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In this study, we investigated the effects of the ripening level (50% and 100%), storage temperature (1°C and 10°C), and storage period (0, 7, and 14 days) on the fruit quality of the strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch) cultivars “Arihyang” and “Kuemsil”, which are commonly grown for export in South Korea. Strawberry plants of each cultivar were grown in a plastic greenhouse, and fruit samples were harvested in January 2019 to evaluate the fruit hardness, gray mold rot, anthocyanin content, sugar content, and antioxidant activity. We found that “Arihyang” had a greater fruit hardness than “Kuemsil” across all storage periods excluding the day of harvest, and that fruit stored at 1°C had a greater hardness than fruit stored at room temperature (10 ± 2°C) for both cultivars. In incidence of gray mold rat, “Kuemsil” had a higher than “Arihyang”. The soluble solid content was highest at 7 days after harvest for both cultivars, with the exception of “Kuemsil” following storage at 1°C. The anthocyanin content was higher in “Arihyang” than in “Kuemsil” and was also greater in fruit that had been stored at room temperature due to the faster ripening time. Finally, the DPPH activity of fully ripened fruit tended to decrease as the storage period increased, while the ABTS activity was the same across all treatments. These findings demonstrate that “Arihyang” are more advantageous for long-term distribution as well as export than “Kuemsil”, and recommend that the two new cultivars of strawberry be cool stored at 100% ripening state and eaten within 7 days.

Conventional breeding of wild (Cucumis melo var. makuwa Makino (CM)) and cultivated (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus (CR)) melons is aimed at improving their biological traits. Here, we prepared a nontoxic, bioactive extract of vitalmelon (F1 hybrid) and evaluated its antiadipogenic and antiobesity effects in fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes and high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced obese C57BL/6 mice. In fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, the vitalmelon extract reduced the DMI- (dexamethasone, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, and insulin-) induced increases in lipid droplet number and intracellular glucose and triglyceride levels. In addition, the extract inhibited 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation by downregulating PPAR-γ and target genes LPL, CD36, HMGCR, and L-FABP. To investigate the inhibitory effects of the vitalmelon extract on lipid metabolism, we measured serum lipid, hormone, and cytokine concentrations; lipolytic activity; lipid accumulation; and adipogenesis in HFD-fed mice treated with the extract. The HFD+vitalmelon-fed mice showed lower blood cholesterol, free fatty acid, sugar, leptin, and insulin concentrations but higher blood adiponectin concentrations than the HFD-fed mice. Moreover, the HFD+vitalmelon-fed mice showed lower abdominal fat levels, smaller fat cells, lower weight, and fewer lipid droplets in the liver tissue than the HFD-fed mice. Therefore, in HFD-fed mice, vitalmelon regulated lipid metabolism through PPAR-γ, highlighting its potential as a promising antiobesity functional food.

The ripening pattern of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is different from other fruits, primarily because plant hormones affect the fruit’s quality in a different way than in other fruits. However, most studies on strawberries have focused on cultivation methods, control of pests and diseases, and breeding, and considerably less research has been done on hormones that determine strawberry internal quality. Even though strawberries have good indicators for gauging external quality, there is not enough data to for it to be related to internal quality. As such, we sought to better understand quality as strawberry fruit in specific six progressive developmental stages: flower buds, flowering, green fruits (GF), white fruits, pink fruits, and red fruits (RF). The internal quality and hormonal changes of ‘Seolhyang’ and ‘Maehyang’ cultivars were investigated on the basis of these developmental stages. This report highlights the changes in plant hormones that affect fruit ripening of ‘Seolhyang’ and ‘Maehyang’ cultivars. ABA, cytokinin, JA, and SA content increased gradually with maturity from the GF to the RF stage, while auxin content decreased gradually from GF to RF. Meanwhile, cytokinin and GA3 content exhibited fluctuations and differences between ‘Seolhyang’ and ‘Maehyang’ cultivars. The quality of strawberries was highest at the sixth (RF) stage in the both cultivars. Our results reveal that plant hormones play a role in the maturation of strawberry fruits and provide a foundation for their agricultural use in controlling the maturity of fruits.

