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The development of biodegradable materials as food packaging material is important not only due to the reduction in environmental pollution but also because of an improvement in the functionality. Rice husk-reinforced biopolymers have offered a possible solution to waste-disposal problems associated with traditional petroleum-derived plastics. Rice husk-reinforced low density polyethylene (LDPE)-based biocomposites have been of great interest for their use as food packaging material. In this work, the LDPE/RH biocomposites with different rice husk (RH) content (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 wt.%) were prepared by the melt mixing process in a laboratory Brabender mixer. The effect of RH content on the physical, thermal and mechanical properties of LDPE was investigated. More importantly, this work aimed to research the biodegradation of the LDPE/RH biocomposites as well as their effect on ‘Granny Smith’ apples’ respiration. The results showed that the incorporation of RH into the LDPE decreased the thermal stability of LDPE, increased water vapour permeability and water absorption, and increased the degree of crystallinity. The incorporation of RH increased the biodegradability of LDPE as well as the postharvest quality of ‘Granny Smith’ apples. The addition of RH in LDPE film significantly decreased fruit respiration and increased firmness as compared to LDPE film. The composting results showed that after the LDPE/RH biocomposite films were biodegraded for 21 days, the biocomposite films with the highest content of rice husks were the most degraded.

To date, many machine learning models have been used for peach maturity prediction using non-destructive data, but no performance comparison of the models on these datasets has been conducted. In this study, eight machine learning models were trained on a dataset containing data from 180 ‘Suncrest’ peaches. Before the models were trained, the dataset was subjected to dimensionality reduction using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regularization, and 8 input variables (out of 29) were chosen. At the same time, a subgroup consisting of the peach ground color measurements was singled out by dividing the set of variables into three subgroups and by using group LASSO regularization. This type of variable subgroup selection provided valuable information on the contribution of specific groups of peach traits to the maturity prediction. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values of the selected models were compared, and the artificial neural network (ANN) model achieved the best performance, with an average AUC of 0.782. The second-best machine learning model was linear discriminant analysis with an AUC of 0.766, followed by logistic regression, gradient boosting machine, random forest, support vector machines, a classification and regression trees model, and k-nearest neighbors. Although the primary parameter used to determine the performance of the model was AUC, accuracy, F1 score, and kappa served as control parameters and ultimately confirmed the obtained results. By outperforming other models, ANN proved to be the most accurate model for peach maturity prediction on the given dataset.

Wild or dog rose (Rosa canina L.) is a successful colonizer of various habitats and different soil types and is widely distributed across the Republic of Croatia. In this research, in order to estimate pomological variability in native dog rose populations, four genotypes from four locations in different geographic areas of Croatia were selected and sampled. The genotypes selected were: genotype G1, originating from the continental part of Croatia (Pitomača); genotypes G2 and G3, originating from the Mediterranean part of Croatia (Kukurini and Posedarje, respectively); and genotype G4, originating from the upland part of Croatia (Gračac). Fruits were harvested at optimum harvest dates in 2010 and 2012. Genotype had a significant effect on each studied pomological trait (length, width, geometric mean diameter, sphericity, volume, surface, shape index, weight, flesh weight, flesh ratio and total dry matter content), while year significantly affected all parameters except sphericity and shape index. The highest values for most pomological traits in 2010 and 2012 were found in the G4 and G3 genotypes, respectively. This research highlighted the existence of high variability in pomological traits among dog rose populations in Croatia, which emphasizes the possibility of further breeding and cultivation.

The 26S proteasome is an ATP-dependent proteolytic complex in eukaryotes, which is mainly responsible for the degradation of damaged and misfolded proteins and some regulatory proteins in cells, and it is essential to maintain the balance of protein levels in the cell. The ubiquitin–26S proteasome pathway, which targets a wide range of protein substrates in plants, is an important post-translational regulatory mechanism involved in various stages of plant growth and development and in the maturation process of fleshy fruits. Fleshy fruit ripening is a complex biological process, which is the sum of a series of physiological and biochemical reactions, including the biosynthesis and signal transduction of ripening related hormones, pigment metabolism, fruit texture changes and the formation of nutritional quality. This paper reviews the structure of the 26S proteasome and the mechanism of the ubiquitin–26S proteasome pathway, and it summarizes the function of this pathway in the ripening process of fleshy fruits.

Peaches (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) are a popular fruit in Europe and Croatia. Maturity at harvest has a crucial influence on peach fruit quality, storage life, and consequently consumer acceptance. The main goal of this study is to develop a machine learning model that will detect the most important features for predicting peach maturity by first training models and then using the importance ratings of these models to detect nonlinear (and linear) relationships. Thus, the most important peach features at a given stage of its ripening could be revealed. To date, this method has not been used for this purpose, and at the same time, it has the potential to be applied to other similar peach varieties. A total of 33 fruit features are measured on the harvested peaches, and three imbalanced datasets are created using firmness thresholds of 1.84, 3.57, and 4.59 kg·cm−2. These datasets are balanced using the SMOTE and ROSE techniques, and the Random Forest machine learning model is trained on them. Permutation Feature Importance (PFI), Variable Importance (VI), and LIME interpretability methods are used to detect variables that most influence predictions in the given machine learning models. PFI shows that the h° and a* ground color parameters, COL ground color index, SSC/TA, and TA inner quality parameters are among the top ten most contributing variables in all three models. Meanwhile, VI shows that this is the case for the a* ground color parameter, COL and CCL ground color indexes, and the SSC/TA inner quality parameter. The fruit flesh ratio is highly positioned (among the top three according to PFI) in two models, but it is not even among the top ten in the third.

