Yield and fruit quality of ‘Gala’ and ‘Fuji’ apple trees protected by white anti-hail net

Covering apple orchards with nets protects them from hailstorms but this changes the amount and quality of the light supplied to the trees. This study was carried out to assess the effects of shade provided by white protection net on yield and fruit quality of apple orchards in Southern Brazil, along three growing seasons (2002/2003, 2003/2004, and 2004/2005). ‘Gala’ and ‘Fuji’ apple trees (on MM111 rootstock, raised as slender spindles, with a spacing of 5.5 m × 3 m) were left uncovered (control trees) or covered with white net. The white net reduced the photosynthetically active radiation (λ = 400–700 nm) accumulated over the trees’ canopy along a day by 18.4%, leading to a higher leaf chlorophyll content in both cultivars, and a higher specific leaf area in ‘Gala’. The shade provided by the net did not affect yield and increased fruit average weight in both cultivars. At harvest, the number of seeds per fruit and severity of russet were not affected by netting in both cultivars, as well as the incidence of watercore in ‘Fuji’. The main beneficial effects of the white net were the reduced incidence of sunburn on ‘Gala’, reduced incidence of bitter pit during cold storage in both cultivars, and reduced incidence of apple scab at harvest and of decay after cold storage in ‘Fuji’. Fruit fly damage in ‘Gala’ (assessed in one season) was reduced by netting. However, netting affected negatively some fruit quality attributes. ‘Gala’ and ‘Fuji’ apples from trees protected by the net had a poor skin color (pale blush and a more intense green background color) at harvest. The net reduced flesh firmness and SSC, and increased the starch index of ‘Gala’ apples at harvest, and reduced flesh firmness and SSC, assessed after cold storage and shelf life, in fruits of both cultivars.     

Cultivar variation in apple peel and whole fruit phenolic composition

The quali-quantitative distribution of phenolic compounds varies considerably between apple flesh and peel, but the concentration of phenolics is substantially higher in the peel than flesh. Because the peel comprises only a small percentage of the entire fruit weight, its significance as a donor of phenolics is disputable. We assessed the contribution of the peel to the total phenolic yield of 19 apple cultivars. Calculations were based on the weight of the whole fruit and the peel (which is frequently discarded) and the concentration of individual phenolic compounds. On average, 8, 24, 32, 50 and 66% of chlorogenic acid, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, phloridzin, and rutin, respectively, were present in the peel, which constitutes about 6–8% of the whole apple weight. With the exception of chlorogenic acid, 50% or more, on average, of the above phenolics were present in the peel of ‘Granny Smith’, ‘Idared’, ‘Red Rome’, ‘Jonamac’ and ‘Gloster’ apples; the highest percentage was found in ‘Starking Delicious’ apple peel (82%). The lowest peel contribution to total phenolic content per whole apple ranged between 26 and 29% and was observed in ‘Pilot’, ‘McIntosh’ and ‘Prima’ apples. Presented results may be useful for further investigations of the relationship between phenolics and agronomical parameters or future selection of apple genotypes having improved nutritional quality when consumed as fresh or as processed apple products.     

Changes of physicochemical quality,phenolics and vitamin C content in hardy kiwifruit (Actinidia arguta and its hybrid) during storage

The effect of storage and the stage of maturity of hardy kiwifruits on the physicochemical quality, phenolics (TPC) and ascorbic acid content (AAC), as well as antioxidant activity (AA) were studied in this work. The phenolic compounds in hardy kiwifruits were separated and characterized by HPLC. The investigation was carried out on the two cultivars of Actinidia arguta – ‘Weiki’, ‘74-49’ and the hybrid of A. arguta and Actinidia purpurea (‘D14’). Fruit firmness rapidly decreased and the soluble solid content (SSC) increased for all cultivars during the first 14 days of storage at 1 °C. The AAC and TPC in vine ripe fruits were similar to the ones of the fruits of storage harvest maturity (8–10% SSC). AA content depended on the clone and either decreased during storage or remained almost unchanged. There was an increase in TPC after 7 days of keeping the fruits in a cold store chamber at the temperature 1 °C, but a longer period of storage caused a decrease in these compounds. AA (at harvest for storage purposes) was higher than that of vine ripe fruits and the ability to absorb free radicals slightly decreased during storage. There was a strong correlation between AAC, TPC and AA. That means that phenolics and vitamin C affect the antioxidant activity of hardy kiwifruits.     