The low relative humidity (RH) levels in a greenhouse during the daytime in a strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch) cultivation period negatively affect the growth of strawberry related to photo-physiology. Therefore, this study was conducted to confirm an efficient RH management method by analyzing the phenotypic characteristics related to photo-physiology by controlling the RH in a greenhouse during the daytime with a fog system. Strawberry plants were grown respectively in a greenhouse affected by natural RH changes (control) and in a greenhouse with 40% ~ 50% RH adjusted during the daytime using a fog system. In the greenhouse, with controlled RH, the temperature decreased, and the RH was higher in the initial growth stage of strawberry planting than the control. It was observed a significant increase in the survival rate of the strawberry plant, as well as the incidence of powdery mildew, was lowered. In addition, the photosynthetic rate and OJIP chlorophyll a fluorescence transients related to photosystem II efficiency of strawberry leaves were significantly higher in the fog treatment than in the control. In winter, during the day, the number of days on which the temperature dropped below 20℃ has increased, the greenhouse temperature with controlled RH was lower due to the fog system. When the yield per strawberry plant in January and February was investigated, the control was higher than the RH treatment. Therefore, RH management using a fog system must be controlled at a level where a temperature range is adequate for plant growth, in which the efficient control of these parameters increases strawberry productivity.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the most common medical problems. Inhibition of lipogenesis and promotion of lipolysis are two ways to prevent NAFLD. In this study, oleic acid-induced HepG2 cells are used as a NAFLD cell model to test whether s-petasin exerts inhibition of lipogenesis and promotion of the lipolysis effect. The results showed that s-petasin significantly inhibited the lipid level in oleic acid-induced HepG2 cells. Moreover, results showed that the triacylglycerol level was reduced by s-petasin in oleic acid-induced HepG2 cells. Western blot assay revealed that s-petasin stimulated phosphorylation of AMPKα and ACCα. The results also demonstrated that s-petasin can inhibit lipogenesis and enhance triacylglycerol turnover by down-regulation of FAS and SCD-1 and up-regulation of ATGL and HSL through the AMPK signaling-dependent regulation of transcriptional factors, FKHR and SREBP-1. This in vitro study indicates that s-petasin has potential as a candidate compound for NAFLD therapy.

Pelargonidin is a natural compound that exists widely in fruits, and exerts antioxidant, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic, and anti-diabetic activities. However, there have not been any studies concerning its anti-obesity potential to date. Therefore, we evaluated the anti-obesity potential of pelargonidin via inhibition of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. The cellular oil droplet content was decreased to 68.14%, 56.75%, and 48.39% and triglyceride accumulation decreased to 74.53%, 61.54%, and 47.86% after incubation with 5 μM, 10 μM, and 20 μM pelargonidin, respectively, when compared with DMSO group. Furthermore, pelargonidin treatment led to decrease in glucose consumption. Western blot assay illustrated that the expression of PPAR-γ was suppressed to 63.25%, 47.52%, and 21.23% after incubation with 5 μM, 10 μM, and 20 μM pelargonidin when compared with DMSO group. Then, we measured the expression of some target proteins of PPAR-γ, and found that pelargonidin decreased the expressions of HMGCR, LPL, Glut4, and A-FABP. Besides, the result of Luciferase Reporter Assay indicated that pelargonidin inhibited PPAR-γ transcription activity. These results indicated that pelargonidin exerts anti-adipogenic activity in 3T3-L1 cells through inhibition of PPAR-γ signaling pathway, and pelargonidin could be used as a potential anti-obesity agent.