Dog rose (Rosa canina L.) is a cosmopolitan plant species that due to its nutritional, medical and cosmetic values deserves more attention. Dog roses are cultivated in Croatia on very small scale and most of the rose hip used in the domestic processing industry is imported. In this study, three dog rose F1 progeny populations developed from selected plants collected in Korcula, Malesnica and Prigorje Brdovecko, originating from two climatic regions (P1 - Mediterranean and P2 and P3 - continental) have been studied as a part of a field experiment for two growing seasons, in order to assess the level of genetic variability for pomological and agronomic traits. In addition, genetic variation within and among examined three dog rose populations has been assessed using 6 polymorphic SSR markers. The highest variability, as well as the most desirable agronomic traits were found within the P3 population, while the lowest ones were present in the P1 population. Most desirable properties and highest values for commercially important traits were detected in the genotype RC29 (P3). Molecular data was sufficient to separate three studied populations but not all individuals within the populations. Through selection and hybridization of perspective genotypes of dog roses from Croatia, it would be possible to create clonally propagated varieties suitable for commercial cultivation.

Fruit softening that occurs during fruit ripening and postharvest storage determines the fruit quality, shelf life and commercial value and makes fruits more attractive for seed dispersal. In addition, over-softening results in fruit eventual decay, render fruit susceptible to invasion by opportunistic pathogens. Many studies have been conducted to reveal how fruit softens and how to control softening. However, softening is a complex and delicate life process, including physiological, biochemical and metabolic changes, which are closely related to each other and are affected by environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and light. In this review, the current knowledge regarding fruit softening mechanisms is summarized from cell wall metabolism (cell wall structure changes and cell-wall-degrading enzymes), plant hormones (ETH, ABA, IAA and BR et al.), transcription factors (MADS-Box, AP2/ERF, NAC, MYB and BZR) and epigenetics (DNA methylation, histone demethylation and histone acetylation) and a diagram of the regulatory relationship between these factors is provided. It will provide reference for the cultivation of anti-softening fruits.

Net application in agriculture has a long history. Nets were usually used for the protection of plants against different hazards (hail, wind, birds, pests, excessive sun radiation) and, lately, from insects (nets with smaller mesh size). In recent years, photoselective netting technology has emerged, which adds desired plant responses caused by light quality changes to their basic protective properties. A combination of anti-insect and photoselective net technology (anti-insect photoselective nets) may present a notable contribution to the sustainable food production concept. Notable positive effects of this eco-friendly approach on agroecosystems are mainly achievable due to its non-pesticide pest protection of cultivated plants and, at the same time, promotion of special beneficial morphological and physiological plant responses. Although netting has been extensively studied over the last decade, there is a pronounced lack of publications and analyses that deal with their mode of action on fruit trees, which is especially true for new netting concepts. A better understanding of such mechanisms can lead to improved development and/or utilization of this technology and enhanced generation of value-added products. This review was based on a revision of the literature regarding netting in agriculture, with emphasis on fruit cultivation, and the following databases were used: Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Although this study aims to comprehend a majority of fruit species, it narrows down to those usually net-protected and, hence, studied, such as apple, peach or nectarine, kiwifruit, blueberry, etc. Nets mainly differ in their mesh size and color, which are the parameters that mostly determine their capacity for light quantity and quality modification. Such light modifications, directly or indirectly (e.g., change in microclimate), initiate different fruit tree responses (in some cases, mechanisms) through which the final effect is realized on their vegetative and generative traits. For instance, some of them include a shade avoidance mechanism (initiated by changes in red to a far-red ratio, blue light levels, etc.), source–sink relationship, and carbohydrate availability (actualized by changes in photosynthesis efficiency, vegetative and generative growth, etc.), plant stress response (actualized by microclimate changes), etc. In most cases, these responses are interconnected, which contributes to the complexity of this topic and emphasizes the importance of a better understanding of it.

