Evaluation of the Biochemical Components and Chromatic Properties of the Juice of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vaccinium macrocarpon</Emphasis> Aiton and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vaccinium oxycoccos</Emphasis> L.

Benzoic acid, total anthocyanins, soluble solids, titratable acidity, and colour properties in juice of the American cranberry Vaccinium macrocarpon and the European cranberry Vaccinium oxycoccos were investigated. Berry juices of V. macrocarpon cultivars were distinguished by their higher total anthocyanin and benzoic acid amounts. These cultivars accumulated on average 43.11 mg/l of benzoic acid and 92.45 mg/l of total anthocyanins. The levels of benzoic acid and total anthocyanins in V. oxycoccos cultivars were 17.52 mg/l and 42.54 mg/l, respectively. The V. macrocarpon cultivars ‘Franklin’, ‘Le Munyon’, ‘Searles’, and ‘Early Richard’ were selected as the best according to the enhanced total anthocyanins and benzoic acid amounts. The separation of anthocyanins by HPLC-UV-VIS revealed the presence of six anthocyanins, with peonidin-3-galactoside being the most prevalent. Galactoside together with glucoside conjugates comprised the largest percentage of total anthocyanins in the juices of V. macrocarpon and V. oxycoccos cultivars.     

Radiation-induced changes in the chemical composition ofSolanum tuberosum cv.Kufri Sindhuri tubers after germination

Summary The chemical composition of⁶⁰Co γ-irradiated potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum cv.Kufri Sindhuri) after germination shows significant changes. The contents of ‘total’ solanine, a glycoalkaloid, citric and ascorbic acids and total solids increase. Malic acid decreases to some extent while pyroglutamic acid does not follow any regular pattern. Except glutamic acid all other free amino-acids increase. Under the influence of low doses titratable acids show an appreciable increase but a 4-krad dose retards their synthesis. No appreciable change has been noted for nitrogen percentage. The size of the starch granules increases with higher doses and the quantity of anthocyanin decreases.     

Effect of selected Egyptian cooking methods on faba bean nutritive value and dietary protein utilization 2: Ability of faba bean products to support hemoglobin response in rats

To evaluate the dietary protein utilization and iron deficiency anemia as affected by the faba bean nutrient intake, a bioassay with rats was carried out with different experimental diets containing four faba bean products (stewed beans ‘Medammis’, deep fried dough ‘Falafel’, boiled germinated beans ‘Nabet Soup’ and poured paste ‘Bissara’) widely consumed in the Middle East. Amino acid composition of all faba bean products was determined and compared to raw beans. Severe heat-processing markedly decreased some essential amino acids, especially phenylalanine, cystine, methionine and tryptophan. Protein scores were 24.6, 19.5, 29.2, 28.2 and 35.6 for raw faba beans, ‘Medammis’, ‘Falafel’, ‘Nabet Soup’ and ‘Bissara’, respectively. ‘Bissara’ possessed the highest nutritional value, since it had the lowest GDR value [Grams consumed of product to cover the daily requirements for adult man in protein (63 g) and in energy (2900 kcal)] for the limiting amino acids (L A A). As indicated by P S/150 values [Satisfaction of the daily requirements of the adult man when 150 g (one can content) are consumed of product] for L A A, i.e. methionine+cystine (lowest P S/150 value), the above-mentioned faba bean products cover about 53, 77, 77 and 97% of the daily requirements of adult man in L A A, respectively. Fecal nitrogen excretion increased and true nitrogen digestibility decreased significantly (p<0.01) with the inclusion of ‘Medammis’ in the diet. ‘Nabet Soup’ exhibited the highest true nitrogen digestibility. In contrast, the biological value of nitrogen was apparently unaffected. Highest blood hemoglobin level was found in rats fed diets containing ‘Bissara’, ‘Falafel’ and ‘Nabet Soup’, whereas the addition of ‘Medammis’ in the diet induced a significant (p<0.05) reduction in blood hemoglobin level of fed rats.     

Variation in Contents of Total Phenolics and Flavonoids and Antioxidant Activities in the Leaves of 11 <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eriobotrya</Emphasis> Species

