Search

This study was carried out to investigate fruit yield and quality characteristics among new nectarine cultivars grown in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. 'Gardeta', 'Gartario', and 'Garofa' nectarine cultivars were cultivated on 'GN15' rootstock. The flowering stage, fruit set percentage, yield, and fruit quality properties of these cultivars were investigated between 2018 and 2021. During the study, chill requirements ranged between 391 and 600 chilling hours and between 207 and 361 chill units in the area, and huge values were obtained for the average initial fruit set above 60% and the final fruit set above 45%. 'Gardeta' had the highest cumulative yield per tree (80.15 kg tree-1) and cumulative yield per hectare (133.04 tons ha-1). The fruit size, Total Soluble Solids (TSS) content, and fruit coloration were homogeneously distributed in all three cultivars. In addition, the Flowering (F) and Initial Fruit Set (IFS) characters were negatively correlated with Fruit Weight (FW), Fruit Length (FLE), and Fruit Diameter (FD). As a result, the 'Gardeta' was found remarkable with late flowering, the highest yield, and superior fruit quality characteristics such as size, red skin color, and high TSS/total acidity values in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. In addition, the date of Full Flowering (FF) and Fruit Firmness (FF) were negatively correlated with fruit Skin color L* (SL), C (SC), and h° (SH) variables. The results demonstrated that the new nectarine cultivars used here showed changes in yield parameters and fruit quality attributes depending on the genotypic and environmental effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peaches contain high amounts of polyphenol compounds. The consumption of peaches gives protection against various conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and bacterial diseases, and inflammation. The present study aimed to examine the phytochemical compounds and the antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-α-glucosidase, and anti-α-amylase activities of the different extracts (methanol, ethanol, and hexane) of fresh red peach collected from the Mersin province in Turkey. In this study, chemical compositions of methanol and ethanol extracts prepared from peach pulp were studied by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Thirteen metabolites: quinic acid, fumaric acid, aconitic acid, protocatechuic acid, salicylic acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin, isoquercitrin, hesperidin, astragalin, nicotiflorin, quercetin, and amentoflavone, were identified in ethanol extracts and also these phenolic compounds, excluding salicylic acid, were identified in the methanol extract. The ethanol extract showed the most activity in all enzyme inhibition and in antibacterial and antioxidative activity assays, which is mainly due to its rich phenolic content. The most dominant compounds determined in ethanol extract were quinic acid, chlorogenic acid, fumaric acid, and isoquercitrin respectively. According to the results of this study, ethanol extract in particular is a potential ingredient to be used in food-derived antidiabetic and antibacterial formulations. [Display omitted] • The first report about bioactive properties of fresh red peach extracts. • Quinic, chlorogenic and fumaric acid and isoquercitrin were dominant in peach. • Phenolic rich ethanol extract demonstrated strong antidiabetic properties. • Total phenolic and antioxidant values were detected ethanol>methanol>hexane. • Ethanol and methanol extracts exhibited strong antibacterial activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soil is the part of the biosphere where heavy metal pollution is most common. Heavy metals pose a threat to animal and human health through plants. This study aimed to evaluate heavy metal concentrations in the soil of orchards of Bilecik Province and possible human health risks. In 2016, 42 soil samples were taken from peach orchards of Bilecik Province, and Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb analyzed. Pollution indices (Enrichment Factor, Geoaccumalation Index, Contamination Factor, Ecological Risk Factor) were used to determine heavy metal pollution, and the effects on human health were determined by the hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI). The study area is moderate contaminated by Cd (3.64), Ni (2.38) and Cu (2.24) in terms of enrichment factor. Similarly, the study area soils were moderately contaminated by Cd (1.72), Ni (1.40) and Cu (1.38) in terms of the contamination factor. Besides, soils had moderate potential ecological risk by Cd (51.54). The principal component and correlation analysis showed Cd and Cu are anthropogenic and Ni is the lithogenic origin. Although soil pollution indexes show moderate pollution, there is no non-carcinogenic health risk for children (0.56) and adults (0.061).

Crop-based land suitability studies constitute an important component of precision and sustainable agricultural practices. In this study, a model was created to determine suitable lands for peach farming with the use of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The land suitability model was carried out in Derekolu region of Bayramiç town of Çanakkale province. Within the scope of the study, a total of 12 parameters, namely soil depth, soil texture, EC, pH, organic matter content, CaCO 3 content, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, elevation, aspect, and slope, were used. Present assessments revealed that of the assessed lands, 367.50 ha was highly suitable, 7085.25 ha moderately suitable, 6341.25 ha marginally suitable, and 378.50 ha not suitable for peach cultivation. Texture, slope, and CaCO 3 content were respectively identified as the most effective factors in peach cultivation. The combined use of AHP and GIS techniques in the identification of suitable lands for peach farming facilitated assessments and provided significant advantages in terms of time and economic aspects. Further research is recommended to test the validity of the present model for different geographies under different climate and soil conditions., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

The present study was conducted to investigate pesticide residues on peach and nectarine. For method verification, samples were spiked at 0.1, 1.0, and 10.0 times of maximum residue limit (MRL) for each pesticide. The Quick-Easy-Cheap-Efficient-Rugged-Safe (QuEChERS)-liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry detection revealed that limit of quantifications (LOQs) of pesticides were below the MRL. The overall recovery was 113.51% with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 17.33% for peach and 113.61% with RSD of 11.44% for nectarine. These figures were within the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (SANTE) recovery limits (60-140%) and the values specified for the repeatability (RSD ≤ 20%). Samples were collected from 5 different stands at Çanakkale open markets for 12 weeks. None of the residues was not ≥ MRL in any samples. Maximum levels of 567.80 and 322.10 μg/kg boscalid were detected in peach and nectarine, respectively, corresponding approximately 1/10 and 1/15 of the MRL. Maximum levels for tebuconazole were about 1/12 and 1/10 of the MRL for peach (47.53 μg/kg) and nectarine (56.90 μg/kg), respectively. Chlorpyrifos residues of all samples were below LOQ. According to our findings and the World Health Organisation Guideline, chronic exposure levels of pesticides were low and there is no risk to human health in terms of 3 pesticides., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)