Anti-insect photoselective nets present a new technology that combines light manipulation and pest protection in orchards. In this study, the effect of the anti-insect photoselective red net on the generative and vegetative traits was studied in an apple orchard near the city of Zadar, Croatia. 'Granny Smith' apples were grown on M9 rootstock and raised as slender spindles. The experiment consisted of two treatments: the trees covered with the red photoselective anti-insect nets (AGRITECH S. r. l., Eboli, Italy; mesh size of 2.4 × 4.8 mm) and uncovered trees as control. Yield, percentage of fruit with diameter >70 mm and fruit mass were not significantly different between treatments. L* color value was higher on fruit skin grown under the red net, and there was no significant difference in other color values (a*, b*, C* and h°). Soluble solids concentration (SSC) and total flavonoid content were significantly lower in fruit grown under red net than in control, and there was no significant difference in titratable acidity (TA), SSC/TA ratio, starch degradation and Streif maturity index. Red net proved to be effective against fruit red blush development (undesirable trait for 'Granny Smith' apple) and sunburn damage occurrence., Protuinsektne fotoselektivne mreže predstavljaju novu tehnologiju koja istovremeno kombinira manipulaciju svjetlom i zaštitu od štetnika. U voćnjaku jabuka pokraj Zadra (Hrvatska) istraživan je utjecaj crvene protuinsektne fotoselektivne mreže na generativne i vegetativne parametre jabuke 'Granny Smith'. Jabuke su uzgajane na M9 podlozi te su imale uzgojni oblik vretenastoga grma. Istraživanje se sastojalo od dvaju tretmana: stabla prekrivena crvenom protuinsektnom fotoselektivnom mrežom (AGRITECH S. r. l., Eboli, Italija; veličina okca od 2.4 × 4.8 mm) i nepokrivena stabla kao kontrola. Prirod, udio plodova s promjerom >70 mm i masa plodova nisu se signifikantno razlikovali između tretmana. Jabuke uzgajane ispod crvene mreže imale su signifikantno veću L* vrijednost parametra boje kožice, dok za ostale parametre boje nije zabilježena signifikantna razlika (a*, b*, C* i h°). Sadržaj topljive suhe tvari (TST) i ukupni sadržaj flavonoida bio je signifikantno niži u jabukama uzgajanima ispod crvene mreže, dok nije zabilježen signifikantan utjecaj crvene mreže na titracijsku kiselost (TA), TST / TA, stupanj razgradnje škroba i indeks zrelosti (Streif). Primjena crvene mreže pokazala se vrlo djelotvornom u smanjenju pojavnosti dopunskoga crvenila (koje je kod jabuke 'Granny Smith' nepoželjno svojstvo) i ožegotina od sunca na plodovima.

Ground beetles (fam. Carabidae) as beneficial insects are valuable organisms to study whether any of the new implemented agricultural measures in fruit production is beneficial. The aim of our study was to analyze impact of different types of exclusion nets on ground beetle species composition and abundance in an apple orchard. The study was conducted in an IPM apple orchard, situated in the north-west part of Croatia. The treatments for the study were four types of exclusion (colored) nets (Agritenax white, Agritenax yellow and Agritenax red all with photo selective properties and Stop Drosophila Normal net - pearl color) and non-covered trees acted as a control. Ground beetles were collected during the summer and autumn (from July 1st until October 15th in 2015) with pitfall traps. During the study, a total of 1559 specimens of ground beetles were identified and sorted into 28 species. Significant differences in the captures under nets were observed for species: Anchomenus (Anchomenus) dorsalis (Pontoppidan 1763), Microlestes minutulus (Goeze 1777), and Pterostichus (Feronidius) melas melas (Creutzer 1799). The most of the ground beetles (413) were recorded under the Agritenax yellow nets and the least (184) in the control. Our study showed the positive effect of exclusion nets on ground beetle species composition and diversity in IPM apple orchard thus confirming their value in assessing the introduction of new agricultural measures into practice.

Cilj ovog rada je predstaviti mikorizu u voćarstvu, te njezino djelovanje na rast i rodnost voćaka na temelju dosadašnjih istraživanja. Mikoriza je simbioza korijena viših biljaka i gljiva. Postoje tri vrste mikorize: endomikoriza, ektomikoriza i endoektomikoriza. Ova simbiotska zajednica donosi brojne povoljnosti biljkama, koje su u ovom radu predstavljene kroz interakciju s biotskim i abiotskim čimbenicima. Od biotskih čimbenika analizirano je štetno djelovanje patogena na voćke, a od abiotskih čimbenika djelovanje vode, soli, teških metala, svjetlosti, temperature i hranjiva. Mikoriza pomaže preživljavanju voćaka u uvjetima suše, ali i pomaže pri obnavljanju šteta uzrokovanih viškom vode u tlu. Mikorizacijom voćaka navodnjavanih zaslanjenom vodom znatno se smanjuju štetne posljedice djelovanja soli na rast i razvoj biljaka, i povećava im se rodnost. Mikoriza pomaže pri usvajanju biljnih hranjiva, i omogućava bolji rast, razvoj i rodnost voćaka koje su pretrpjele temperaturni stres izazvan visokim temperaturama, ali je pri temperaturama ispod biološkog minimuma njezino povoljno djelovanje smanjeno. Mikorizacija znatno povećava fotosintetsku aktivnost voćaka te time direktno utječe na rast i rodnost. Mikorizacijom se značajno može smanjiti štetno djelovanje teških metala. Ona je učinkovita u borbi protiv patogena te se može rabiti umjesto štetnih kemijskih sredstava za zaštitu bilja. Kod mikoriziranih voćaka povećanje priroda može iznositi i do 50%.

