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Strawberry fruit quality traits can be affected by genotype-environment interactions, which determine the consumer acceptance of fruits. This factorial experiment was based on completely randomised blocks (RCBD) with two planting dates (5 and 20 April) and cultivars (‘Albion’, ‘San Andreas’ and ‘Portola’) of strawberry with three replications, and some of pomological and qualitative factors of berry were investigated at harvest. The results showed no significant difference on fruit width, length, weight and firmness, while the plant yield and stem diameter (SD) were affected by different cultivars and planting dates. The minimum SD (19.80) was recorded in cv. ‘Portola’ in the planting date of 20 April. Although the lowest fruit yield was achieved in cv. ‘Portola’ at both planting dates, it had the highest titratable acidity (TA) (0.83%) at the first planting date (5 April). The amount of soluble solid concentration (SSC), electrolyte conductivity (EC), pH, TA and chlorophyll were not affected by cultivar and planting dates. The effect of planting dates and cultivar had no significant effect on berry colour. The highest total phenolic (275.44 mg GAE · 100 mL-1 FW) was recorded in cv. ‘San Andreas’ on the planting date of 20 April, while the lowest value (251.22 mg GAE · 100 mL-1 FW) was recorded in cv. ‘Portola’ on the planting date of 5 April. In general, it is suggested that the least fruit yield in strawberry cv. ‘Portola’ can be correlated with the least SD of the cultivar.

The aim of the work was to study the growth, drought tolerance and biochemical characteristics of introduced cultivars (‘Jonkheer van Tets’, ‘Hollandische Rote’ and ‘Viksne’) and some selected Russian cultivars and red currant genotypes (‘Shchedraya’, ‘Natali’, 129-21-61, 111-19-81, 261-65-19 and 271-58-24). The studies were conducted between 2014 and 2018 under temperate continental climate conditions. The intensity of transpiration was determined by using a torsion balance. The soluble solid concentration (SSS – % Brix) of the fruits was determined by using a digital refractomer. The content of the sum of sugars was determined by the weight method according to Bertrand's method. Ascorbic acid content was then determined by the iodometric method. The total phenolic content was determined by a colourimetric method. Climatic conditions were found to have significant influence on the disease severity of the red currant genotypes, while the infections caused by Sphaerotheca mors-uvae increased in optimum seasons and damages caused by Pseudopeziza ribis increased in drought seasons. None of the selected genotypes was found to be resistant to any of the diseases/pests, but ‘Jonkheer van Tets’, ‘Hollandische Rote’ and 111-19-81 were less affected by these diseases/pests. Weight, yield and raceme length of berries and the number of berries in a raceme were found to be higher in optimum seasons, and different cultivars/genotypes had superior characteristics for different parameters. The highest berry weight was observed in the 261-65-19 genotype (0.65 g), while the highest yield was noted in ‘Hollandische Rote’ (15.6 t · ha−1). It was also found that the water content of leaves and transpiration have a strong positive relationship with soil moisture at a depth of 0–200 mm but a week correlation with soil moisture at a depth of 200–400 mm. Results also showed that the transpiration of leaves decreases in later developmental stages (July). Hierarchical clustering suggested four clusters: the introduced cultivars produced one cluster, Russian cultivars are another cluster, 261-65-19, 111-19-81 and 129-21-61 genotypes make up a third cluster and the 271-58-24 genotype (superior in terms of phenolic contents) forms the fourth cluster.

Prevention of postharvest losses has been a very important concern in the scientific world for many centuries, since adoption of an effective means to curtail such losses is believed to help in reaching sustainability in horticultural production and prevention of hunger around the world. The main means of deterioration in fruits, which may occur after harvest, include physiological changes/losses, physical losses, biochemical changes, changes in enzymatic activities and pathological deterioration. Among these, diseases cover the most important part; the losses due to diseases range from 5% to 20%, and this figure may extend up to >50% in the cases of certain susceptible cultivars. Fungicides have been the most important tool for the management of postharvest diseases for many years, together with hygiene, cold storage and packaging. However, due to the scientifically confirmed hazards of agro-chemicals on environment and human health, the acceptability of agro-chemicals decreased and scientists turned their attention towards natural alternatives. Most tropical and subtropical fruits contain a superficial cuticle, which helps them to regulate respiration and transpiration and protects against microbial decay. However, the waxy cuticle is generally being removed or damaged during washing or other handling practices. Therefore, the application of protective coatings (including wax) has been used in the fruit industry since the twelfth century, against microbial decay and for maintaining an acceptable standard of postharvest quality. This review aims to summarise and discuss the main natural products used for this purpose, to provide a broad-in-scope guide to farmers and the fruit storage sector.

