Fruit thinning in ‘Conference’ pear grown under deficit irrigation: Implications for fruit quality at harvest and after cold storage

Fruit thinning in pear is feasible for mitigation of water stress effects. However, it is not well known how fruit quality at harvest and after cold storage is affected by pre-harvest water stress. Even less is known about the effects of fruit thinning on quality under these circumstances. To elucidate these, we applied deficit irrigation (DI) and fruit thinning treatments to ‘Conference’ pear over the growing seasons of 2008 and 2009. At the onset of Stage II (80 and 67 days before harvest in 2008 and 2009, respectively), two irrigation treatments were applied: full irrigation (FI) and DI. FI trees received 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc). DI trees received no irrigation during the first three weeks of Stage II to induce water stress, but then received 20% of ETc to ensure tree survival. From bud-break until the onset of Stage II and during post-harvest, FI and DI trees received 100% of ETc. Each irrigation treatment received two thinning levels: no thinning leaving commercial crop load (∼180 fruits tree⁻¹), and hand-thinning at the onset of Stage II leaving a light crop load (∼85 fruits tree⁻¹). Under commercial crop loads, DI trees were moderately water-stressed and this had some positive effects on fruit quality. DI increased fruit firmness (FF), soluble solids concentrations (SSC) and acidity at harvest while no changes were observed in fruit maturity (based on ethylene production). Differences in FF and acidity at harvest between FI and DI fruit were maintained during cold storage. DI also reduced fruit weight loss during storage. But fruit size was reduced under DI. Fruit thinning under DI resulted in better fruit composition with no detrimental effect on fresh-market yield compared to un-thinned fruit. Fruit size at harvest and SSC values after five months of cold storage were higher in fruit from thinned trees than fruit from un-thinned trees. Fruit thinning increased fruit ethylene production, indicating advanced maturity. This may lead to earlier harvest which is desirable in years with impending drought. Fruit thinning is therefore a useful technique to enhance pear marketability under water shortage.     

Performance of ‘Coscia’ pear (Pyrus communis) on nine rootstocks in the north of Israel

The vegetative and reproductive performances of ‘Coscia’ pear (Pyrus communis L.) grown on nine rootstocks [OHF 69, OHF 97, OHF 217, OHF 333, OHF 513 and BP 1 (P. communis), clonal seedling (Davis AxB) of Pyrus betulifolia and quince BA 29 and EMA (Cydonia oblonga)] were compared during a 9-year period. The trial was conducted at the Experimental Station ‘Avnei Eitan’ in northern Israel (elevation 400 m above sea level, a.s.l.), on a well-drained soil with pH 7.1. Trees were planted in December 1998, spaced at 4.0 m × 2.0 m and trained with a central axis. The most vigorous trees were on P. betulifolia seedlings, followed by the four OHF rootstock (69, 97, 333, 513) and BP 1 (with no significant difference between them). All the above rootstocks demonstrated greater vigor than OHF 217 and quince BA 29 or EMA. The highest cumulative yields per tree were harvested from trees on the four OHF rootstocks (69, 97, 333, 513) and P. betulifolia followed by the BP 1. The two quince rootstocks, as well as OHF 217, had the lowest cumulative yield and the lowest yield of large fruit. A positive correlation was found between the vigor of the tree, as affected by the rootstock, and both the total yield and the fruit size. We conclude that in a warm climate, yield efficiency is not the only parameter that should be taken into account, and building a strong tree for a weak cultivar is the first requirement for establishing an orchard.     

Identification of S-alleles in pear (Pyrus communis L.) cv. ‘Rocha’ and other European cultivars

In this work we report the cloning and identification of S-RNase alleles responsible for gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) of ‘Rocha’ pear and of 13 other European pear cultivars that might be used as its pollinators. Partial sequences of S-RNase alleles were amplified by PCR with specific primers hybridising in conserved regions of previously identified S-RNase alleles of Pyrus communis, cloned and sequenced and the S-genotype of eight pear cultivars was fully determined. Three cultivars (‘General Léclerc’ (SqSl), ‘Tosca’ (SbSl) and ‘Alexandrine Douillard’ (SbSk)) shared no S-alleles with ‘Rocha’ (SaSe) and shall be totally compatible with this cultivar. None of the cultivars analysed showed an identical amplification pattern to the one observed in ‘Rocha’, so the other cultivars shall be at least semi-compatible. One new allele was identified in P. communis cv. ‘Beurré d’Avril’ (designated as St). The determination of both S-RNase alleles of cvs ‘Rocha’, ‘Beurré Precoce Morettini’ (SeSk) and ‘Tosca’ and the identification of one S-RNase allele in cvs ‘Carapinheira’ (Sb), ‘Amêndoa’ (Se), ‘Pérola’ (Sk) and ‘Beurré d’Avril’ (St) are important contributions for the effort recently developed worldwide to establish groups of sexual compatibility among European pears.     