Background and Purpose: The current study aims to evaluate the effect of the fruit size of service tree (Sorbus domestica L.) on physio-morphological properties of seeds and the seed germination process. Materials and Methods: The fruit samples varying in size and divided on the basis of weight into small (5-10 g), medium (11-15 g) and large (16-20 g) were collected from the area of Vukomeričke gorice (45°34′45″N 16°00′11″E), Zagreb County, Croatia. Results: In all fruits, a significant, positive and very high correlation was found between the fruit length and width (r=0.92). There was a negative and significant correlation between the fruit weight and the fruit shape index (r=-0.47). The number of filled seeds in fruit was significantly higher in large fruits (2.62 seeds) than in medium and small fruits (1.81 and 1.46, respectively). Seeds from large fruits had significantly greater length of radicle (3.89 mm) than those from medium and small fruits (3.27 and 2.88, respectively) after 120 days of stratification at 3°C. The mean germination time of seeds for all fruits in total was 107 days. The seeds with the highest weight had significantly lower rate of moisture absorption. After stratification the seeds of large fruits had the highest germination percentage (83.7%). Conclusions: The findings obtained will likely impact the propagation of this plant species in the future, because the results of the study favour the usage of seeds obtained from large fruits since they showed highest germination rate.

To enhance storage life and post-storage quality of fresh goji berries, three treatments with lecithin (1, 5, 10 g·L-1) and two storage times (8, 16 days) were evaluated. The significant effects on the physiological and biochemical parameters were varied. 1 g·L-1 lecithin showed its main effects after 8 days of storage by reduction in total weight loss and decay, SSC/TA ratio (also at 16 days), and chlorophyll content and with highest scores of sensory attributes (also at 16 days). 5 g.L-1 lecithin showed its main effects after 16 days of storage: highest SSC, highest TA (also at 8 days), highest TPC, only significant reduction in DPPH antioxidant activity, and highest total flavonoid content. 10 g.L-1 lecithin showed its main effects after 8 days of storage with highest SSC, chlorophyll content, total flavonoid, DPPH, and ABTS antioxidant activity (also at 16 days), but with least scores of sensory attributes.

Goji berries are considered as the latest super food or fruit due to its excellent nutritive and medicinal properties and usually consumed and marketed as a dried or as a juice due to its short storage life and lack of information about its postharvest behavior. The current study was an attempt to prolong its storage life simply by using differ- ent storage temperatures (–2, 0, 10 and 20 °C) and evaluat- ing the post-storage biochemical and fruit quality. The fruits stored at 0 °C and –2 °C appeared with lowest weight losses (13.08 and 14.95%) and significantly different from fruit stored at 10 °C (18.29%) for 12 days of storage. Whereas, the fruits stored at 20 °C deteriorated within a day due to fungal decay. However, some storage disorders like cracking, peel disorder, shriveling were observed in the fruits stored under –2 and 10 °C. There were significant differ- ences in the phytochemical attributes like SSC, TA, SSC/TA ratio, total polyphenols, DPPH, ABTS and β- carotenewhile the amount of anthocyanins and CIE color variables were found non-significant. In addition, the fruits stored under 0 °C appeared fresh and healthy and hence received highest scores during sensory analysis and strongly recommended for storage of this important horticultural commodity.

A WGS2 for table grape cold chain was developed and evaluated.The key traceability indicators include temperature, humidity, CO2, O2, and SO2.The shelf life model was built to predict the quality indicators.Tested and analyzed in two sample table grapes cold chains in China.Improving the traceability and transparency of the table grape cold chain. There is increasing requirement to improve traceability and transparency of table grapes cold chain. Key traceability indicators including temperature, humidity and gas microenvironments (e.g., CO2, O2, and SO2) based on table grape cold chain management need to be monitored and controlled. This paper presents a Wireless Multi-Gas-Sensors System (WGS2) as an effective real-time cold chain monitoring system, which consists of three units: (1) the WMN which applies the 433MHz as the radio frequency to increase the transmission performance and forms a wireless sensor network; (2) the WAN which serves as the intermediary to connect the users and the sensor nodes to keep the sensor data without delay by the GPRS remote transmission module; (3) the signal processing unit which contains embedded software to drive the hardware to normal operation and shelf life prediction for table grapes. Then the study evaluates the WGS2 in a cold chain scenario and analyses the monitoring data. The results show that the WGS2 is effective in monitoring quality, and improving transparency and traceability of table grape cold chains. Its deploy ability and efficiency in implantation can enable the establishment of a more efficient, transparent and traceable table grape supply chain.