Eriobotrya plants are known to have significant amounts of phenolics and flavonoids, and exhibit a strong antioxidant activity. Experiments were conducted to examine variation in the contents of total phenolics and flavonoids, and antioxidant activities in the leaves of 11 Eriobotrya species (Tibet loquat, Daduhe loquat, Hengchun loquat, Taiwan loquat, Oak leaf loquat, Bengal loquat, Fragrant loquat, Guangxi loquat, Obovate loquat, Big flower loquat, and common loquat, the last species include two materials, one is a cultivar ‘Zaozhong 6’, another is a wild tree). In these species, ‘Zaozhong 6′ loquat is a cultivar. The leaf extracts of ‘Tibet’, ‘Obovate’, ‘Taiwan’, ‘Bengal’ and ‘Hengchun’ loquats exhibited significantly higher contents of total flavonoids and total phenolics, compared with those of other species. Of these 11 species, the highest contents of total phenolics and total flavonoids were observed in ‘Tibet’ and ‘Obovatae’ loquats, respectively. The significantly stronger antioxidant abilities assessed by the DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power were obtained in the leaf extracts of ‘Taiwan’, ‘Tibet’, ‘Bengal’, ‘Oak leaf’, ‘Hengchun’ and ‘Obovate’ loquats, compared with the other species. In addition, significant correlations were found between the contents of total phenolics or flavonoids and DPPH radical scavenging activity/reducing power. This work indicates that the leaf extracts of the wild Eriobotrya species, ‘Tibet’, ‘Obovatae’, ‘Taiwan’, ‘Bengal’, ‘Oak leaf’ and ‘Hengchun’ loquats, exhibited significantly higher levels of total phenolics and flavonoids, and significantly stronger antioxidant activities, compared with the cultivated species, ‘Zaozhong 6′ loquat, which suggests that these wild species have a better utilization value.     

Some remarks on the use of TE1 (Solanum chacoense) as a test plant for potato virus Y

Summary All strains investigated of PVY^c, PVYⁿ and PVY^o, even a strain of PVY^o, which did not produce local lesions on ‘A6’, induced pin-point necrotic lesions on detached and non-detached leaflets of TE₁ (Solanum chacoense) 3–4 days after inoculation. However, the local lesion production per cm² on ‘A6’ leaflets was higher than that on leaflets of TE₁ after inoculation with various dilutions of PVY. Moreover, the foliage production of TE₁ was much lower than that of ‘A6’. Therefore TE₁ is less suitable for routine detection of PVY than ‘A6’.     

Psyllium and acrylic acid based polymeric networks synthesized under the influence of γ-radiations for sustained release of fungicide

The present study deals with the utilization of psyllium and acrylic acid based hydrogels, synthesized under the influence of γ-radiations, in sustained delivery of copper sulfate, used as a fungicide in agricultural fields. Swelling behavior of the synthesized hydrogel was investigated in distilled water as functions of time, temperature, and pH. It was found that the hydrogel showed maximum of 10,578 % swelling at 25 °C for 24 h. The hydrogel was then checked for its sustained fungicide release behavior. It was observed that the hydrogel has been found to follow Non-Fickian type mechanism for the fungicide release. The ‘n’ and ‘k’ have been found to be 0.71 and 7.61×10⁻³, respectively.     

Chemical and Morphological Characteristics of New Clones and Commercial Varieties of Globe Artichoke (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cynara cardunculus</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">scolymus</Emphasis>)

The globe artichoke is a widely consumed vegetable in the Mediterranean Basin, with Italy being the leading producer. In southern Italy, its cultivation contributes to local economic stability and social development. The producers are increasingly choosing to replace autochthonous varieties, such as ‘Violetto di Sicilia’, with cultivars bred or selected outside of the region, putting pressure on the maintenance of traditional varieties. Here, we have undertaken a detailed morphological and chemical analysis of a group of clones selected from a population of ‘Violetto di Sicilia’. All the traits measured displayed genetic variation, particularly the total content of phenolics and minerals. The capitula of the ‘Violetto di Sicilia’ clones contained, on average, 6.3 g kg⁻¹ of fresh weight total phenolics, compared with 4.5 g kg⁻¹ in the two commercial varieties. The clones also had more inulin than commercial varieties (254 vs. 225 g kg⁻¹ of dry matter), as well as a good mineral content. The set of clones is of interest in the context of the proposed improvement of the crop through breeding and selection of genotypes with high nutritional quality and a specific end-use (industrial processing or fresh consumption).     

Pomological and Nutraceutical Properties in Apricot Fruit: Cultivation Systems and Cold Storage Fruit Management

We have investigated the effect of cultivation systems and fruit post-harvest management on the antioxidant properties of apricot fruits. Trees of five cultivars ‘Tyrinthos’, ‘Cafona’, ‘Bella d’Italia’, ‘Vitillo’ and ‘Pellecchiella’ were cultivated under integrated and organic systems. Fruits were collected at full maturity stage and analyzed either immediately or after storage at 4±0.5 °C and 85% of relative humidity for seven and 14 days. The main pomological traits (weight, colour, flesh firmness, total soluble sugars, titratable acidity) and antioxidant properties were analyzed. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC by TEAC method), total phenols content (TP by Folin-Ciocalteu method) and carotenoid content by HPLC-DAD were monitored. Cultivar characterization by principal component analysis (PCA) indicated a large variability on pomological and antioxidant properties of apricot fruits. ‘Bella d’Italia’ showed better TAC and TP values compared to the other cultivars. ANOVA interactions between cultivar and cultivation system (organic/integrated) were found for the antioxidant properties. These interactions may help to select a set of genotypes with better performances under organic system, which in our study might be indicated in ‘Cafona’ and ‘Bella d’Italia’.     