This study was carried out to explore possibilities of cultivating horticultural crops in the air-dome greenhouse in comparison to the common iron-frame greenhouse as the standard. The levels of carbon dioxide and atmospheric pressure measured inside the air-dome greenhouse turned out to be higher than those measured inside the iron-frame greenhouse. Contrastingly, light intensity was relatively weaker inside the air-dome greenhouse due to the air-inflated double layers. Plants of melon and cherry tomato were cultivated from May 2 to August 12, 2016, respectively in the two greenhouses. For melon plants, growth in the air-dome greenhouse effectively increased fruit weight as well as trunk circumference compared to iron-frame greenhouse. Moreover, soluble sugar content of melon fruit was significantly higher when cultivated in the air-dome greenhouse. For cherry tomato plants, fruit yield of cherry tomato was significantly increased inside the air-dome greenhouse. Furthermore, it has been found that the air-dome greenhouse was considerably effective in shortening the growing period of melon and cherry tomato plants in comparison to the iron-frame greenhouse.

Exports of strawberries are currently expanding and have risen by 65% in the last few years. However, the occurrence of gray mold disease in packed strawberries has emerged. Gray mold disease, caused by Botrytis cinerea, leads to the decomposition of strawberries, reducing the total harvesting of th...

Plant growth and development strongly influenced by light quantity and its spectral composition. Young tomato plants were cultivated in growth cabinets under artificial light provided by red and blue light emitting diodes(LEDs) during 12 hours, then plants were exposed to monochromatic ultraviolet, blue, green and red lights as an end-of-day(EOD) treatment during 4 hours to study their effect on plant growth parameters. EOD lighting from various LEDs increased total fresh and dry weights as well as assimilation area compared to those in control. Blue light increased stem height, internode length and stem diameter. Monochromatic UV-A light reduced stem elongation, highly increased stomatal conductance. Compactness and health index of young tomato plants were increased in UV-A and red light treatments.

Strawberry bacterial angular leaf spot (ALS) disease, caused by Xanthomonas fragariae has become increasingly problematic in the strawberry agro-industry. ALS causes small angular water-soaked lesions to develop on the abaxial leaf surface. Studies reported optimum temperature conditions for X. fragariae are 20°C and the pathogen suffers mortality above 32°C. However, at the nursery stage, disease symptoms have been observed under high temperature conditions. In the present study, results showed X. fragariae transmission was via infected maternal plants, precipitation, and sprinkler irrigation systems. Systemic infections were detected using X. fragariae specific primers 245A/B and 295A/B, where 300-bp and 615-bp were respectively amplified. During the nursery stage (from May to August), the pathogen was PCR detected only in maternal plants, but not in soil or irrigation water through the nursery stage. During the cultivation period, from September to March, the pathogen was detected in maternal plants, progeny, and soil, but not in water. Additionally, un-infected plants, when planted with infected plants were positive for X. fragariae via PCR at the late cultivation stage. Chemical control for X. fragariae with oxolinic acid showed 87% control effects against the disease during the nursery period, in contrast to validamycin-A, which exhibited increased efficacy against the disease during the cultivation stage (control effect 95%). To our knowledge, this is the first epidemiological study of X. fragariae in Korean strawberry fields.

The fermented products of various materials with the mushroom Cordyceps militaris mycelia and silkworm pupa changed the bioactive compounds and increased the biological activity. Fermentation of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch. cv Sulhyang) mixed with silkworm pupa (Bombyx mori) using the mushroom Cordyceps militaris mycelia was undertaken using a solid culture. Previously frozen strawberries were fermented with 0, 25 and 50% of silkworm pupa (FS, FSP25, FSP50, respectively) or silkworm pupa (FP) using Cordyceps militaris, then the fermented products and non-fermented strawberry (NS) were extracted with 50 or 70% EtOH, or distilled water to determine the optimal fermentation conditions with regards to its anti-adipogenesis effect. The high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) analysis showed that the levels of 7 bioactive compounds were changed after fermentation. Additionally, extracts of FSP25, FSP50 and FP showed different amounts of inhibition of adipogenesis in the 3T3-L1 cell line. FSP25 and FSP50 were most effective. FSP25E50, the 50% EtOH extract of FSP25, inhibited expression of the PPAR-γ pathway signaling. These results indicated that fermented strawberry might be used as a nutraceutical and functional food to give anti-adipogenesis activity.

