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Apple embryos from moist seeds kept at 4 °C were used for a calorimetric characterization of Red and Golden Delicious apple seed dormancy. Seeds were sampled at 100-h intervals during 1200 h. The metabolic response of such samples was compared to that from chilled Golden Delicious seeds (>1200 h) stored under controlled atmosphere (CA). Isothermal calorimetry at 25 °C, evaluated metabolic activity (q), respiration rate (RCO2), metabolic 65 °C estimated activation energy (Ea) in a 10 to 20 °C range, and respiration coefficients (Q10) from 10 to 50 °C at 10 °C intervals. Data showed a direct relationship between chilling exposure and embryo metabolic responses from both cultivars. Once chilling requirement was satisfied, Red and Golden Delicious seeds presented a significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) in q, 0.94 and 0.98 μW/mg dry weight (dw); RCO2, 9.9 and 7.6 mmol CO2/mg dw; and RSG·ΔHB, 3.6 and 2.5 μW/mg dw, respectively. On the other hand, q/RCO2 did not follow a definite pattern, neither in Red nor Golden Delicious cultivars. Ea decreased 19.2 and 23.4 J/mol per °K per mg dw in Red and Golden Delicious, respectively, as a function of seed chilling. Q10 showed a significant response to temperature, but not to chilling exposure. Golden Delcious seeds from CA showed a significant reduction on q, RCO2, and RSG·ΔHB of 0.28 μW/mg dw, 2.47 mmol CO2/mg dw, and 14 μW/mg dw, respectively. Results show that calorimetry is a sufficiently sensitive, fast, and precise tool to quantify metabolic responses during seed chilling, as evolving energy.

Table grapes grown in the Sonoran Desert of Mexico are mostly an export commodity directed to early season markets. In order to define the effect on canopy management on light use and berry ripening, `Perlette' vines planted along eastwest rows (typical in such a region) were trained under four systems: slanted pergolas (SP), CIAD, lyre (LY), and T-trellis with open canopies (TTOC). They were compared with traditional closed-canopy T-trellis (TT). Variables evaluated were photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), photosynthesis (PH), stomatal resistance (SR), chlorophyll content (CC), and berry total soluble solids (TSS). At harvest, PAR values for LY, SP, CIAD, TTOD, and TT were 2192, 2076, 1900, 885, and 771 μmol·m-2·s-1, respectively. In the same order, PH at veraison was 12.5, 12.7, 11.0, 10.5, and 5.1 μmol CO2/m2 per s, while in recently harvest vines it decreased to 9, 9, 8.1, 5.1, and 3.7 μmol CO2/m2 per s. SR at veraison was 3.4, 2.6, 2.8, 3.9, and 4.2 s/cm, but, after harvest it was 2.5, 3.5, 2.3, .2.9, and 6.8 s/cm. No significant differences in CC were found among treatments. TSS on 27 Apr. reached 14.9, 15.3, 15.7, 14.5, and 12.2 °Brix; on 29 Apr. they increased to 15.9, 15.5, 16.3, 15.1, and 13.1 °Brix. Based on the above, we demonstrated that canopy management and sunlight cropping represent a useful tool to advance table grape ripening, thus allowing an early harvest and therefore access to the high prices typical of early season markets.

The effect of epiphytic bacteria population with different ice nucleation activity (INA) on the extent of supercooling of in vitro and leaf tissue disks of greenhouse-grown Capsicum annuum L. plants was determined. Bacterial strains were isolated on PDA and King's B medium from foliar samples of weeds from commercial apple orchards in Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico. Bacteria were screened by colony morphology, fluorescence under UV light, while growin on King's B medium plates and screened for ice-nucleating capability at -5 °C in suspensions of 108 cfu/mL. Ice nucleating (Ice+) and non-ice-nucleating (Ice-) active strains with fluorescent capacity were isolated from symptomless leaf samples. Four bacterial strains were used with different ina as epiphytic population models. Two Pseudomonas syringae strains, Pss29A and PD, from Oregon State Univ., with high Ice+ capability; P. fluorescens A-506, in its Blight Ban™ commercial lyophilized presentation; and UC001, a native fluorescent strain from CIAD-Cuauhtemoc; both Ice-strains. Freezing tests were carried out under controlled conditions. The high Ice+ strains Pss29A and PD increased the temperature of supercooling 2 and 1 °C compared to control samples. The non-inoculated tissue showed damage over 50% at -3 °C and below. Inoculated tissue with Ice+ strains (P. syringae 29A and PD), showed damage superior to 50% at -1 and -2 °C, respectively. Conversely, at none of the temperatures assayed, Ice-strains surpassed 50% damage. These results are of interest for further development of passive strategies towards minimizing damage due to low-temperature exposure of tropical vegetable crops.

Potted 1-year-old `Starking Spur' and `Golden Delicious' trees on MM.106 were used to characterize the metabolic changes in lateral buds and rrots during their transition from para- to endodormancy. Sampling period was from 4 Sept. to 25 Nov. 1999 at 10-day intervals. Well-formed lateral buds were collected from the apical section of current growth; while root samples were white rootlets. Isothermal calorimetry at 25 °C was used to evaluated metabolic activity (q), respiration rate (RCO2), metabolic efficiency (q/RCO2), and growth rate (RSG·ΔHB). In both cultivars, q from buds showed significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) among sampling dates; `Starking' rose from 1.8 to 3.7 μW/mg dry weight (dw), while in `Golden' change was from 2.1 to 3.3 μW/mg dw. RCO2, q/RCO2, and RSG·ΔHB showed a pattern similar to q. On each sampling date, cuttings were also forced to break and, in all dates, buds broke after 21 days, demonstrating a paradormant condition. MM.106 root tips q behave differently depending on the variety they were grafted on to. When grafted with `Starking', root tips produced a small, but significant, increase in q (from 9.1 to 15.7 μW/mg dw) as the season progressed. RCO2 and RSG·ΔHB behaved similarly, increasing from 27.6 to 57.6 mmol CO2/mg dw and 3.4 to 8.3 μW/mg dw, respectively. These conditions agreed with a dynamic root growth. A small decrease in q/RCO2 was observed. However, when grafted with `Golden' root tips metabolic responses did not increase; furthermore, q decreased while RCO2, q/RCO2, and RSG·ΔHB did not show a defined pattern. Four complete 2-year-old trees of each variety, kept in 1-m3 containers, were sampled. The relation of root/wood dry matter was estimated, with difference found between varieties.