Chenopodium quinoa strains suitable for quantitative assay of potato virus S

Summary Eight strains ofChenopodium quinoa were compared, under the controlled conditions, to determine their sensitivity in terms of local lesion production by potato virus S. ‘Valdivia’, one of the most sensitive strains to three isolates of PVS, produced numerous visible local lesions 5 days after inoculation. ‘Selection C’ also was highly susceptible to the three virus isolates, and local lesions were more distinctive than those in ‘valdivia’.

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Zusammenfassung Um die Anf?lligkeit für 3 Isolate des Kartoffelvirus S (PVS) zu bestimmen, wurden 8 Linien vonChenopodium quinoa in einer Klimakammer (27 °C bei 16 Stunden Lichtdauer; Lichtintensit?t: 5380 Lux) untersucht. Klare Unterschiede wurden gefunden im Typ der Lokall?sionen, im Grad der L?sionsdeutlichkeit, in der L?sionsgr?sse und in der Inkubationsdauer (Tabelle 1, Abb. 1). Dagegen wurden in der Reaktion der 8 Linien vonC. quinoa zwischen den drei geprüften PVS-Isolaten keine ausgepr?gten Unterschiede festgestellt. In einem detaillierten Vergleich erzeugte ‘Valdivia’, eine der empfindlichsten Linien, 5 Tage nach der Inokulation zahlreiche Lokall?sionen. Die Lokall?sionen auf ‘Selection C’ waren ausgepr?gter als jene auf ‘Valdivia’ (Abb. 2). Es kann also daraus geschlossen werden, dass ‘Valdivia’ und ‘Selection C’ als Massentestpflanzen für PVS gleich gut geeignet sind. Die Auswahl zur Benützung einer dieser Linien kann vom speziellen Zweck einer vorgesehenen Studie abh?ngen.

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Résumé Afin de déterminer leur sensibilité à 3 isolats de virus S de la pomme de terre (PVS), 8 souches deChenopodium quinoa ont été testées dans un phytotron (27 °C avec photopériode de 16 heures; intensité lumineuse: 5380 lux). Nous avons trouvé de nettes différences entre les types de lésions locales, le degré de différenciation des lésions, leur taille et période d’incubation (tableau 1, figure 1). Cependant, aucune différence perceptible entre les 3 isolats de PVS testés n’a pu être faite quant aux réactions des 8 souches deC. quinoa. Dans une comparison détaillée, ‘valdivia’ l’une des souches les plus sensibles, a provoqué de nombreuses lésions locales 5 jours après inoculation. Les lésions locales sur ‘sélection C’ étaient plus caractéristiques que celles sur ‘valdivia’ (figure 2). Ainsi, nous pouvons conclure que ‘valdivia’ et ‘sélection C’ conviennent toutes deux comme plantes pour le dosage de PVS. Le choix de l’une ou l’autre de ces souches dépend des buts particuliers de chaque étude.

     

Laboratory screening for resistance to gangrene and toFusarium dry rot in potato

Summary For laboratory screening for resistance to gangrene andFusarium dry rot, the ‘scrape and paint’ method was compared to a ‘prick and paint’ method. In the latter method the potatoes were wounded before inoculation by rolling them over a group of nail points. The disease scores increased when the length of the nail points was increased from 2 to 6 mm, but the scores were lower than for scraped potatoes. For the 10 cultivars used, the results for the pricked and the scraped potatoes correlated equally well with the results from a ‘field inoculation’ method. The two laboratory methods discriminated equally well between resistant and susceptible cultivars. However, pricking is much less laborious than scraping. In routine tests with the ‘prick and paint’ method, differences between cultivars were highly significant over three years for resistance to gangrene but less significant forFusarium dry rot.