The present study was conducted with aim to test the effect of red photo-selective nets (Agritech S.r.l., Eboly, Italy) on 'Granny Smith' apple postharvest quality. The fruits have been harvested on optimal harvest date from orchard near city of Zadar where red photo-selective nets were used. Afterwards fruits were stored in regular air storage at 0°C for 4 months and then kept for 7 days at room temperature (shelf life). After harvest, cold storage and shelf life fruits grown under red net had significantly lower total soluble solid (SSC) content. After cold storage, superficial scald index and share of fruits with strong and very strong superficial scald severity were significantly higher in fruits grown under red net while for share of fruits with low superficial scald severity situation was opposite. After shelf life, fruits grown under red net had significantly higher titratable acidity (TA), but lower weight loss and SSC/TA ratio. It can be concluded that, due to greater susceptibility to superficial scald, prevention measures (optimal harvest time, 1-MCP and CA storage) should be applied when red photo-selective net is used on superficial scald-susceptible apple varieties., Cilj ovog istraživanja je utvrditi utjecaj crvene fotoselektivne mreže (Agritech S.r.l., Eboli, Italija) na kakvoću plodova jabuke 'Granny Smith' nakon skladištenja i života na polici. Plodovi su ubrani u optimalnom roku u voćnjaku lociranom pokraj Zadra, Hrvatska gdje je korištena crvena fotoselektivna mreža. Nakon berbe plodovi su tijekom 4 mjeseca skladišteni u običnoj hladnjači pri 0°C te potom 7 dana na sobnoj temperaturi (život na polici). Plodovi uzgajani ispod crvene mreže su nakon berbe, skladištenja u hladnjači i života na polici imali signifikantno manji sadržaj topljive suhe tvari. Nakon završetka skladištenja u hladnjači indeks površinskog scalda te udio plodova sa jakim i iznimno jakim simptomima površinskog scalda je bio signifikantno veći na plodovima uzgojenima ispod crvene mreže, dok je za udio plodova sa blagim simptomima površinskog scalda situacija bila suprotna. Nakon života na polici plodovi uzgojeni ispod crvene mreže su imali signifikantno veću titracijsku kiselost, ali manji kalo i omjer topljive suhe tvari i titracijske kiselosti. Može se zaključiti da zbog veće osjetljivosti na površinski scald preventivne mjere (optimalan rok berbe, 1-MCP i čuvanje u kontroliranoj atmosferi) trebaju biti primijenjene kada se crvena fotoselektivna mreža koristi na sortama jabuke osjetljivima na površinski scald.

Prezentacija obuhvaća tri glavne cjeline a to su: razmnožavanje i sadnja, ekološki uzgoj oraha i lješnjaka i prerada oraha i lješnjaka. Objašnjeni su osnovni pojmovi i načini vezani za razmnožavanje biljaka a detaljno je objašnjeno razmnožavanje (spolno i nespolno) oraha i lijeske. U drugom dijelu predavanja, objašnjena je morfologija i fiziologija oraha i lijeske, sortimenti, ekološka proizvodnja, izbor terena i tla, rezidba, formiranje uzgojnog oblika, rezidba u rodu, gnojidba, održavanje tla u nasadu, suzbijanje korijenovih izdanaka i zaštita oraha i lijeske. U trećem dijelu predavanja naglasak je stavljen na preradu oraha i lješnjaka, građu plodova, kemijski sastav oraha i lješnjaka, važne faze rasta ploda oraha, zrelost ploda oraha, utjecaj klimatskih čimbenika na zrelost oraha, zrelost lješnjaka, berba, čišćenje i sortiranje, sušenje, kombinacija sušenja i radio valova, čuvanje, sortiranje i pakiranje, kriteriji za sortiranje oraha, kvarenje oraha i lješnjaka, štetnici oraha i lješnjaka u voćnjaku i skladištu te kvarenje ploda djelovanjem mikroorganizama.

Predicting fruit ripeness allows us to choose the optimal time to harvest. The parameter by which peach ripeness is commonly represented is its firmness. As traditional methods for determining firmness of peaches are destructive, this paper uses an alternative method for determining peach ripeness which is based on peach impedance, as recommended by the domain expert. The data set on which the data analysis is performed contains measurements obtained from a couple of hundred fruit measurements, which also include peach impedance. In our data analysis, we use one of the high accuracy machine learning models, which are called black box models and which are characterized by low interpretability. The paper presents the results of applying a black box type machine learning method, as well as methods for interpreting black box models which facilitate understanding of the model behavior for domain experts, i.e. Variable importance, Tree Surrogate, Local Interpretable Model- Agnostic Explanations and Break Down.

Smart agriculture is a term used to describe the utilization of digital technologies used in optimizing agricultural food production systems. In order to increase the efficiency of manufacturing process, modern tools for collecting, storing and analyzing electronic data are used. The focus of this paper is creation and comparison of peach firmness prediction models using various machine learning algorithms. The size of the data set, which is used to construct machine learning models described in this paper, is small. Because size of the data set has a large impact on the performance of the machine learning algorithm, models of different complexities were developed to tackle this problem. Simple linear regression is used as fundamental techniques for predicting numerical outcome variable, the peach firmness using a single predictor variable. By extending simple linear regression model so that is can accommodate multiple predictors, multiple linear regression model is obtained, which is the top performing model when applied to the dataset described in this paper. The backpropagation neural network model is developed and its performance is compared to the performance of regression models.