Effect of organic treatments with calcium carbonate and bio-activator on quality of ‘Reinette’ apple cultivars

‘Reinette du Canada’ (RC) and ‘Reinette Grise du Canada’ (RG) apple (Malus × domestica Borkh) cultivars declared throughout the Community as Protected Designation of Origin ‘Manzana Reineta del Bierzo’ are severely affected by bitter-pit during storage. Pre-harvest treatments with calcium carbonate, authorized in organic production, and bio-activator Harpin protein were used to assess the effect on quality at harvest and during cold storage in both apple cultivars during 2007 and 2008. Bitter-pit at the end of storage was higher in ‘RC’ than in ‘RG’, due to the fact that K/Ca ratio in fruit was higher in ‘RC’. Harpin protein did not improve the quality of ‘Reinette’ apple cultivars. Calcium carbonate pre-harvest treatments were useful to decrease external and internal bitter-pit incidence of ‘Reinette’ apple cultivars after 90 days of storage, but differences at the end of storage were not significant. Therefore, calcium carbonate would be a useful product in organic production in order to decrease bitter-pit incidence in ‘Reinette’ apple cultivars during medium term storage.     

Phenolic content and free radical scavenging activities in rambutan during fruit maturation

The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH^•) scavenging activity, changes and accumulation of phenolic content were studied in the peel, seed and pulp of rambutan, Nephelium lappaceum L. (Rongrien and Seeechompoo cultivars) during fruit maturation. The IC₅₀ values of the radical scavenging activity of the peels, in both cultivars remained low through fruit development (1.42–4.75 μg/mL) but the values of the seed and pulps were low at the beginning and increased markedly toward fruit development until harvest (4.87 to >1000 μg/mL). The accumulation of phenolic compounds in rambutan peels of Rongrien and Seechompoo cultivars increased continuously until reaching a maximum of 1653 and 733 mg per fruit at the time of being harvested, at 112 and 98 days after full bloom (DAFB), respectively. Ellagic acid, corilagin and geraniin in the peels of both cultivars were observed and quantified. The major component in the peels of the two cultivars was geraniin. The accumulation of ellagic acid, corilagin and geraniin in the peels increased and reached the maximum at the harvest stage, especially the major constituent of geraniin (1011 and 444 mg/fruit for Rongrien and Seechompoo, respectively). The free radical scavenging property was observed to have a relationship with the phenolic content quantified in different parts of the rambutan fruit. This research demonstrates potential data on phenolic constituents through fruit development, especially in the peels at the time of harvest.     

Temperature affects color and quality characteristics of ‘Pink’ wax apple fruit discs

Red color plays a very important role when wax apple fruits are purchased. Temperature is one of the key factors among those influencing red color development. We evaluated the effects of temperature on color formation and other quality characteristics of ‘Pink’ wax apple fruit discs by using constant, slow-increase, fast-increase, transient shifting to high temperature, shifting to high temperature for different length of time and different day/night temperature regimes. The results show temperature has pronounced effects on quality attributes of wax apple fruit discs. Anthocyanin and total soluble solid (TSS) were greatest in the 20 °C treated discs under constant temperatures. In the slow-increase and fast-increase treatments, quality attributes in disc were better in treatments with a final temperature of 25 °C than of 30 °C. The concentration of soluble sugars (SS), starch, total phenolic compounds (TPC), free amino acids (FAA) and soluble protein (SP) all decreased with increasing temperature. Transient shifting to high temperature of 30 °C for 1-day had no effect on pigmentation but treatment periods from 3- to 5-days had a substantial adverse effect. At 30 °C for 5-days, exposed discs had the lightest weight and shortest diameter as well. Both SS and TPC decreased in the 3- and 5-day treatments. When temperature was shifted from 20 to 30 °C for 2 to 11 days, the widest and heaviest discs were found in the 5-day treatment. Anthocyanin and TSS concentration decreased following increased length of exposure to high temperature. Pigmentation of discs exposed to high temperature treatment was worse than in uncultured controls. Both protein and FAA concentrations decreased after culture. Among the 5 different day/night temperature combinations, discs under 25/20 °C had the highest anthocyanin and TSS concentrations, while those under 30/15 °C had the worst.     