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Zusammenfassung Für die Laborprüfung auf Resistenz gegenPhoma-Faule (Phoma exigua var.foveata) undFusarium-Trockenf?ule (Fusarium solani var.coeruleum) wurde die ‘scrape and paint’-Methode von Wiersema (1977a) mit einer ‘prick and paint’-Methode verglichen, wobei Kartoffeln vor Inokulation durch Rollen über eine Gruppe von Nagelspitzen, 1 cm auseinander und von einer h?lzernen Basis aufw?rtsweisend, besch?digt wurden. Für beide Krankheiten stieg der Krankheitsindex an, wenn die L?nge der Nagelspitzen von 2 auf 4 und 6 mm anstieg, war im Ganzen jedoch niedriger als bei geschürften Kartoffeln (Tabellen 2 und 4). Für die zehn für jeden Erreger in den Versuchen verwendeten Sorten korrelierten die Ergebnisse bei ‘prick’ (Rollen über Nagelspitzen) und ‘scrape’ (Schürfen) gleichermassen mit einem vermutlich besser zu verwirklichendem Feld-Inokulationstest (Bjor, 1980), dessen Ergebnisse in Tabelle 1 dargestellt sind. Die Unterscheidung von Sorten unterschiedlicher Resistenz war mindestens so deutlich beim ‘prick’ — wie beim ‘scrape’-Test, wie die F-Werte für Sorten in der Varianzanalyse zeigen (Tabellen 2 und 4). Darüberhinaus ist die ‘prick’-Methode betr?chtlich weniger arbeitsaufwendig als die ‘scrape’-Methode. Die ‘prick and paint’-Methode mit 4 mm-Nagelspitzen ergab Unterschiede zwischen 14 Standard-Sorten in Routinetests aus drei verschiedenen Jahren beiPhoma-F?ule, aber nicht so gut beiFusarium-Trockenf?ule (Tabelle 6). Die Korrelation zwischen den Ergebnissen nach der ‘prick and paint’-Methode und dem Feld-Inokulationstest bei den 14 Sorten warr=0,86 undr=0,71 beiPhoma-bzw.Fusarium-F?ule. Allerdings war die Variation innerhalb der Sorten bei Resistenz gegenPhoma-F?ule betr?chtlich gr?sser als die bei Resistenz gegenFusarium-Trockenf?ule.

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Résumé Le criblage au laboratoire pour la résistance à la gangrène (Phoma exigua var.foveata) et à la pourriture sèche fusarienne (Fusarium solani var.coeruleum) est réalisé selon deux méthodes. La méthode du ‘grattage et du badigeonnage’ est comparée à celle de la ‘piq?re et du badigeonnage’ où les pommes de terre sont blessées avant l'inoculation en les faisant passer sur un groupe de 10 clous distants de 1 cm, orientés vers le haut et fixés sur un support de bois. Pour les deux maladies, la note de maladie augmente quand la longueur de la pointe des clous passe de 2 à 4 et 6 mm, mais les tubercules blessés par piq?res sont moins malades que ceux ayant subi des égratignures (tableaux 2 et 4). Pour les 10 cultivars inclus dans les expériences pour chacune des maladies, les résultats des tubercules blessés par chacune des 2 méthodes sont également corrélés avec ceux d'un test ‘inoculation au champ’, plus s?r (Bjor, 1980) figurant au tableau 1. Le classement des cultivars de différents niveau de résistance est aussi clair à partir des tubercules blessés par piq?re que ceux blessés par grattage comme le montre la valeur du F pour les cultivars, des analyses de variance (tableaux 2 et 4). De plus, la méthode des piq?res est beaucoup moins fastidieuse que la méthode par égratignures. La méthode des piq?res avec des pointes de clous de 4 mm reproduit les différences entre 14 cultivars de référence inclus dans des tests de routine depuis 3 ans pour la gangrène, mais de fa?on moins nette pour la fusariose (tableau 6). La corrélation entre les résultats obtenus avec la méthode des piq?res et le test ‘d'inoculation au champ’ pour les 14 cultivars estr=0,86 etr=0,71, respectivement pour la gangrène et la fusariose. En outre, la variabilité des cultivars pour la résistance à la gangrène est considérablement plus grande que celle vis-à-vis de la fusariose (Figure 1).

     

Beziehungen zwischen Stengel- und Knollenzahl bei der Kartoffel in Abhängigkeit von wichtigen Einflußfaktoren. I. Der Einfluß der Pflanzgutvorbehandlung und der Sorte

Zusammenfassung Die Pflanzgutvorbehandlung beeinflu?te die Stengelzahl signifikant. Abgekeimtes Pflanzgut der Sorten ‘Adretta’ und ‘Mariella’ entwickelte weniger Stengel und Knollen pro Pflanze jedoch mehr Knollen pro Stengel als vorgekeimtes und keimgestimmtes Pflanzgut. Die st?rker negativen Korrelationen zwischen Stengelzahl pro Pflanze und Knollenzahl pro Stengel sowie die h?here Reduktionsrate der angelegten Knollen bei der Sorte ‘Adretta’ weisen auf Sortenunterschiede in der Sch?rfe der Konkurrenz zwischen den Stengeln und innerhalb der Knollenanlagen eines Stengels hin. Die Ernteknollenzahl wurde bei ‘Mariella’ wesentlich durch die Zahl der Knollenanlagen, bei ‘Adretta’ hingegen st?rker durch die Reduktionsrate bestimmt.