Vegetative and productive responses of ‘Conference’ and ‘Williams’ pear trees planted at different in-row spacings

The effect of in-row spacing on the vegetative and productive performance of 4-year-old ‘Conference’ (CON) and ‘Williams’ (WIL) pear trees was studied. Analysis of digital images was used to estimate canopy growth and conformation. Fruit quality was determined by measuring fruit weight, flesh firmness, peel color, soluble solid content, and titratable acidity. WIL produced more and more efficiently than CON, especially at closer spacings. WIL canopies were generally bigger than CON canopies, and reduced spacing penalized stem growth and influenced canopy conformation. Root growth and conformation was similar for both cultivars, whereas decreasing in-row spacing reduced root dry weight, length, volume, and spread area only in WIL. Also, WIL trees partitioned more to fruit and leaves compared to CON, and increasing spacing resulted in a relative shift toward vegetative growth. CON fruit was smaller but sweeter and less acidic than WIL fruit. Increasing spacing influenced negatively WIL fruit quality parameters, with the only exception of fruit weight, which was increased. For the range of in-row spacing considered, our results indicate that WIL may represent a more efficient and competitive option than CON for high-density plantings, at least in the early stages of orchard life.     

Feathering of ‘Doyenné du Comice’ pear in the nursery using repeat sprays of benzyladenine and gibberellins

This work sets out to examine the effectiveness of a number of cytokinins or products with cytokinin-like activity, with and without additional sprays of gibberellins or leaf plucking, on the production of feathers (sylleptic shoots) on trees of the European pear cultivar ‘Comice’ in a fruit tree nursery. It covers the results from three successive years experimentation.     

Identification of seven haplotype-specific SFBs in European pear (Pyrus communis) and their use as molecular markers

The European pear (Pyrus communis) carries the S-RNase-mediated gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) system. The S-haplotype is conferred by an S-locus, which contains the style-specific expressed S-RNase, and the pollen-specific expressed F-box genes (SFB). Both the S-RNase and the SFB genes are multi-allelic and each is characteristic of one of the S-haplotypes. Therefore, they are ideal markers for molecular S-genotyping. In this work, for the first time, seven haplotype-specific SFBs were isolated from European pears. Particular primers for each of these SFBs were generated, thus providing an additional tool for S-genotyping of European pear cultivars.     

Nitrogen distribution,remobilization and re-cycling in young orchard of non-bearing ‘Rocha’ pear trees

In newly planted orchards, special attention must be paid to fertilization to build up the permanent structure of the trees so that high yield and fruit quality can be reached later on. Nitrogen (N) plays a major role in the fertilization plan, although few studies have assessed its use efficiency in young non-bearing trees, especially in field conditions. In this work, 1–3 years old ‘Rocha’ pear trees, grafted on quince BA29, were planted in a Mediterranean region, and fertigated with 6 g N tree⁻¹ year⁻¹ as ammonium nitrate with 5 at.% ¹⁵N enrichment to study the fertilizer N uptake during the vegetative cycle, the overall fertilizer N use efficiency at the end of each year, and the plant–soil N balance for this period. Nitrogen remobilization and the re-cycling of N from senescent leaves were also studied by fertilizing some pear trees with 10 at.% ¹⁵N enrichment.     

Characterization of variability and genetic similarity of European pear using microsatellite loci developed in apple

Seven microsatellite loci (SSR) developed in apple were used for the identification of 63 European pear cultivars. A total of 46 fragments were amplified, with an average of 6.6 alleles per SSR. Only one microsatellite amplified more than one locus. The mean expected and observed heterozygosities over the six single-locus SSRs averaged 0.68 and 0.44, respectively, and the number of effective alleles per loci was 3.43. The amplified fragments produced 61 different fingerprinting patterns that allowed to unequivocally distinguish all the varieties analyzed. Only two varieties, which derive from mutations, could not be distinguished from the original variety. Cluster analysis of the estimated genetic similarity, grouped the varieties according to their pedigree and their geographic origin. The variability detected with the SSRs in European pear varieties was low when compared with the variability detected in other fruit crops in the Rosaceae.     