The 186 aa truncated protein produced by the tomato spontaneous non-ripening (nor) mutant enters the nucleus and combines with the promoters of its target genes, resulting in a gain of function., The tomato non-ripening (nor) mutant generates a truncated 186-amino-acid protein (NOR186) and has been demonstrated previously to be a gain-of-function mutant. Here, we provide more evidence to support this view and answer the open question of whether the NAC-NOR gene is important in fruit ripening. Overexpression of NAC-NOR in the nor mutant did not restore the full ripening phenotype. Further analysis showed that the truncated NOR186 protein is located in the nucleus and binds to but does not activate the promoters of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase2 (SlACS2), geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase2 (SlGgpps2), and pectate lyase (SlPL), which are involved in ethylene biosynthesis, carotenoid accumulation, and fruit softening, respectively. The activation of the promoters by the wild-type NOR protein can be inhibited by the mutant NOR186 protein. On the other hand, ethylene synthesis, carotenoid accumulation, and fruit softening were significantly inhibited in CR-NOR (CRISPR/Cas9-edited NAC-NOR) fruit compared with the wild-type, but much less severely affected than in the nor mutant, while they were accelerated in OE-NOR (overexpressed NAC-NOR) fruit. These data further indicated that nor is a gain-of-function mutation and NAC-NOR plays a significant role in ripening of wild-type fruit.

Korla fragrant pear is prestigious for its special texture and unique flavor but suffers storage and supply chain difficulties for its deterioration-prone properties. In order to improve the storage quality of Korla fragrant pears during the whole cold chain from the orchard to the customers, the paper deeply researches multiple influencing factors of cold chain logistics and home storage of Korla fragrant pears with multi-sensor technology (MST), such as the temperature, relative humidity, concentrations of oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and ethylene (C2H4). Cold chain logistics are assessed by sensory evaluation and physiological index measurement, and home storage environments are classified by using back propagation neural network (BPNN) in both refrigerators and ordinary rooms. Experimental results show that the MST-based detectors can improve the accuracy of continuous sensor data acquisition, such that the preservation quality of Korla fragrant pears is effectively enhanced by data analysis on gas contents, firmness, pH, and total soluble solids. These results indicate that Korla fragrant pears stored in refrigerators have a higher acceptance for customers.

Influence of two apple cultivars (cvs. Cripps Pink and Idared) and two commercial strains of Saccha- romyces bayanus (Lalvin EC1118, Fermol Blanc) on the chemical composition and sensory characteristics of apple wines was tested. Chemical parameters (alcohol, sugar-free extract, reducing sugars, titratable and volatile acidity) of the analyzed wines were strongly affected by apple variety. Ash and sugar-free extracts in Cripps Pink wines were significantly higher than Idared wines. Polyphenols and main organic acids were determined in apple juice and wines. Chlorogenic acid was the most abundant polyphe- nolic compound with the significantly higher concentra- tions detected for Idared wines. Total phenolic acids, as well as total flavan- 3-ols content, were also higher for wines made from Idared variety where fermentation was conducted with Fermol blanc yeast. Among organic acids significantly higher succinic acid content was determined in wines where Fermol Blanc yeast was used while Lalvine EC1118, irrespective of apple variety, significantly influ- enced the concentration of lactic acid. Sensory evaluation showed the pronounced influence of variety but also the yeast used, singling out Idared cultivar and Fermol Blanc yeast achieving the best overall quality results.

Peaches are a popular fruit appreciated by consumers due to their eating quality. Quality evaluation of peaches is important for their processing, inventory control, and marketing. Eleven quality indicators (shape index, volume, mass, density, firmness, color, impedance, phase angle, soluble solid concentration, titratable acidity, and sugar&ndash, acid ratio) of 200 peach fruits (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch &ldquo, Spring Belle&rdquo, ) were measured within 48 h. Quality indicator data were normalized, outliers were excluded, and correlation analysis showed that the correlation coefficients between dielectric properties and firmness were the highest. A back propagation (BP) neural network was used to predict the firmness of fresh peaches based on their dielectric properties, with an overall fitting ratio of 86.9%. The results of principal component analysis indicated that the cumulative variance of the first five principal components was 85%. Based on k-means clustering analysis, normalized data from eleven quality indicators in 190 peaches were classified into five clusters. The proportion of red surface area was shown to be a poor basis for picking fresh peaches for the consumer market, as it bore little relationship with the comprehensive quality scores calculated using the new grading model.

During the vegetation season of 2015 three different types of exclusion nets were set up in IPM apple orchard in Krapina (Croatia) to test their effectiveness in preventing the attack of codling moth to apple fruits. Nets the same in mesh size (2.4x4.8 mm) but different in color (white, red, yellow) were set up on three neighboring apple trees in a single row. To assess the presence of pest, weekly sampling of codling moth on pheromone traps in protected and unprotected (control) net rows was conducted. Single row netting structures resulted in a highly significant reduction of codling moth catches on pheromone traps in comparison to the unprotected rows in the experimental orchard. The percentage of codling moth infested fruits during the harvest time was statistically significant, in the protected net rows in comparison with unprotected rows. The lowest percentage of damaged the fruit was recorded under the red net (0.96%), followed by white net (1.04%) and yellow net (2.86%). Percentage of damaged fruits in unprotected row amounted 11.39%. Considering the fact that all netting structures were not full exclusion nettings (e.g. in some cases it was impossible to hermetically seal the nets) their use has successfully protected the fruits of apples from codling moth attack.

