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With a total remaining area of approximately five thousand hectares, after the existence of approximately 6900 ha with cherries was shown in 2013, Romania continues to be a country with relatively good productivity in terms of obtaining cherries. The cherry tree germplasm fund is part of the plant biodiversity that has developed over time in nature in a spontaneous and controlled way and that is the basis for the permanent improvement of cultivated varieties. The activity of collecting and preserving biological material in organized collections has a long tradition. The importance of this biological material is substantial, especially when we talk about the interaction of these genotypes with quarantine viruses, especially Plum pox virus, considered the most devastating. The pollination scheme used under SCDP Baneasa Bucharest conditions included one pollinating variety, Boambe de Cotnari, and four controlled pollinated varieties, Daria, Izverna, Superb and Severin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3-year research on Alexander Lucas and Santa Maria pear varieties followed the influence of the time interval from harvest to storage of the fruit on quality characteristics, weight loss, quality depreciation and storage length. The results showed that in both varieties harvested at the optimal time and put into storage 24 hours after harvest (V1), the quality characteristics, weight loss, quality deterioration and storage length were significantly higher (better) than for the variants in which the fruit was kept for 6 days (V2) and 12 days (V3) at 10-14 C before being put into the cooling room. Thus, the weight losses at the end of storage varied between 9.2-9.6% in V3 (fruit stored 12 days after harvest) compared to 6.4-7.2% in V1 (fruit put into storage after 12 hours), as the storage period was longer in V1. The qualitative losses at the end of storage ranged from 5-5.8% in fruit placed in the cooling room 24 hours after harvest, compared to 7.6-8.2% in fruit where storage in the cooling room was delayed by 12 days. The optimal storage period of the pear fruits, stored as soon as possible after harvesting, belonging between 90 days for the summer variety Santa Maria and 115 days for the winter variety Alexander Lucas, in cold storage room. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apples (Malus × domestica Borkh.) are the most economically important fruits over the world due to their nutritional and bioactive constituents, with significant value for human healthy. Maintaining these attributes during the post-harvest period is a major concern of all those involved in the field, including researchers. In the present synthesis, the results obtained in the last period of time are reviewed, regarding the sustainable management of post-harvest apples diseases, considering the eco-friendly approaches applied both in the pre harvest period and after the fruit harvest. Promising results were obtained regarding: (i) improving plants growing environmental conditions and pre harvest practices using fungicides and the application of complementary, environmentally friendly measures; (ii) exploring the epiphytic and endophytic flora with a view to some microorganisms exploitation as biological control agents; (iii) nanomaterials using and of plant extracts, as well as of some resistance chemical inducers; (iv) genetic engineering, omics-based approaches and machine learning algorithms. With a view to the successful implementation of the most appropriate innovative strategies for apples fruits diseases post-harvest management it is necessary to continue such studies through a close collaboration between researchers and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study shows the main factors that influence the post-harvest quality management of strawberries. The study was carried out on 4 varieties of strawberries: Albion, Marmolada, Elsanta and Gorella, cultivated in the area of Vidra, Ilfov county, Romania. The fruits were harvested when about 90-95% of the surface of the fruit had the characteristic color of the variety. The storage period under modified atmosphere conditions was 14 days. A minimum of 7% soluble dry matter is recommended for strawberries and 10% would be excellent, as far as the consumer's expectation is concerned. The total losses, determined at the end of storage, showed values between 10.4% for the Gorella variety and 13% for the Marmolada variety. The depreciation due to rot was caused by the pathogens Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium italicum and showed values between 2.6% for the Marmolada variety and 5.1% for the Elsanta variety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lettuce is a highly appreciated vegetable species as evidenced by the very high market demand, regardless of the season. Thus, it is cultivated in all cropping systems, both conventional and unconventional. Moreover, in order to meet the high demand, large-scale farmers are constantly working to find solutions to increase production, reduce the period of formation of the edible part, and reduce the