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Summary Three different seed treatments and two cultivars were studied over seven years of field experiments (Table 1). Differences were detected between the cultivars in all characteristics studied: numbers of stems, maximum number of tubers (tuber initials), the number of harvestable tubers (>3 cm) at maturity per plant and per stem, and tuber reduction (percentage of initiated tubers that did not develop). Apart from the number of harvestable tubers, there were also differences between seed treatments (Tables 2, 3 and 4). Chitted seed of ‘Mariella’ and sprouted seed of ‘Adretta’ gave the greatest number of tubers per plant (Tables 3 and 4). In both cases desprouting reduced the numbers of stems and tubers per plant but increased the number of harvestable tubers per stem. Chitted seed set the most tubers per plant and per stem but had the highest levels of tuber reduction (Table 4). Due to intra- and inter-stem competition in both cultivars the percentage tuber reduction is significantly correlated with the number of tuber initials (maximum tuber number, Table 5). Smaller numbers of tubers per stem (Table 3) and significantly negative correlations between the number of stems and the maximum and harvestable number of tubers per stem (Table 5) highlight the effect of strong inter-stem competition in ‘Adretta’. Moreover, in this cultivar intra-stem competition seems to play an important role too. The rate of tuber reduction was significantly higher than in ‘Mariella’ (Table 3), and the final number of tubers significantly depended on the percentage of tuber reduction during the period of tuber growth (r=0,57^*, Table 5). In contrast, the number of harvestable tubers per plant in ‘Mariella’ was significantly correlated with the maximum tuber number during the period of tuber set (r=0,61^*, Table 5).

     

Beitrag zur Bestimmung der relativen Resistenz gegen Potato Virus X (PVX) an In-vitro-Pflanzen der Kartoffel

Zusammenfassung In-vitro-Pflanzen von PVX-resistenten (‘Schwalbe’, ‘Karella N’) und--anf?lligen Genotypen (‘Turbella N’, ‘Ogonjok’) in unsteriler Kultur auf Kiessubstrat wurden mechanisch inokuliert (Isolat PVX-‘Erstling’, Glasst?bchen). Eine quantitative Absch?tzung der relativen Viruskonzentration mittels ELISA 7...42 Tage nach der Inokulation (dpi) ergab bei den resistenten Genotypen im Mittel von 5 Versuchen mit 82 und 83% (70...90%) einen gegenüber den anf?lligen Formen (19 und 20%, 0...40%) signifikant h?heren Anteil Pflanzen mit gehemmter Virusvermehrung (E_{405 nm}≤1,0). Eine damit übereinstimmende Einstufung erfuhren die 4 geprüften Genotypen bei Absch?tzung der relativen Viruskonzentration an prim?rinfizierten Topf- und sekund?rinfizierten Freilandpflanzen.

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Summary The suitability of in vitro plants for determining relative (quantitative) PVX resistance was examined using resistant (‘Schwalbe’, ‘Karella N’) and susceptible (‘Turbella N’, ‘Ogonjok’) genotypes. They were grown in non-sterile gravel augmented with 2 ml of 0.45% Wopil solution (a mixture of nutrient salts with trace elements; VEB Chemiekombinat, Bitterfeld, DDR) and mechanically inoculated (glass rod) with the ‘Erstling’ isolate of PVX. The relative virus concentration in 10–15 in vitro plantlets of each genotype was estimated quantitatively using ELISA after 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days (Fig. 1). The resistant genotypes had significantly higher proportions of plants with restricted virus multiplication (E_{405 nm}≤1.0) than the susceptible ones: means over five experiments were 82 and 83% for the resistant genotypes (70...90%) and 19 and 20% for the susceptible (0...40%)-Fig. 2. Estimation of the virus concentration in primary infected pot and secondary infected field plants of the four tested genotypes showed good agreement with established resistance rankings.

     

Microtuberization of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) as Influenced by Supplementary Nutrients, Plant Growth Regulators, and In Vitro Culture Conditions