The quality of the nine old apple cultivars (‘Bellefleur’, ‘Carević’, ‘Čelenka’, ‘Crvena jesenska rebrača’, ‘Paradija’, ‘Paulaner weinapfel’, ‘Perovnjača’, ‘Winter Banana’ and ‘Zuccalmaggio’) was studied. Cultivars ‘Gelber Bellefleur’, ‘Crvena jesenska rebrača’‘Paulaner weinapfel’ and ‘Winter banana’ had significantly highest fruit mass, and ‘Carević’, ‘Čelenka’, ‘Paradija’ and ‘Zuccalmaggio’ the lowest. Cultivar ‘Gelber Bellefleur’ had significantly the highest fruit height and cultivar ‘Čelenka’ the smallest. Cultivar ‘Perovnjača’ had significantly the highest fruit width, and cultivar ‘Zuccalmaggio’ the lowest. Cultivar ‘Paradija’ had significantly the highest shape index and cultivar ‘Perovnjača’ the smallest. Among the red-colored cultivars, cultivars ‘Carević’ and ‘Crvena jesenska rebrača’ had significantly higher L and a - values, while cultivar ‘Čelenka’ had significantly higher Chroma and Hue angle. Hue angle in this cultivar was 72 % higher than in cultivar ‘Crvena jesenska rebrača’ and 51 % higher than in cultivar ‘Carević’, showing nice and intensive red coloration of this cultivar. Among yellow-colored cultivars, ‘Winter Banana’ had significantly the highest L-value. There were no significant difference in a- value among cultivars ‘Bel Fleur’, ‘Paradija’, and ‘Zuccalmagio’, and they had the highest values. Cultivar ‘Paulaner Weinapfel’ had the highest b- and Chroma values, and there were no significant differences among cultivars in Hue angle. Cultivar ‘Zuccalmaggio’ had the highest firmness and ‘Paulaner Weinapfel’ the smallest. Cultivar ‘Crvena jesenska rebrača’ had significantly highest SSC, and ‘Perovnjača’ the smallest. Cultivar ‘Perovnjača’ had significantly highest TA, and there was significant difference compared to ‘Čelenka’. Cultivars ‘Crvena jesenska rebrača’, ‘Paradija’, ‘Winter Banana’, ‘Paulaner Weinapfel’ and ‘Zuccalmagio’ had significantly lowest TA and there were no significant differences among them. Cultivar ‘Crvena jesenska rebrača’ had significantly highest SSC/TA ratio, and ‘Perovnjača’ the lowest. There were no significant differences in seed number per fruit among cultivars. The main disadvantage of these cultivars is small fruit size, which is important trait for fresh consumption. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate improving the fruit size in these cultivars by pruning, fertilizing and thinning before their reintroduction into production.

Bitter pit is a physiological disorder that significantly reduces the quality of apples. Although it has been detected since the beginning of the last century, still there is little known about the mechanism of its occurrence. According to numerous studies, bitter pit is formed as a result of calcium deficiency in the fruit. Some authors cite the high concentration of gibberellins, later in the production season, most probably caused by excessive activity of the roots, as the chief causative factor. Beside Ca, there are several factors that can also contribute to its development, like imbalance among some mineral elements (N, P, K and Mg), cultivar, rootstock, the ratio of vegetative and generative growth, post-harvest treatments and the storage methods. There are some prediction models available that can estimate the risk of bitter pit in apples, but even those are not always reliable. The aim of this review was to encompass the pre and postharvest factors which cause bitter pit and point out the directions for solving this problem.

Fresh peaches and nectarines are very popular for their high nutritional and therapeutic value. Unfortunately, they are prone to rapid deterioration after harvest, especially if the cold chain is not well maintained. The objective of this work is to study the environmental fluctuation and the quality change of fresh peaches and nectarines in cold chain. The temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 level were real-time monitored by sensor nodes with a wireless sensor network (WSN). The cold chain lasted for 16.8 h and consisted of six segments. The dynamic change of temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 level were real-time monitored and analyzed in detail in each of the six stages. The fruit quality index (fruit weight, fruit firmness, and soluble solids concentration (SSC)) were detected and analyzed immediately before the first stage (S1) and at the beginning of the last stage (S6). The results show that without good temperature control fruit softening is the most significant problem, even in a short chain; the WSN node can provide complete and accurate temperature, humidity, and gas monitoring information for cold chains, and can be used to further improve quality and safety assurance for peach fruit cold chains.

