.1). The sugar transporter (ST) genes clustered into ten subfamilies.

Watermelon is an economic horticultural crop of the Cucurbitaceae family. An in-depth genetic understanding of fruit and seed associated traits is important for the effective breeding of watermelon. In the present study, we conducted genotyping by sequencing (GBS)-based high-resolution genetic mapping and performed QTL mapping of twelve horticultural traits using segregated mapping populations (F2

To investigate the gene expression characteristics and patterns of organic acid synthesis and accumulation in the pulp of Litchi chinensis Sonn. cv. Feizixiao (FZX), 16-year-old Feizixiao litchi trees were used as the experimental material, and the dynamic changes in the main organic acids in the pulp were determined for two years. RNA sequencing was carried out when the total acids in the pulp changed

CRISPR/Cas9, a powerful genome-editing tool, has been widely adopted in model organisms but its application in walnut (Juglans regia L.), an economically important nut tree species grown worldwide, has been limited to date. To develop capacity for CRISPR/Cas9 technology in walnut, multiplexing CRISPR/Cas9 vectors expressing three single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) targeting the walnut WUSCHEL‐related homeobox

Some olive cultivars and production regions around the world, although they may provide good quality olive oils, may not comply with the current commercial regulations establishing acceptable levels of sterols in extra virgin olive oils. The present study was driven by the hypothesis that olive growing environments, differing in thermal regime conditions, affect squalene and sterol contents of olive

The objective of this two-year field study was to assess the effects of controlled-nitrogen (N) fertilizers releasing speed and rates on tree morphology, physiology, yield and fruit quality of apricot (Prunus armeniaca cv. Mogador). In this study, four different releasing speed (conventional: < 1 month, controlled-release: 3, 6 and 9 months) and three N rates (56, 75, and 150 kg ha−1 which is equivalent

Molecular markers are important tools to study genetic diversity, guiding characterization practices within the genus Capsicum. The objective was to characterize 26 Capsicum spp. genotypes using 13 molecular markers ISSR and 17 SSR. The genetic material for the study came from the collections of Capsicum spp. preserved at the Universidade Federal do Maranhão and the Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo

In apples, adventitious root (AR) formation plays a crucial role in the life cycle, but drought stress limits this process. Multiple hormones and miRNAs play key roles in regulating ARs under drought conditions, but they are lacking in GL-3 apple clones. Therefore, to identify physiological and molecular changes behind the phenotype, GL-3 apple cuttings were treated with 6% polyethylene glycol (PEG)

Carotenoids are important natural pigments and essential for the coloration formation in plant petals. The difference in the accumulation of carotenoids always leads to the difference in flower coloration in O. fragrans. In this study, flower petals from different O. fragrans groups with different coloration were used. The critical genes and corresponding transcription factor (TF) candidates playing

Haskap (Lonicera caerulea L.) is a rapidly emerging and promising berry crop and gaining popularity in Nova Scotia (NS). The establishment and productivity of haskap varies widely in NS and it is largely dependent on soil-plant interactions. A multi-locational field survey was carried out to evaluate and determine the relationship between soil and leaf nutrient concentrations of haskap cultivars grown

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) establish symbiotic relationships with plant roots, which aids the growth and development of host plants, as well as their ability to resist external biotic and abiotic stresses. AMF are thus an important soil microbial resource. Here, recent research progress on the role of AMF in promoting the vegetative and reproductive growth, yield quality, stress physiology

Brassica juncea var. tumida Tsen et Lee (Tumorous stem mustard) is a specific vegetable in China. Its tumorous stem can be consumed as fresh vegetable or produced pickle. In practice, early-bolting happens in around 15%, which inhibits B. juncea industry development. SPL is a plant specific transcription factor, plays important roles in flowering and gibberellins (GA) signaling. qRT-PCR assay found

Nowadays, the new tendency for a high-density plantings system for almond requires smaller and more efficient canopies. In this way, appropriate scion-rootstock combination is an important factor in adapting to local conditions and specific training systems. This investigation was dedicated to identify the most suitable scion-rootstock combination for high-density planting of almond under warm Mediterranean

Zinc (Zn) is an essential element for human health, but at least 1/3 of the global population suffers from Zn deficiency, causing several health problems. The agronomic biofortification of lettuce with Zn is a strategy to mitigate the low intake of this nutrient by the needy population. Here we investigated the effect of agronomic biofortification of lettuce cv. Vanda with Zn on biomass production

Selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) have different applications in various technologies due to their individual properties. In order to investigate the impacts of different concentrations of a green-synthesized selenium nano-complex (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 mg L−1) on the chemical composition, antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity of lemongrass essential oil (EO), an experiment was designed as

Nitrogen (N) supply to the soil via fertilization can influence important processes of the root system growth, which can increase N uptake and, consequently, the shoot growth. In this context, the study aimed to evaluate how the application of N levels can affect the dynamics of spatial and temporal growth of the root system of grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) in sandy soil and subtropical climate. ‘Alicante

Flower morphology is a vital ornamental characteristic. A single flower is the main floral pattern for lily, and rare double-flowered lily has extremely high ornamental and commercial value. However, the genetic basis underlying the double flowering of lily remains unknown. Here, with Lilium lancifolium and a double-flowered lily mutant used as experimental materials, RNA-seq was performed to elucidate

Rachis degreening is one of the main problems during postharvest storage of grape, its regulatory mechanism remains obscure. Here, we found that production of ethylene was increased and chlorophyll content was decreased during rachis degreening of Shine Muscat grape, while the reverse were observed after 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) treatment. The ethylene transcription factor VvERF95 was isolated

A study was conducted to understand the influence of climatic factors on nutrient use, and whole plant water use efficiency (WUE) of hydroponically grown coconut seedlings. Two dwarf (Chowghat green dwarf, CGD and Malayan yellow dwarf, MYD) and two tall (Kalpa Pratibha, KP and Kalpatharu, KT) coconut genotypes were grown in triplicates and their water use, and biomass production were measured and WUE

Selecting salt-tolerant crop species for cultivation might be a feasible option to maintain crop productivity in arable lands affected by salinity. In this context, here we examine the responses of the wild edible green golden thistle (Scolymus hispanicus L.) to moderate levels of salinity when grown in a soilless system for culinary use. Treatments were obtained by establishing four NaCl concentrations