Five experiments with in vitro-grown plantlets of potato cvs ‘Superior,’ ‘Early Valley,’ ‘Golden Valley,’ and ‘Winter Valley’ were carried out to investigate in a stepwise approach the potential for enhancing microtuber production of (1) adding supplementary nutrients (SN) including KNO₃, NH₄H₂PO₄, Ca(NO₃)₂.4H₂O, and MgSO₄ in full- or half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, (2) adding a pretested combination of plant growth regulators (PGRs), i.e., 10 mg l⁻¹ 6-benzyl aminopurine plus 200 mg l⁻¹ succinic acid 2,2-dimethylhydrazide, (3) varying the timing of the supplemental applications, and (4) varying the replenishment of the medium. Plantlets of ‘Superior’ for microtuberization were grown from two-node explants for 75 days under environmental conditions consisting of 22 ± 2 °C and a 16-h photoperiod on a solid basal medium consisting of half-strength MS (1/2 MS) medium containing 6 % sucrose and a moderate concentration of supplementary nutrients, SN-2 (KNO₃, 1.22 g l⁻¹; NH₄H₂PO₄, 1.41 g l⁻¹; Ca(NO₃)₂4H₂O, 0.23 g l⁻¹; and MgSO₄, 0.74 g l⁻¹). Thereafter, plantlets were grown for 60 days under dark conditions. Liquid media containing different combinations of MS, SN, and PGR levels plus 8 % sucrose were added as a supplement and were evaluated for their ability to increase tuberization compared to the control composition of the supplement (MS with 8 % sucrose). In the first experiment, addition of 1/2 MS liquid medium containing 8 % sucrose and SN-2 before dark incubation induced the highest total number of microtubers (on average 1.4 per plantlet), a significantly higher weight and size than the control, and the highest percentage (50 %) of large-sized (>500 mg) microtubers. In the second experiment, addition of 1/2 MS liquid medium containing 8 % sucrose, SN-2, and PGRs produced the highest number (on average 1.5 per plantlet) and total yield (on average 971 mg per plantlet) of microtubers, and significantly the highest percentage (66 %) of large-sized (>500 mg) microtubers. The size of the microtubers was higher than for the treatment without growth regulators. The optimum time for addition of supplemental medium containing 8 % sucrose, SN-2, and PGRs was shown in experiment 3 to be latest 1 week before dark incubation. This timing resulted in both the highest microtuber number (on average 1.6 per plantlet) and yield (on average 1208 mg per plantlet), and the highest percentage (64 %) of large-sized microtubers. Finally, it was found that a second supplemental treatment consisting of 50 % replacement of the liquid medium (by volume) 2 weeks after transfer to dark conditions gave rise to the highest number (on average 1.9 per plantlet), yield (on average 1346 mg per plant), and also significantly the highest percentage (25 %) of large-sized microtubers (>1000 mg) as compared to replacement of a greater or smaller proportion of the medium. Four potato cultivars, ‘Superior,’ ‘Early Valley,’ ‘Golden Valley,’ and ‘Winter Valley’ produced acceptable numbers and yield of microtubers of relatively large-sized tubers using a process that included supplemental liquid medium with 1/2 MS, 8 % sucrose, moderate concentration (SN-2) of SNs and PGRs, followed by a 50 % replacement of the same medium.     

Antioxidative and Anticancer Activity of Extracts of Cherry (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus serrulata</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">spontanea</Emphasis>) Blossoms

Organic solvent (methanol, ethanol, and acetone) extracts and water extracts of cherry (Prunus serrulata var. spontanea) blossoms were prepared, and antioxidant activities of the extracts were evaluated. Methanolic CBE (100 μg/ml) showed the highest total phenol content (104.30 μM), radical scavenging activity (34.2%), and reducing power (0.391). The effect of CBE on DNA damage induced by H₂O₂ in human leukocytes was evaluated by Comet assay. All CBE was a potent dose dependent inhibitor of DNA damage induced by 200 μM of H₂O₂, methanolic CBE showed the most strong inhibition activity. The methanolic CBE of 500 μg/ml showed 38.8% inhibition against growth of human colon cancer cell line HT-29. These results indicated that cherry blossoms could provide valuable bioactive materials.     

The response of potato (Solanum spp.) to photoperiod and light intensity under high temperatures

Summary The growth, development and yield of seven cultivars were evaluated under field conditions with photoperiods from 11.5 to 16 hours and light intensities from full light (≧12 MJ/m²/day) to only 42% light in in 3 experiments in the Philippines. The longer photoperiod significantly delayed and reduced tuberization, promoted profuse haulm growth, resulting in: more branching, increased plant height, more flowering, many secondary stems and delayed plant senescence. ‘DTO-33’ was least affected by long photoperiod, followed by ‘Red Pontiac’ and ‘Désirée’. Shading resulted in delayed tuber initiation, taller plants, thinner stems, smaller leaves but longer canopy duration and a slightly larger canopy. ‘DTO-33’ was least affected by shading followed by ‘Désirée’, ‘LT-2’ and ’Red Pontiac’. ‘LT-5’ and ‘P-3’ suffered the greatest tuber yield reduction through shading.     

Influence of Storage Environment,Surface Coating,and Individual Shrink Wrapping on Quality Assurance of Guava (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Psidium guajava</Emphasis>) Fruits

Guava (Psidium guajava) fruits of cv. L-49 with individual shrink wrapping using 9 LLDPE film could be successfully stored up to 12 days at ambient and 18 days in evaporative cool chamber with negligible loss in vitamin C content. The untreated fruits lose 25–30% of ascorbic acid within 1week after harvest. Delay in senescence and metabolic activities as supported by less changes in soluble solids, sugars, acidity, respiration, and ethylene evaluation rate was also observed in individual shrink wrapped fruits in cool chamber. The spoilage of fruits by Fusarium rots was significantly less in cool chamber in individually shrink wrapped fruits followed by Sta-fresh treatment. Sta-fresh was more effective in cool chamber than ambient. Individually stored wrapped fruits scored a better value of sensory score than Sta-fresh under both the storage condition.     