This research was designed to test the combined efficacy of hot water dipping (HWD) and leaf extracts of Cistus creticus L. subsp. creticus on the storage quality of fresh Valencia oranges. Experiments were laid down according to a completely randomised design with 10 different treatments. Five replications, with five fruits in each replication, were used in the current study, and research was designed to continue for 150 days. Quality characteristics were observed with 30-days interval. The applications of this study were (1) Control [dipping in water at 25°C for 5 min]; (2) HWD at 50°C for 5 min; (3) HWD + Additives (A) [Arabic gum (0.2%), potassium sorbate (0.05%), citric acid (0.05%) and vitamin C (0.05%)] at 50°C for 5 min; (4) Additives alone at 25°C for 5 min; (5) 1.0% C. creticus leaf + HWD + A; (6) 1.0% C. creticus leaf + A; (7) 0.5% C. creticus leaf + HWD + A; (8) 0.5% C. creticus leaf + A; (9) 0.5% C. creticus leaf + HWD and (10) 0.5% C. creticus leaf. According to the results obtained, both the HWD and C. creticus, alone or in combination, were effective in preserving orange weight during storage, preventing pathogenic decay, maintaining visual quality and fruit firmness, delaying the reduction in titratable acidity, increasing ascorbic acid content and reducing respiration rate of the orange fruits. Results also suggested that the combined effect of HWD with C. creticus leaf extracts provided the highest efficacy.

The objective of this study was to develop a mathematical model for the non-destructive, fast estimation of the leaf chlorophyll (Chl) content of pomegranate trees. For this reason, contact images of the leaf samples were firstly captured with smartphones and the RGB colours of the images were used for the estimation of the leaf Chl contents. Here, different methods were used for the contact imaging. In the present study, two closed boxes with a small hole (equal to the dimensions of a smartphone camera) on each were formed. Samples were inserted into the hole; and a red LED light and white LED light, separately, were passed through the hole and the leaf. Furthermore, a series of models were tested to best estimate the leaf chlorophyll content of the pomegranate trees by using the RGB colours of contact imaging. Results showed that the use of red LED light sources, instead of white LED light sources, during contact imaging, provides a better estimation of the leaf Chl content. Results also suggest that colour values are highly related to the total weight of the contact imaging area. According to the results obtained, the best estimation of the leaf Chl content (of a given area) is possible by using both the G and B colour values with multiple regression models. It is also found to be important to use the weight of the sampled area for the estimation of the leaf chlorophyll content in mg ∙ g−1.