We addressed the question of whether it is useful to apply a titanium dioxide (TiO2) solution to promote the growth of strawberry plants in a greenhouse when they suffer from insufficient solar radiation during the winter season. A TiO2 solution was sprayed on strawberry plants three times during the growth period. This treatment occurred once on the 5th day of each month from December to February at concentrations of 50, 100 or 150 mg·kg -1. The control strawberry plants were treated with a foliar solution lacking TiO2. The length of the petiole was inhibited by TiO2 treatments, especially those in January and February. In terms of the fruits, the TiO2 applications were found to increase the yield and hardness of strawberries compared to the control. In addition, the contents of chlorophyll a and b in the leaves of the strawberries were increased by the treatment with TiO2 foliar spray. In contrast, the phenolic compounds of the fruits were decreased as a result of the TiO2 treatments. Combined, our results reveal that the application of TiO2 can promote the yield and quality of strawberry plants sufferings from a shortage of sunlight in a plastic greenhouse during the winter season.

This study was aimed at investigating the production of phytochemicals that determine fruit quality, and evaluating growth characteristics of mature strawberry plants during cultivation under three different wavelengths (blue, red and blue plus red) of LED light. Cultivation was conducted in two separate locations, namely, a growth chamber (GC) illuminated with LED lights as the sole light source and a plastic greenhouse (PG) which was given supplemental LED light in addition to ambient light. It was noted that leaves of plants cultivated in the GC under LED lights displayed elevated levels of chlorophyll compared with those cultivated in the PG. In contrast, plants cultivated in the PG with supplementary LED lights yielded much higher production of fruits than those cultivated in the GC. Moreover, fruits harvested in the PG were demonstrated to contain higher levels of organic acids than those harvested in the GC. When the effects of different LED lights were examined, a remarkably higher production of fruits was achieved in the PG when ambient light was supplemented with either blue LED light or combined blue and red LED light. Furthermore, it was also noted that greater accumulation of organic acids and phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds were observed in the fruits that had been cultivated in the PG when ambient light was supplemented with either red LED light or combined blue and red LED lights.

The present study was conducted to characterize the polyphenolic contents of lettuce leaves grown under different night-time temperatures (4, 12, and 20 degrees C) and cultivation durations (5, 15, and 20 days) using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The assay method was validated based on specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, and the performance limit. The total polyphenolic contents were highest (2462.6 mg/kg) after transplantation at a night temperature of 20 degrees C on day 20 and lowest (1132.7 mg/kg) at the same temperature on day 5. Quantification and principal component analysis showed that the relative contents of quercetin and kaempferol were markedly higher during the early stage of cultivation (day 5) than those of day 15 and 20, and that night-time temperatures of 12 and 20 degrees C on day 20 were favorable for producing polyphenol-rich lettuce containing caffeic acid. In conclusion, a synergistic effect between high night-time temperatures (12 and 20 degrees C) and cultivation duration (20 days) produced lettuce rich in polyphenols compared to that at low temperature (4 degrees C). (C) 2015 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Cairo University.