number of fertilizers. Lettuce cultivation in the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) system is most commonly used in all climatic zones. In the experiment performed at University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Hortinvest greenhouses, on lettuce culture in the NFT system we monitored the debit and oxygen content of the nutrient solution at the roots of lettuce plants and found that depending on its flow rate, the configuration the root system was different. We also found that there were correlations between the size of the root system and the mass of lettuce plants obtained in this system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most cultivated vegetable species worldwide, both in protected areas, as well as in open - field conditions, due to the preferences of consumers for this vegetable, its nutritive and nutraceutical value, also its multiple processing possibilities. At the same time, tomatoes are model plants for studies on fruit growth, development and ripening. Along with many other common factors that influence the quality of tomatoes (variety, cultural practices, timing and method of harvesting, handling, transport and storage) and taking into account the various growing conditions and possible exposure to the action of various stress factors, the primary condition for good growth and development of plants (including for promoting yield, fruit quality value, as well as technological properties) is the use of a seed characterized by a high physiological quality. In this context, the different seed priming techniques have proved effective both in favor of the germination process and increasing the vigor of the seedlings, as well as in terms of enhancing the crop productivity within the different cultivation systems. Besides these, the quality of the fruits at the time of harvest, as well as their behavior in the post-harvest period proved to be beneficially influenced by the treatments applied to the seeds. This short overview presents some noteworthy research results obtained in the last decade for tomatoes, which have proven to be of interest from the economical, environmental protection and human health viewpoint in the context of increasing sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern quality standards require a series of steps meant to contribute to having a diet consisting of high-quality fresh fruit, regardless of season. Their preservation is an essential technological stage in the maintaining of qualitative and quantitative food attributes. Keeping this in mind, we conducted comparative research on different local and international pear cultivars with the aim to rank fruit in terms of quality, and testing two preservation methods in different environments. The distribution of experimental options are as follows: V1- Fruit storage in environmental conditions, at 290C and 75% relative humidity, under modified atmosphere, by using a plastic semipermeable pellicle; V2-Fruit storage in refrigerated condition, at 40C and 90% relative humidity, under modified atmosphere, by using an plastic semipermeable pellicle. Observations and physical and chemical determinations regarding the evolution of the quantitative and qualitative changes during the preservation process were made every 30 and 60 days respectively. Following a fruit tasting process, the 'Red Williams', 'Abate Fetel' and 'Nashi' cultivars were deemed "extra" class, whereas 'Williams' and 'Carmen' were deemed class I. Preserving period of fruit varied depending on the cultivar and the experimental method used. The V1 storage option showed greater weight loss and decreased biochemical components decreased more, with different values depending on the cultivar and the duration of storage. For V2, the lowest amount of vitamin C loss was recorded for the 'Red Williams' cultivar. 'Carmen' proved to be the most resistant cultivar because it showed the lowest average weight loss and pulp consistency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apricots and peaches are perishable fruits which require great care both at harvesting and during storage. In order to reduce losses and prolong their storage period, intervention during the post harvesting period is advisable through adequate techniques. The 'Dacia' and 'Olimp' apricot varieties have been taken under study, as well as the 'Nabby', 'Royal Glory', 'Raluca', 'Filip', and 'Sweet Dreams' peach varieties. These were harvested from the experimental field of the Faculty of Horticulture of University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Bucharest. The preservation variants were: V1 - AN = the normal atmosphere typical to a storage space, the ambient temperature=24°C and the relative humidity = 64%; V2 - AF = low temperature conditions (1-2°C) and the relative humidity = 80-85%; V3 - AM = modified atmosphere resulted by applying a plastic pellicle (LDPE 5228 type) of 15 µm over the preserving containers, at the 1-2°C temperature and 85-90% relative humidity. The assessment of the main physic-chemical characteristics of the fruit, as well as of the weight losses and the qualitative depreciation (attack by