Reactions of some old and new British potato cultivars to tobacco rattle virus

Summary Fourteen potato cultivars were grown on sandy land in Norfolk infested withTrichodorus pachydermas carrying tobacco rattle virus (TRV). Four out of five old cultivars showed few or no symptoms of spraing, whereas six out of nine modern cultivars were moderately or severely affected. In cultivars that showed severe spraing, TRV rarely passed from affected tubers to progeny plants and tubers, but did so more often in cultivars that showed slight spraing. Haulm symptoms in progeny plants consisted of stem-mottle, sometimes including figure aucuba. Some of the tubers produced by plants with stem-mottle showed internal markings whose severity was related to that of the primary spraing in that cultivar.Arran Pilot showed neither spraing nor stem-mottle; its roots resisted infection by vector-borne TRV, but its leaves were infected by manual inoculation with infective sap. TRV was transmitted by inoculation of sap to indicator plants from more than 90% of freshly dug tubers showing spraing, and of shoots showing stem-mottle.

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Zusammenfassung Versuche wurden angestellt um abzukl?ren, ob die in Zuckerrüben des East Anglia Distrikts in England weitverbreiteten Tabakrattlevirusst?mme (TRV) Pfropfenbildung und Stengelbunt bei Kartoffeln verursachen und um die Reaktionen einiger neuer und alter Kartoffelzüchtungen auf TRV zu vergleichen. Vierzehn Züchtungen wurden in Norfolk in sandigen Boden, der mitTrichodorus pachydermus als TRV-Tr?ger infiziert war, ausgepflanzt. Im Juii zeigte sich in den jungen Knollen Pfropfenbildung, aber meistens verst?rkte sich der Befall im Laufe des Monats August (Abb. 1). Vier von fünf alten Züchtungen zeigten weinige oder keine Symptome (Abb. 2), w?hrend 6 von 9 neuen Züchtungen mittleren oder starken Befall aufwiesen (Abb. 3, Tabelle 2). Bei Züchtungen mit starker Pfropfenbildung übertrug sich das TRV nur selten von den befallenen Knollen auf die im folgenden Jahr auf TRV-freiem Land erzeugten Pflanzen und Knollen der Nachkommenschaft, aber bei Züchtungen mit schwacher Pfropfenbildung (Abb. 2) geschah dies um so ?fters. Die Symptome an den Stengeln der nachgebauten Pflanzen bestanden aus Stengelbunt, manchmal auch aus Aucubamusterung. Einige Knollen von Pflanzen mit Stengelbunt zeigten innere Merkmale, deren Ausgepr?gtheit mit jener des Erstbefalles durch Pfropfenbildung der betreffenden Züchtung im Zusammenhang stand (vergl. Abb. 3 und 4; 5 und 6). Das TRV konnte von mehr als 90% der frisch geernteten Knollen mit Pfropfenbildung (Tabelle 1) und von Trieben mit Stengelbunt durch Saftinokulation auf die Testpflanzen übertragen werden. Die SorteArran Pilot wies weder Pfropfenbildung noch Stengelbunt auf, ihre Wurzeln widerstanden der Infektion durch das mittels Vektor übertragene TRV (Tabelle 3), aber ihre Bl?tter wurden durch Inokulation von Hand mit infekti?sem Saft infiziert. Kartoffelzüchter sollten bei der Auslese von Neuzüchtungen das Verhalten gegenüber TRV in Betracht ziehen, aber Inokulation von Stengeln mit Saft ist nicht genügend wirksam, um S?mlinge auf TRV-Resistenz auszulesen. Sorten, die gegen Pfropfenbildung, verursacht durch das TRV, widerstandsf?hig sind, sind aber nicht notwendigerweise auch widerstandsf?hig gegen Pfropfenbildungssymptome, die durch das Mop-top-Virus hervorgerufen werden. Das Vorkommen von systemischer TRV-Infektion von Kartoffeln ist unberechenbar und scheint vom Genotyp der Wirtspflanze, vom Virusstamm und von den Umweltsbedingungen abh?ngig zu sein. Infizierte Pflanzen von Züchtungen, die zu Stengelbuntbefall neigen, wirken wahrscheinlich als TRV-Quellen für virusfreie Populationen von übertragungsf?higen Nematoden.