Application of extra sulfur to high-sulfur soils does not increase pungency and related compounds in shortday onions

Sulfur (S) nutrition has a strong influence on onion pungency, and the production of sweet onions in the high-sulfur soil of Texas is a challenge to growers. This study was performed to determine the effects of S applications to fields already having sufficient levels of soil S on pungency and related compounds in four shortday onion cultivars. The onion cultivars ‘Cougar’, ‘Legend’, ‘Texas Early White’, and ‘Texas Grano 1015Y’ were grown in three commercial fields at Edinburg, Mercedes, and Weslaco of the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas with applications of sulfur at 0, 13, and 26 kg S/ha. Pyruvic acid, bulb weight, extractable S in soil and total S in bulb, soluble solids content (SSC), flavor precursor compounds [also called S-alk(en)yl-l-cysteine-sulfoxides (ACSOs)], and total sugars were measured. The pyruvic acid level of onions was not increased by the S applications and showed no significant correlation with soil S levels in any of the cultivars at locations having 30 or 235 ppm S. The SSC, total S in bulbs, total sugars, and total ACSO content also showed no correlation with the S applications and soil S levels. Onion pungency and content of flavor precursor compounds were significantly influenced by cultivar and cultivar × location interaction. We conclude that onion pungency is not increased by application of extra S fertilizer to commercial fields already containing sufficient levels of soil sulfur.     

Phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activities in litchi pericarp: Difference among cultivars

The pericarps of 10 litchi cultivars from two production seasons were studied for their phenolic concentrations and composition and activities of anti-oxidation. The total phenolic concentrations in dried litchi pericarp ranged from 51 to 102 g k g⁻¹. Different cultivars varied considerably in phenolic concentration and composition. Cultivars ‘Nuomici’ exhibited significantly higher concentrations of proanthocyanidins, flavonoids, phenolic acids and therefore total soluble phenolics than the other cultivars, while ‘Lanzhu’ and ‘Guiwei’ had minor values in phenolics. The extracts of litchi pericarp exhibited considerably high ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and strong activities of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging, lipid peroxidation inhibiting, and oxidative DNA damage protection. The crude ethanol extracts of pericarp displayed significantly higher FRAP and stronger DPPH scavenging capacity than butylated hydroxylytoluene (BHT) and catechin. Among the tested cultivars, concentrations of major phenolics had significant linear correlations with FRAP and DPPH scavenging activities. These results indicated that litchi pericarp is rich in natural antioxidant phenolic compounds and different litchi cultivars differed considerably in phenolic concentration and antioxidant activities.     