Monilinia sp.) during the preservation period was performed both at the time of the harvesting and after period of preservation. The optimal duration of fruits storage in modified atmosphere conditions was: 14-20 days for apricots and 10-14 days for peaches. The total losses recorded during storage were lower fruits harvested at the advanced ripening stage and stored in modified atmosphere conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HACCP is the abbreviation for the English expression "Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points". To obtain high - quality products, capable of meeting the consumer's demands and complying with the food safety standards, certain risk-prevention and control methods should be applied. In the horticultural products processing company, the application of an HACCP system allows the identification of the key-elements of the technological process. The system analyses the hazard related to the product and the process, indicating the critical control points to the hygienic quality of the product. Starting with the fact that some of these products are ready to eat (e.g. the „fourth game" horticultural products), there are major concerns regarding the level of pesticides and other chemical contaminants, the maintenance of hygiene during harvesting, handling, processing, storage, and commercialisation. In order to prevent or reduce the above-mentioned hazards, the big specialised companies and small producers must apply HACCP prevention methods, not methods based on the final product control (which may affect consumer's health and may lead to important economic loss). Therefore, this paper contains a HACCP study, characteristic for "ready to eat" vegetable products and explains the management of the identified CCPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food security, poverty and the overall sustainability of food and agricultural systems are influenced by a series of global trends. Nowadays, economic growth, population dynamics, and climate change disproportionately affect different regions. Conventional agriculture also contributes to accentuating these changes. As a result, we are faced with several challenges in the fields of food and agriculture. So, innovative systems are needed to protect and enhance the natural resource base as productivity increases. Consequently, today, but also in the future, the farming systems that counteract the negative impact of climate change must be in the attention of practitioners. Moreover, regulations in the field are necessary, and the implementation of such systems must be carried out in relation to the specificity of the geographical area. In view of the above, in the present paper, a brief overview was made on some agricultural systems aimed at counteracting the negative effects of global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apple scab produced by the Ventura inaequalis pathogen is a serious disease affecting the leaves, flowers and fruits. In Romania, the disease is present every year in all fruit trees. The negative side effects of large-scale, sometimes abusive, use of pesticides in agriculture, and in particular environmental pollution and residual accumulation, as well as increasing practical difficulties in tackling combating problems through the emergence of disease-resistant breeds and pests, have led research to find new solutions to limit their use. In support of this idea, research into obtaining new varieties with genetic resistance to scab is a basic premise. For this, identifying new sources of scab resistance is a major concern for breeders. This paper proposes the evaluation of native varieties with natural genetic resistance to Venturia inaequalis by phenotypic techniques. For this purpose the monitoring of the growth peculiarities, the fruiting of some old resistant apple varieties: 'Călugăreşti', 'Moţi', 'Ouţe', 'Mere Tari', 'Tari de Ghindă', as well as the phenotypical evaluation of these old varieties following artificial infections with Venturia inaequalis. The apple varieties taken in the study 'Călugăreşti', 'Moţi', 'Ouţe', 'Mere Tari', 'Tari de Ghindă' were laid at 4°C and after emergence and repaired the highest percentage of raised plants were observed at 'Tari de Ghindă' variety with 47.5% followed by 'Călugăreşti' variety, with 45.6%. The lowest percentage was recorded for the 'Moţi' variety, by 22.5%. Following the artificial infections with Venturia inaequalis, the highest percentage of plants resistant to infection was recorded in the 'Călugăreşti' variety with 88.0%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For apricot fruits an important problem is to define the optimal picking time, the best storage variant and the variety availability for storage as to avoid having different quality levels between on-tree and in-store maturity. In response to this problem and some others that may arise, the research was performed in the orchard of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest. Early results have revealed that fruits from 9 apricot cultivars evaluated towards maturity in all the storage variants: NA-normal atmosphere (T=26°C), CA-cold atmosphere (T=2- 3°C, relative humidity 78 to 83%) and MA-modified atmosphere (T=2-3°C, relative humidity 85 to 90%) by wrapping the storage case in plastic film. The MA storage variant may be positively considered since the total losses (both in quantity and quality) were lower than in the NA and CA variants. The best response to temporary storage was found in the late maturing varieties 'Favorit', 'Olimp' and 'Excelsior' and in the semi-early maturing variety 'Dacia', the storage period length being of 8 days in NA, 14 days in CA and 30 days in MA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Losses during storage of fruits are still considerable in some cases: about 20 - 30% of all produced harvested worldwide is not consumed because of fungal or physiological disorders. In the present paper, we show the research results of the pre-harvest treatments using the products: Rover - 0.2%, Sumilex - 0.1% and Topsin - 0.1%, as well as the post-harvest treatments using: Rover - 0.2% and Sumilex - 0.1%. The treatments performed in the orchard before the harvesting period have had a major effect to reduce the percent of rotten fruits in the storehouse. The reduction was above 50% in the case of Rover - 0.2%, as compared with the untreated control. The studied apple varieties ('Jonathan', 'Generos' and 'Golden Delicious') originated from the private farmers in Voinesti - Dambovita. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper show the research results of the pre-harvest treatments using the fungicides: Rovral 500 SC - 0,15 %, Magnate 50 EC - 0,09 % and Switch 62,5 WG - 0,1%, as well as post-harvest treatments: using Rovral 500 SC - 0,15% and Magnate 50 EC -0,09 %. The experiment was placed on the private farmers from Voinesti village - Dambovita region, well known regarding the tradition of apple growing, using the apple varieties Florina, Generos and Ciprian. From the obtained results it can be noticed that the pre-harvest and especially the post-harvest treatments, including packaging materials disinfection, are effective to control pathogens during storage period. The product Rovral 500 SC was more efficient than the fungicide Switch 62,5 WG, but less efficient than Magnate 50 EC product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to establish the influence of nitrogen fertilization of the cabbage crop on its preserving capacity. The paper presents the results obtained in the period 2014-2015 on quality maintaining of the white cabbage after harvesting. There were studied two varieties of cabbage: Gredana - summer, Danish variety and Buzoiana, autumn, Romanian variety. The culture was fertilized with nitrogen in the following doses: 100; 200; 300 and 400 kg active substance N/ha. Cabbage was kept in cold conditions (temperature = 0-2ºC, relative humidity = 85-90%) for a period of 50 days - summer variety or 110 days - autumn variety. After storage determinations were performed on the weight losses (expressed by evaporate-transpiration), the losses by conditioning (resulted by removing yellowed leaves, of diseased ones and of the spine) and the main biochemical components. Researches show that the influence of nitrogen fertilization on maintaining of the quality of white cabbage during the preservation period is negative only at high doses (over 200 kg active substance N/ha). In case of dosages of 300 and 400 kg active substance N/ha losses were recorded of up to over 30% after 110 days of preservation of autumn cabbage. Therefore, in the case of cabbage destined to preservation it is not recommended the use of fertilizers in dosages greater than 200 kg active substance N/ha. The value of the main biochemical components is not strongly influenced by the dose of fertilizer applied to the crop. However one can notice an increase in the protein substances and a slight decrease of the values of ascorbic acid, total sugars and cellulose, from variant control (unfertilized) to variant with 400 kg active substance N/ha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, few aspects regarding the influence of different storage condition upon the shelf life of some apple cultivars were highlighted. In the experiment following apple cultivars were used: 'Redix', 'Rubinola' and 'Golden Delicious'. All fruits were harvested at the harvesting ripeness time. Afterwards, the apple fruits were stored in different environments, which consists the experimental variants: natural ventilation, cooling storage, cooling storage by using micro perforated bag pre-package and cooling storage by using semipermeable plastic bag package introduced into plastic material boxes. The obtained results show that the fruit storage period ranges from 80 days for 'Golden Delicious', 95 days for 'Redix' and 'Rubinola' in natural ventilation conditions to 130 days for 'Golden Delicious' and 140 days for 'Redix' and 'Rubinola', in conditions of refrigerating storage and fruit semipermeable plastic bags package. Regarding the rotting process, the main pathogens involved were Gloeosporium album for 'Golden Delicious' and Penicillium sp. for 'Rubinola'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]