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Résumé Des expériences visent à établir si les souches du ‘tobacco rattle virus’ (TRV), qui est répandu sur la betterave à sucre dans le distriet East Anglia, cause le ‘spraing’ (arcs de liége dans la chair) et le ‘stem-mottle’ (cercles jaunatres, dessins lineaires, aspect ‘aucuba’, mouchetures avec malformation sur les feuilles d'une ou plusieurs tiges) chez la pomme de terre, et aussi à comparer les réactions de TRV à quelques nouveaux et vieux cultivars de pomme de terre. Quatorze cultivars sont mis à pousser dans le Norfolk sur sol sablonneux, infesté avecTrichodorus pachydermus porteurs du TRV. Le ‘spraing’ apparait dans les jeunes, tubercules en juillet mais sa manifestation fut la plus forte durant le mois d'ao?t (Fig. 1). Quatre des cinq vieux cultivars ne montrérent que peu ou pas de sympt?mes (Fig. 2), tandis que six des cultivars récents étaient modérément ou sévèrement affectés (Fig. 3. Tableau 2). Chez les cultivars qui montraient un ‘spraing’ sévère. TRV passait rarement des tubercules affeetés aux plantes et tubercules de la descendance sur sol libre de TRV, mais passait plus souvent dans la descendance dans le cas de cultivars qui montraient un ‘spraing’ léger (Tableau 2). Les sympt?mes sur fane dans les plantes de la descendance consistaient en ‘stem-mottle’ avec parfois l'aspeet ‘aucuba’. Quelques-uns des tubercules produits par les plantes avec du ‘stem-mottle’ montraient des marques internes dont la sévérité était en rapport avec celle du ‘spraing’ primaire dans ce cultivar (comparez Fig, 3 et 4; 5 et 6). TRV est transmis par inoculation de jus aux plantes-tests à partir de plus de 90% des tubercules fraichement récoltés montrant le ‘spraing’ (Tableau 1) et à partir de pousses montrant le ‘stem-mottle’.Arran Pilot ne montrait ni ‘spraing’ ni ‘stemmottle’; les racines résistaient à l'infection par TRV apporté par le vecteur, mais les feuiiles s'infectaient à la suite d'inoculation manuelle avec jus infectieux. Les améliorateurs on à considérer les réactions au TRV dans la sélection de nouveaux cultivars, mais l'inoculation de jus au feuillage n'est pas un moyen efficace de sélectionner les plantules pour la résistance au TRV. Cependant, les cultivars résistants au ‘spraing’ causé par TRV ne sont pas nécessairement résistants au ‘spraing’ causé par le ‘potato mop-top virus’. L'apparition d'un, infection systémique TRV sur la pomme de terre est irrégulière et parait dépendre du génotype de la plante-h?te, de la souche de virus et des conditions de milieu. Les plantes infectées de cultivars prédisposées au ‘stem-mottle’ agissent probablement comme sources de TRV poar les populations indemnes de virus des nématodes vecteurs.

     

Improved Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Potential in Mice Consuming Sour Cherry Juice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus Cerasus</Emphasis> cv. Maraska)

The present investigation tested the in vivo antioxidant efficacy (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; glutathione peroxidase; Gpx), lipid peroxidation (LPO) and anti-inflammatory properties (cyclooxygenase-2; COX-2) of sour cherry juices obtained from an autochthonous cultivar (Prunus cerasus cv. Maraska) that is grown in coastal parts of Croatia. Antioxidant potential was tested in mouse tissue (blood, liver, and brain), LPO (liver, brain) and anti-inflammatory properties in glycogen elicited macrophages. Additionally, the concentration of cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-rutinoside, pelargonidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin-3-rutinoside and total anthocyanins present in Prunus cerasus cv. Maraska cherry juice was determined. Mice were randomly divided into a control group (fed with commercial food pellets) and 2 experimental groups (fed with commercial food pellets with 10% or 50% of cherry juice added). Among the anthocyanins, the cyanidin-3-glucoside was present in the highest concentration. These results show antioxidant action of cherry juice through increased SOD (liver, blood) and Gpx (liver) activity and decreased LPO concentration. The study highlights cherry juice as a potent COX-2 inhibitor and antioxidant in the liver and blood of mice, but not in the brain. Thus, according to our study, Prunus cerasus cv. Maraska cherry juice might potentially be used as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory product with beneficial health-promoting properties.     

Effect of Girdling on Levels of Catechins in Fresh Leaf in Relation to Quality of ‘Huang Zhi Xiang’ Oolong Tea

Oolong tea is one of the most popular beverages due to the presence of significant amount of catechins. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of girdling treatment on levels of catechins in fresh tea leaf related to quality of the ‘Huang Zhi Xiang’ Oolong tea (Camellia sinensis). The variations in the levels of catechins in fresh tea leaf and the quality score (QS) of the ‘Huang Zhi Xiang’ Oolong tea were examined. The study demonstrated that girdling treatment increased significantly the levels of (−)-epicatechin, (−)-epigallocatechin, (−)-epigallocatechin gallate, (−)-epicatechin gallate, total catechins, simple catechin, and catechin gallate present in fresh leaf of tea trees. Furthermore, the girdling treatment improved significantly the quality of the ‘Huang Zhi Xiang’ Oolong tea. Thus, it was suggested that application of girdling treatment could be an effective agronomic practice to increase the quality of ‘Huang Zhi Xiang’ Oolong tea.