The incorporation of Polygonum multiflorum into the diet can result in anti-aging effects owing to its wide range of biological and pharmaceutical properties. We investigated the anti-neuroinflammatory properties of CRPE56IGIH isolated from P. multiflorum by focusing on its role in the induction of phase II antioxidant enzymes and the modulation of upstream signaling pathways. In microglia, CRPE56IGIH significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 production with nonspecific cytotoxicity. CRPE56IGIH also markedly inhibited LPS-inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 protein and mRNA expression in the same manner as it inhibited nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 production. In the control cells, NF-κB transactivation and nuclear translocation occurred at a baseline level, which was significantly increased in response to LPS. However, pretreatment with CRPE56IGIH concentration-dependently inhibited the LPS-induced NF-κB transactivation and nuclear translocation. The phosphorylation of Janus kinase-signal transducers and activators of transcription and mitogen-activated protein kinases was markedly upregulated by LPS, but considerably and dose-dependently inhibited by pretreatment with CRPE56IGIH. Furthermore, CRPE56IGIH induced the expression of phase II antioxidant enzymes, including heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NADPH dehydrogenase quinone-1 (NQO-1). The activation of upstream signaling pathways, such as the Nrf2 pathway, was significantly increased following CRPE56IGIH treatment. Furthermore, the anti-neuroinflammatory effect of CRPE56IGIH was reversed by transfection of Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO-1 siRNA. Our results indicated that CRPE56IGIH isolated from P. multiflorum could be used as a natural anti-neuroinflammatory agent that induces phase II antioxidant enzymes via Nrf2 signaling.

Deficient insolation conditions (DICs) frequently occur during the winter and early spring season in Korea and negatively affect crop growth. This study was conducted to investigate changes in the yields and qualities of strawberry fruits under DICs that result from an insufficient input of sunlight. To induce DIC, strawberry plants were treated with 40 or 70% shading by covering the plants with curtains during growth in a plastic greenhouse. The shaded plants were cultivated from March to May of 2012. When the strawberry plants were subjected to the shading treatments, their photosynthesis and fruit yields were significantly reduced. Although the mineral element and organic acid contents of the fruits were not affected by the shading treatments, the total nitrogen (T-N) of the stems and roots were noticeably reduced. Furthermore, the shading treatments of the plants also resulted in reductions in the sugar contents and total phenolics of the fruits. In parallel with these observations, the shading treatments were also found to decrease the antioxidant activities of the fruits as measured with the DPPH assay. We suggest that the DIC-induced losses of strawberry fruit yield resulted from the reduced photosynthetic performances of the plants that were caused by insufficient sunlight.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of bed position and planting densities of watermelon grown on two-story bed on fruit quality in summer season (strawberry resting period). The width, length and height of a bed were 22, 102, and 13 cm and the medium in bed were used coir. Watermelon was treated in accordance with the bed position and planting density, one crop planting per one bed (A), upper bed (B) and lower bed (C) as one crop planting per one bed, upper bed (D) and lower bed (E) as two crop planting per one bed, respectively. Watermelons (Citrullus vulgaris Schard) were planted on two-story bed on May 8 and grown by drip irrigation

This study was carried out to investigate the residual characteristics of fungicide azoxystrobin and difenoconazole in Prunus mume fruits, and establish pre-harvest residue limits (PHRL) based on dissipation and biological half-lives of fungicide residues. The fungicides were sprayed onto the crop at recommended dosage once and 3 times in 7 days interval, respectively. The samples were harvested at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 days after treatment. These residual pesticides were extracted with QuEChERS method, clean-up with NH2 SPE cartridge, and residues were analyzed by HPLC/DAD and GLC/ECD, respectively. Method quantitative limits (MQL) of azoxystrobin were 0.03 mg kg and of difenoconazole were 0.006 mg kg. Average recovery were 93.2 ± 2.49%, 85.5 ± 1.97% for azoxystrobin at fortification levels at 0.3 and 1.5 mg kg, and 100.8 ± 6.74%, 87.6 ± 9.92% for difenoconazole at fortification levels at 0.06 and 0.3 mg kg, respectively. The biological half-lives of azoxystrobin were 5.9 and 5.2 days at recommended dosage once and 3 times in 7 days interval, respectively. The biological half-lives of difenoconazole were 9.3 and 8.0 days at recommended dosage once and 3 times in 7 days interval, respectively. The PHRL of azoxystrobin and difenoconazole were recommended as 5.32 and 1.64 mg kg for 10 days before harvest, respectively.