Potential of acoustic impulse method for determining the quality of two nectarine cultivars (Diamond Ray and Venus) fruit was studied. Among acoustic properties (resonant frequency, stiffness, peak width), only peak widths was significantly different (P≤0.001) between cultivars. Standard quality measurements (fruit weight, firmness, stone share, soluble solids concentration (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), SSC/TA ratio), only stone share (P≤0.001), TA (P≤0.01) and SSC/TA (P≤0.05) was significantly different between cultivars. No clear acoustic signal could be observed in measured fruits. There was no significant correlation between the stiffness and firmness and any other quality characteristics. Major reason is probably a stone resonance which distorts acoustic signal. Based on the above study, acoustic impulse method can not be used for nectarine fruit.

The paper deals with the impact of meteorological conditions on in vitro pollen germination and pollen tube growth during the initial phases of male flowers development of pedunculate oak. Phenological observations of male flowers and pollen sampling were performed on the field trial established with grafted pedunculate oak clones. During the investigation, weather conditions (absolute minimum and maximum daily air temperature, minimum absolute relative humidity of air and amount of precipitation) were recorded by an automatic meteorological station installed at the field trial. Influence of meteorological conditions on pollen germination and pollen tube growth was studied in the following stages of male flower: (i) during the last ten days of flower buds dormancy, (ii) during their swelling, (iii) during the bud burst and beginning of male catkins elongation, (iv) during the final stage of male catkins elongation. Pollen germination after incubation times of 2, 4, 6 and 24 hours ranged from 0, 0 to 8, 9 % ; from 0, 0 to 55, 6 % ; from 0, 0 to 59, 3 % and from 5, 9 to 90, 7 %, respectively. Pollen tube lengths after the same incubation times ranged from 15, 3 to 45, 0 μm, from 17, 0 to 88, 3 μm, from 20, 9 to 101, 9 μm and from 39, 9 to 241, 1 μm, respectively. High temperatures and low relative air humidity during the bud burst and beginning of male catkins elongation reduced pollen germination and pollen tube growth. Weather conditions did not significantly affected pollen germination and pollen tube growth during the swelling of flower buds, as well as in the final stage of male catkins elongation.

A dog rose (Rosa canina L) is one of the most widespread wild species of the genus Rosa in our country, and fairly represented in the natural, rural and even urban areas. Although in the world a dog roses are studied, cultivated and refined, in Croatia its cultivation almost does not exists. In nature you can see major differences between plants, especially considering the size of the fruit, often in very small habitats. The study was conducted at 8 rose dog bushes at about 1 ha of abandoned experimental field 'Jazbina' in Zagreb. From each plant, 120 fruits were randomly collected at a technological maturity. The average fresh fruit weight ranged from 1.88 to 2.96 g, the average fresh flesh portion from 65.4 to 74.7 % and the average dry flesh matter content (after drying at 105 °C), in relation to the fresh fruit weight, from 22.9 to 28.6 %. The length, width, thickness, and shape of the fruits were significantly different (P≤0.05). Since plants were grown in uniform climatic and edaphic conditions, it can be concluded that a relatively large phenotypic, and probably the genotypic variability of dog rose plants exists in such a small location. With the reasonable assumption that the Croatian territory has a lot of similar dog rose habitats, the results of this study indicate a rich genetic potential of dog rose, which could be used for initial selection of plants with superior characteristics intended to be introduced in cultivation.

The use of anti-hail photoselective nets is new approach in protecting the fruits against hail damage, sunburn and against pests in combination with activating desired physiological responses in fruit trees. The trial was established on the apple Malus domestica Borkh. cv. ‘Cripps Pink’ graſted on M9 rootstock in Mediterranean climate of Croatia. Four nets were used: white (W), yellow (Y) and red (R) net from Tenax Company (Italy) and Stop Drosophila Normal (D) from Artes Politechnica Company (Italy). Only white net showed higher yield than control (C). Th e trees grown under the W and R nets had higher portion of fruits diameter 70-80 mm than C trees and trees grown under the Y net, while D net was similar to other treatments. Nets reduced fruit skin colour, especially Y net which had highest portion of less coloured fruit. Maturation of fruit grown on the trees under the W and R nets, was 9 days earlier than fruit grown on the trees under the D and Y nets. Th e study showed that net colour has variable influence on physiological response of the tree and it is necessary to test the nets type in specifi c geographical location.

A research was conducted on the eff ect of heat treatments on the heating and cooling of the ‘Idared’ apple fruit. Th e heat treatment was performed as hot water dip (HWD), where fruit were dipped into water at 50 °C, for two, four and six minutes (HWD 50 °C 2’, HWD 50 °C 4’ and HWD 50 °C 6’, respectively). Th e aim of the study was to determine the eff ect of heat treatments on the warming and cooling on the fruit which was observed by thermographic images recorded every minute for the duration of 12 minutes in total. Th e fruit treated with HWD 50°C 6’ achieved the highest temperature (50.6 °C), followed by HWD 50 °C 4’ (48.2 °C) and HWD 50 °C 2’ (44.3 °C). Th e damage to fruit caused by high temperatures (heat damage) was visible only on the fruit treated with HWD 50°C 6’. Th e diff erences in maximal temperature of fruit surface were statistically diff erent among all three exposures for the whole duration of recording, meaning that the duration of the hot water dip treatment significantly affects the intensity of fruit cooling aſter heat treatment.