Strawberry fruits are popular among consumers because of their unique flavor and reported health benefits. However, microbial growth and oxidative stress that occur in postharvest storage cause strawberry fruits to have a relatively short postharvest life, which reduces consumer acceptance. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of exogenous melatonin application on the enzymatic activity and postharvest quality of strawberry fruits that are stored at 4 ± 0.5 °C. A total of 288 fruits with four replicates for each of the three treatments (control, 200 µM melatonin, and 500 µM melatonin) were used. Several quality metrics were regularly assessed at 3-day intervals during the 18-day storage trials. The results suggested that the exogenous melatonin application significantly increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes at the physiological level, including catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase which led to reductions in weight loss, the decay incidence, and the malondialdehyde level. The use of melatonin successfully delayed changes in the soluble solids concentration, ascorbic acid, titratable acidity, and fruit firmness. The results indicated that applying 500 µM melatonin to strawberries would be a useful strategy for increasing their shelf life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment aimed to investigate the effect of gamma irradiation on morpho-physiological characteristics and molecular-induced variations in Polianthes tuberosa L. Experiments were designed according to a completely randomized design with eight different gamma-ray doses (0, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 Gy) via a source of cobalt-60 with three replications. Some morpho-physiological characteristics of tuberoses were screened and evaluated at the end of the flower growth and development phases. The RAPD-PCR molecular marker technique was further used to identify the mutants of phenotypic variation flowers. Results indicated that the effect of different levels of γ-rays on some morphological and physiological traits was significant as the gamma-ray level was increased up to 50 Gy. The doses higher than 50 Gy were found to cause stand or no growth. The 50 Gy gamma irradiation reduced germination by 70.59%, germination rate by 66.36%, dry weight by 88.15%, fresh weight by 87.41%, flowering stem height (cm) by 69.22%, leaf area (cm2) by 57.35%, leaf number by 34.41%, chlorophyll content (mg g−1 FW) by 44.79%, number of florets by 92.57%, spike height (cm) by 27.80%, bulblet number by 32.57%, and bulblet diameter (mm) by 30.21%. On the contrary, gamma radiation at 50 Gy increased relative water content (%) and electrolyte leakage (ds m−1) by 41.27 and 237.65%, respectively. The results also showed that bulbs treated with 20 Gy gamma ray had the highest germination percentage and dry weight. The RAPD analysis indicated that among 10 primers tested, nine primers showed clear bands as the highest number of amplified fragments (90) was related to the OPM13 primer and the lowest number (40) to the OPM10 primer. However, the DNA polymorphism was dose-dependent. Overall results showed that although the plant morphology was changed with gamma-ray level, no changes occurred in tuberose color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melatonin acts as a seed germination activator, plant growth regulator, leaf senescence retardant, and, in general, has a multifunctional role as a 'defence molecule'; furthermore, by interacting with other molecules, such as phytohormones and gaseous molecules, it greatly enhances plant adaptation to different environments. However, there are not enough studies about the use of melatonin on horticultural crops, and even fewer studies have outlined the differences related to this phytohormone use between protected environment and in open field. The two latter systems have different growing conditions that could lead to diversified application doses. As the choice of melatonin dose depends on all crop system components, the present research aimed to assess the effects of three melatonin concentrations (1 ppm, 5 ppm and 10 ppm) plus an untreated control, on yield, quality, and antioxidants of four strawberry cultivars (i.e., Kabarla, Fortuna, Sweet Ann, Festival) grown either in greenhouse or in open field. Research was conducted to assess the yield parameters were better affected by greenhouse than open field, and mean fruit weight was the highest in cultivar Sweet Ann. In open field 10 ppm showed the highest values of fruit number and yield, but in greenhouse did not differ from 5 ppm which led to the highest fruit number. At all melatonin doses, cultivar Kabarla demonstrated the highest yield, compared to the other cultivars, with the maximum value of about 46 t·ha−1. Plant dry weight was 90% higher under greenhouse than in open field conditions, and 52% or 132% higher with cultivar Kabarla in comparison with Fortuna and Sweet Ann, respectively. The melatonin dose of 10 p.p.m showed 56% higher plant dry weight in comparison to the untreated control. Fortuna showed higher values of fruit dry matter, soluble solids, and glucose than Sweet Ann. The fruit dry matter was 7% lower at 10 ppm melatonin than in the untreated control. Fructose was higher under 1 ppm melatonin with 245 mg·g−1 d.w. compared to the untreated control with 220 mg·g−1 d.w. in Festival, whereas in Fortuna was the highest in the control fruits, the latter also showing the highest titratable acidity in Fortuna and Sweet Ann. The highest phenolics content was recorded under 10 ppm melatonin in open field, and with 5 ppm in greenhouse; the phenolics content was the highest under 1 ppm melatonin dose in Kabarla and 5 ppm in Fortuna. Under the protected environment 5 and 10 p.p.m. melatonin elicited the highest accumulation of ascorbic acid; 10 ppm were more effective in Fortuna and Sweet Ann, and 5 ppm in Festival. The most enhanced antioxidant activity was recorded under 5 p.p.m. melatonin dose in Fortuna and Festival. The present study confirms that the dose of melatonin to apply to strawberry crop closely relates both to cultivar and crop system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has damaged the world's economy during 2020-2021, reduced the purchasing power of households, partially restricted international movements and trade (including food products) and damaged horticultural production. This resulted in uncertainty in the food business and caused food supply shocks. According to some scientists, business people, and politicians, this situation is a forerunner and warning for humanity to change its lifestyle by focusing on sustainable measures to prevent natural ecosystems damage. In line with this, the present review article focused on the significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on horticultural production and some prevention measures. It has been scientifically confirmed that the postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables reach around 10-15% in developed countries and about 20-40% in developing countries, higher in some specific crops. It is believed that reducing these losses can help the world fight food supply shocks during the COVID-19 pandemic and customary conditions to reduce the pressure on natural resources. Therefore, the present paper aimed to highlight some critical handling practices against food supply shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weeds are the plants growing where they are bot desired and are notorious yield reducers that are responsible for significant crop yield and quality losses in agricultural areas. Common poppy is one of these plants. As can be understood from the title, the purpose of this study was to test the possibility of using fruit extracts of common poppy (Papaver rhoeas L.) for the preservation of fruit quality. The experiments were conducted with apricot fruits cv. ‘Şalak’. Two different concentrations (0.5% and 2.5%) of P. rhoeas fruit extracts together with an un-treated control treatment were tested in the current work. Studies were carried out with three replications for each treatment, where each replication consisted of six individual fruits. Studies were continued for 42 days and the fruits were stored at 0.0±0.5 °C with 90-95% relative humidity. Different quality parameters of apricot fruits were measured and noted with 7-days interval. It was found that the hypothesis of current research was acceptable, where the fruit extracts of P. rhoeas were found to reduce weight loss at the apricot fruits, help to reduce disease severity, maintain visual quality of the fruits, reduce the chilling injury and fruit firmness and significantly influence the ascorbic acid content by delaying its reduction. Overall, findings of current work suggest that the P. rhoeas fruit extracts have ability to maintain postharvest quality of apricot fruits and further studies are required to determine the exact mechanism and the responsible constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]