Fruit set and embryo rescue in crosses using parthenocarpic ‘Mopanshi’ persimmon

The ‘Mopanshi’ persimmon is a seedless, astringent parthenocarpic cultivar that does not produce male flowers. After pollination using four non-astringent cultivars (‘Zenjimaru’, ‘Nishimurawase’, ‘Okugosho’ and ‘Hanagosho’), seeds were produced to different degrees. ‘Mopanshi’ fruits pollinated with ‘Zenjimaru’ produced far more seeds than those pollinated with the other three cultivars. The ratio of abnormal seeds obtained from the fruits pollinated with ‘Hanagosho’ was higher than that obtained from the fruits pollinated with the other three cultivars. Most embryos degenerated in the early to late stages of seed development. Immature embryos were cultured in a modified MS medium (half of NO₃ in MS medium + 0.4 μM BA + 0.1 μM IBA) with the greatest success (52–80%) from embryos taken from fruits 60–80 days after pollination. Seedlings failed to initiate radicles so they were transferred to dark culture conditions for 8 days or to a rooting media that contained 3% sucrose and 1% Chinese ink. The seedlings on the medium darkened with ink rooted at greater than 90.83% compared to 75.83% for dark cultured seedlings. This study demonstrated that ‘Mopanshi’ persimmon could be used as a female parent in crosses, but embryos needed to be moved to tissue culture conditions to continue to develop and form plantlets.     

Chemical changes during myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) fruit development and ripening

The chemical composition of fruit belonging to ‘Barbara’ and ‘Daniela’ myrtle cultivars was monitored during development from fruit-set to an over-ripe stage (July–January), with the aim to identify a reliable maturity index. Acidity, pH, reducing and total sugars, phenols, tannins, anthocyans, carbon dioxide and ethylene production rates were monitored over two different year seasons. Titratable acidity decreased during maturation, with significant differences due to cultivar and year of observation. Reducing sugars increased in both cultivars approximately sevenfold from fruit set to complete maturation. Total sugar content increased similarly ranging from 1.43% and 1.41% at fruit set to 8.28% and 7.56% at maturation for ‘Barbara’ and ‘Daniela’, respectively. Total phenols and tannins occurred at high levels after fruit set and declined during development. Anthocyans levels increased, in both cultivars, according to a sigmoid curve. The pattern of respiration rate showed a gradual decline in both cultivars ranging from 365.81 and 396.42 mg kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ to 79.98 and 52.27 mg kg⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively for ‘Barbara’ and ‘Daniela’ in 2006. A peak of variable size was observed in October–November period. Small increases in ethylene production have been detected during fruit development ranging from 130.57 and 269.14 μL kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ measured at the onset of development to 13.04 and 19.36 μL kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ measured at harvest for ‘Barbara’ and ‘Daniela’, respectively.     

Relationship between early watercore development and leaf photosynthesis or partitioning of photosynthates in apple

Seasonal changes in leaf photosynthetic rate and partitioning of ¹³C taken up by leaves were compared in relation to the development of early watercore using susceptible ‘Orin’ and resistant ‘Fuji’ apples (Malus domestica Borkh.). There was no difference between the cultivars in leaf photosynthetic rate from mid-July to mid-October. The extent of watercore in ‘Orin’ increased from mid-July and peaked in late-August, followed by a decrease through mid-October, while no watercore was detected during the experimental period in ‘Fuji’. Fruit fresh weight and soluble solids content (SSC) were higher in ‘Orin’ than ‘Fuji’ during the earlier stages. Leaf dry weight of ‘Orin’ was higher than that of ‘Fuji’ throughout the experimental period. Accumulation of dry matter in the fruit increased in both cultivars and ‘Orin’ kept significantly higher level than ‘Fuji’ from mid-July to mid-October. The amount of ¹³C distributed to ‘Orin’ fruit at 5 days after labeling was significantly higher than ‘Fuji’ in mid-July just before watercore started to occur. ¹³C taken up by ‘Orin’ fruit with prevalent watercore was also higher than ‘Fuji’ in late-August but the difference was not significant. In mid-October when early watercore was gradually reducing, ¹³C recovered by ‘Orin’ fruit decreased and was significantly lower than ‘Fuji’. The difference of partitioning pattern of ¹³C between the cultivars was associated with the susceptibility to early watercore as well as the changes in fruit growth and SSC. The seasonal changes in the amount of ¹³C distributed to ‘Orin’ fruit were also related to the fluctuations in watercore severity. The results suggest that active phloem transport might be the cause of early watercore in our previous work, which might be induced by the increased partitioning of assimilates to the fruit during summer in susceptible ‘Orin’ compared to resistant ‘Fuji’ and not by the higher potential of leaf photosynthesis.     

Scoring increases carbohydrate availability and berry size in seedless grape ‘Emperatriz’

In grapes, seedlessness is an important quality attribute for fresh consumption. There are seedless cultivars but their berries are often very small. A cane-scoring technique proved effective in increasing average berry size of ‘Emperatriz’ seedless grape by 16% in a 4-year experiment, and increased bunch weight by 8.2–28.6%, compared with unscored bunches, depending on the year, but had no effect in ‘Aledo’ seeded grape. This effect was due to: (1) a significantly higher daily berry growth rate in scored vines at 30–50 d after scoring; (2) an advance in time of accumulation of reducing sugars, particularly glucose; (3) a reduction of berry water potential of seedless ‘Emperatriz’ of similar values to those of seeded ‘Aledo’. Cane scoring showed no negative effect on the number of harvested bunches per vine the year following the scoring year, both in ‘Emperatriz’ and ‘Aledo’ cultivars.     

Top working method and bloom density of pollinizers as productive determinant for spur type apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) cultivars

Apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) shows gametophytic self incompatibility and requires cross pollination by suitable pollinizers. Gradual decline in natural pollinators and insufficient proportion of pollinizers have been observed in the apple orchards over the years across the North Western Himalayan region. This situation resulted in considerable pollination problem in the region. The present study was undertaken (during the years 2006–2010) to examine the effect of top working methods and time as well as type of pollinizers on different growth parameters for efficient pollination management. Chip budding performed in fall, late winter and summer gave significantly higher success rate (90.0, 89.8 and 80.9%, respectively). Other methods viz., side rind graft (85.6%) and cleft graft (71.2%) during February–March, and T-bud (71.7%) during July–August also gave better success. The highest shoot numbers (4.1) and length (92.8 cm) were recorded when chip budding was performed during September–October and February–March, respectively. In 4th year, chip budded scion branches of all the pollinizers recorded significantly higher number of spurs/m twig length with a range of 22.8 (December–January) to 24.7 (September–October). Significantly the highest bloom density (22.1) was recorded on chip budded (February–March) branches of pollinizers in 4th year. Fruit set on top worked trees of ‘Oregon Spur’ was only in the range of 18.0–20.1% in 1st year and reached to the range of 35.6–41.5% in 4th year. Seed numbers/fruit also increased to the range of 7.3–7.9 in 4th year from 2.9 to 4.6 in 1st year. All these factors resulted in better yield efficiency (2.6–3.8) of ‘Oregon Spur’ in 4th year. ‘Manchurian’ crab produced significantly higher shoot length of 86.5–87.2 cm and 146.1–149.2 cm in 1st and 4th years, respectively. However, ‘Stark Spur’ produced the highest number of spurs/m twig length of 28.9 when grafted/chip budded during December–January or February–March, and 27.1 when chip/T-budded during September–October or July–August. Top working with ‘Manchurian’ crab also resulted in significantly higher fruit set (44.2–45.4%) and yield efficiency (3.6–3.8) on ‘Oregon Spur’ in 4th year. This was followed by ‘Stark Spur’ as pollinizer (37.1–38.2% and 2.9–3.1, respectively). Highly significant positive correlation of shoot numbers, spur density and bloom density of pollinizers with fruit set and yield efficiency of ‘Oregon Spur’ were observed. ‘Manchurian’ crab was found to be very efficient as pollinizer, followed by ‘Stark Spur’ for spur type ‘Oregon Spur’ apple cultivar on the basis of higher bloom density and fruit set parameters.     

Carbohydrate profiles in the graft union of young sweet cherry trees grown on dwarfing and vigorous rootstocks

In composite (scion–rootstock) dwarfing fruit trees, an overgrowth at the graft union is often observed, the severity of which is correlated with degree of dwarfing. The graft union of dwarfing sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) rootstocks may limit soluble sugar transport or starch mobilization, leading to localized accumulation. Soluble sugars and starch were measured in the tissues surrounding the graft union of young ‘Rainier’ (2002) and ‘Lapins’ (2003) sweet cherry trees on ‘Gisela 5’ (‘Gi 5’; dwarfing) and ‘Colt’ (vigorous) rootstocks. Separate rootstock shank, rootstock, graft union, and scion tissues were analyzed for both starch and soluble sugar content throughout the growing season in both years. Starch concentrations did not vary among locations within the graft union for ‘Rainier’ on either the dwarfing or vigorous rootstock, or for ‘Lapins’ on the dwarfing stock. However, for ‘Lapins’ on ‘Colt’, starch was highest in the rootstock shank and declined vertically (rootstock shank ? rootstock > union > scion). Soluble sugar concentrations were generally similar to or higher in scions on ‘Gi 5’ than on ‘Colt’, and were similar to or lower in the rootstock and rootstock shank on ‘Gi 5’ than on ‘Colt’. Results suggest that rootstock has a significant effect of localized accumulations of carbohydrates above and within the graft union of ‘Gi 5’ and below the graft union of ‘Colt’.     

Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of the apple flesh and peel of eleven cultivars grown in Brazil

The total phenolic, flavanol, monomeric anthocyanin contents and the antioxidant activity of flesh and peel of 11 apple cultivars from Brazil were investigated. Concentrations of the parameters measured differed significantly among the apple cultivars and were highest in the peel compared to the flesh. Total phenolic content (mg GAE/100 g fresh matter) ranged from 128.3 (Golden Delicious) to 212.0 (Epagri-F₅P₂₈₃) in the flesh and 304.6 (Golden Delicious) to 712.6 (Catarina) in the peel. Total flavanol content (mg CAE/100 g fm) varied from 11.7 (Epagri-SJ11) to 28.2 (Epagri-F₄₃P₂₃) and from 32.4 (Epagri-SJ11) to 147.7 (Catarina) in the flesh and peel, respectively. COOP-24 peel had the highest total anthocyanin content. The Epagri-F5P283 and Epagri-F43P23 flesh and Catarina peel had the highest antioxidant activity while Golden Delicious flesh and peel had the lowest. The total phenolic content and antioxidant activity were significantly correlated in both flesh (R² = 0.717) and peel (R² = 0.716). The contribution of phenolics to the antioxidant activity in peel suggests that their removal may induce a significant loss of antioxidants.     

Harvest and post-harvest apple fruit quality following applications of kaolin particle film in South African orchards

Sunburn on apples in the Western Cape region of South Africa can result in yield losses of up to 50%. Application of kaolin-based particle film (Surround^® WP) increases leaf and fruit surface reflectivity, thus potentially reducing heat load and sunburn. Trials were performed during 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 to assess the effectiveness of kaolin particle film in controlling sunburn on ‘Granny Smith’, ‘Braeburn’, ‘Fuji’, ‘Royal Gala’ and ‘Cripps’ Pink’ apples. Fruit quality and ripening were monitored following 1–4 months in regular atmosphere cold storage at −0.5 °C. Sunburn on exposed fruit was significantly reduced in ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Fuji’. Kaolin treatment improved fruit colour of ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Royal Gala’, and delayed starch conversion in ‘Granny Smith’ at harvest and during the early storage period but not thereafter. Incidence of watercore at harvest was significantly reduced by kaolin treatment, but this disorder disappeared during cold storage in both treatments. There were no effects on skin anthocyanin or phenolic concentrations in any cultivar compared to unsprayed fruit.     

‘金冠’苹果与其无锈芽变的果皮性状比较和防锈技术研究

 为了阐明‘金冠’苹果果锈形成的时间与原因,探索防止果锈形成的方法,以‘金冠’及 其无锈芽变品种‘丰帅’为试材,利用体视显微镜和扫描电镜观察了果面果锈形成过程,测定了果皮色 素和次生代谢产物组分和含量。结果表明,花后4 周‘金冠’苹果果面尚无肉眼可见的果锈时,表皮细 胞蜡质层已经开裂、脱落;花后5 周表皮细胞角质层大量开裂,细胞壁木栓化;花后6 周,大量果锈出 现在果实表面。据此推断,花后4 ~ 6 周是‘金冠’苹果果锈形成的关键时期。另一方面,‘丰帅’果皮 叶绿素和类萝卜素含量显著低于‘金冠’,而总黄酮和绿原酸含量显著高于‘金冠’,特别是在花后4 ~ 6 周。花后4 周利用0.05 ~ 5 mmol · L-1 外源绿原酸处理,可以显著降低‘金冠’果皮果锈指数,且对果实 品质没有不良影响。因而,适当浓度外源绿原酸可望用于苹果防锈实践。     

Effect of distance from early flowering pollinizers ‘Maypole’ and ‘Dolgo’ on ‘Fiji’ fruit set

An apple orchard consisting of a single cultivar under the condition of natural pollination must have suitable pollinizers such as Crab apples to ensure stable fruit production. We selected ‘Maypole’ and ‘Dolgo’ as pollinizers for the cultivar ‘Fuji’, and investigated the rate of fruit and seeds in ‘Fuji’ fruits produced by pollen of the pollinizers. We developed a method for tracing pollen flow based on the leaf color of progeny and S-RNase allele of ‘Maypole’, and on Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) analyses of ‘Maypole’ and ‘Dolgo’. These were powerful tools for determining the distance insects (mainly Osmia cornifrons) carry pollen from the pollinizers to ‘Fuji’. Although the fruit set of ‘Fuji’ apples was not reduced with increasing distance between ‘Fuji’ apple trees and pollinizers (probably due to pollen flow from other commercial cultivars planted outside the area), the rate of ‘Fuji’ apple fruit produced by the pollen of the pollinizers decreased with increasing distance. The rate of fruit produced by the pollinizers was 84% and 77% when ‘Fuji’ was 2.5 m from ‘Maypole’ and ‘Dolgo’, respectively, and 71% and 64% when ‘Fuji’ was 5 m from ‘Maypole’ and ‘Dolgo’, respectively, but was reduced to 47% and 39% when ‘Fuji’ was 10 m from ‘Maypole’ and ‘Dolgo’, respectively. However, the spacing could cause reduced fruit size, and require extra fruit thinning for producing large fruits. It could also cause reduction of the yield for increasing the planting area of pollinizers. We recommend that pollinizers should be planted not more than 10 m from ‘Fuji’.     

GA3 increases fruit weight in ‘Yu Her Pau’ litchi

In order to increase the fruit weight of a shriveled-seed cultivar, trees of ‘Yu Her Pau’ litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) growing in Taiwan were sprayed with Gibberellic acid (GA₃) (ProGibb^®, 20% of GA₃) at 5 and 10 mg/l 14 days after full bloom (AFB) over 2 years. Both concentrations of GA₃ significantly increased fruit longitudinal and transversal diameter, and fruit, aril and pericarp weight (40–41 and 37–38 mm, and 27.3–28.4, 21.7–22.7 and 5.0–5.3 g, respectively) compared with control (35–36 and 33–34 mm, and 22.3–22.4, 17.8–17.9 and 3.9–4.0 g), but had no significant effects on seed weight, percentage of aril weight of total fruit weight or total soluble solids (0.5–0.7 g, 78.9–80.3% and 18.1–19.0 °Brix, respectively). Fruit characteristics within the two concentrations of GA₃ showed no significant difference. The results indicated that sprays of GA₃ should be evaluated in ‘Yu Her Pau’ commercial orchards, and in other elite cultivars.