Low leaf to fruit ratio delays fruit maturity of ‘Lapins’ sweet cherry on Gisela 5

Canopy leaf to fruit ratio (L:F) of 6-year-old ‘Lapins’ sweet cherry trees on Gisela 5 rootstock was manipulated at the end of stage II (38 DAFB) of fruit development. While control trees showed a L:F ratio of 0.7:1 without alteration, on other trees young fruit were manually removed to yield L:F ratios of 2:1 and 3:1, respectively. All leaves and young fruit on trees were counted 30 DAFB. The effect of altering the source–sink ratio of whole trees on sweet cherry fruit quality parameters (fruit increment, fruit mass, color, total soluble solids content, contents of individual sugars and organic acids) was evaluated in the study. High leaf area to fruit (LA:F) ratios influenced significantly darkest fruit color, higher fruit mass, higher total soluble solids content and higher ratio between sugars and acids, which corresponded to better ripening stage. Contents of glucose, fructose and sorbitol, but not sucrose, sum of individual sugars, and the content of malic acid differed significantly among fruit of the different treatments. Fruit of the most advanced maturity stage (treatment 3:1) had the highest quality. Each day of improved L:F ratio counts towards better sweet cherry fruit quality. The results show that low L:F ratio influenced prolonged ripening process and delayed fruit maturity of ‘Lapins’ sweet cherry.     

Differential structure and physiological response to canker challenge between ‘Meiwa’ kumquat and ‘Newhall’ navel orange with contrasting resistance

Asiatic citrus canker caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc) is one of the most detrimental diseases affecting citrus production. ‘Meiwa’ kumquat (Fortunella crassifolia) and ‘Newhall’ navel orange (Citrus sinensis) are two genotypes with contrasting Xcc resistance. In the current study, efforts were made to perform pairwise comparison between them in terms of structural difference and biochemical response to Xcc attack. Pinprick inoculation demonstrated that ‘Meiwa’ had lower disease incidence rate and smaller lesion size, concurrent with significantly less bacterial number at the inoculation sites relative to ‘Newhall’. Microscopic observation demonstrated that stomatal density and size of ‘Meiwa’ were significantly smaller than ‘Newhall’. Stomatal apertures of ‘Meiwa’ were smaller than ‘Newhall’ measured at 2 h after their leaves were immersed in Xcc suspension, consistent with the bacteria number in the internal tissues counted at 4 d. Epicuticular wax content of ‘Meiwa’ was significantly higher than that of ‘Newhall’, while no difference in palisade and spongy tissue was observed between them. Enzymatic activity assay showed that after Xcc inoculation, ‘Meiwa’ exhibited significantly higher activities of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) in comparison with ‘Newhall’ at most of the sampling time points. Our data showed that the two genotypes with contrasting Xcc resistance exhibited clear difference in the structure and physiological response, which may provide information to facilitate our understanding of Xcc resistance.     

Effects of fruit bagging on coloring and related physiology,and qualities of red Chinese sand pears during fruit maturation

Red Chinese sand pears (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) are particular to China. In order to determine the effects of fruit bagging treatments (including bag types, bag removal patterns and dates) on fruit qualities and to understand the mechanism of coloring of red Chinese sand pears, two experiments were carried out. In the first experiment, fruit of ‘Meirensu’ were firstly covered by light-impermeable paper bags with different levels of light permeable liners during their early development stage, then, the whole bag were/not removed or only the outer layer of bags were removed 3, 2 or 1 weeks before harvest. Thus, the fruit were/not totally re-exposed or were under different levels of sunlight transmission (80.31% or 34.71%). Non-bagged fruit were used as the control. Bagging treatments significantly affected the concentration of anthocyanin and the visual qualities of pear fruit. Compared to control, fruit re-exposed totally for 2 or 3 weeks accumulated the largest amount of anthocyanin and fruit receiving 80.31% and 34.71% of sunlight for 1–3 weeks could synthesize a little anthocyanin, indicating that high light intensity is imperative for coloring in red Chinese sand pears. Bagging treatments did not affect contents of total soluble sugars, but decreased organic acids contents in fruit. In the second experiment, fruit of ‘Meirensu’ and ‘Yunhongli No. 1’ were covered with only one type of light-impermeable bag during the early development stage and totally re-exposed after the bag removal 15 days before harvest. Fruit were then collected at different intervals to trace the time-course of coloring, and related physiology and inner qualities. With increasing time after the bag removal, the concentration of chlorophyll, carotenoid, flavonoid and total phenols changed little, but the concentration of anthocyanin accumulated extremely fast within 10 days after the bag removal in both cultivars and thereafter kept constant. ‘Yunhongli No. 1’ had higher anthocyanin contents and lower hue angle than ‘Meirensu’, indicating a higher potential of anthocyanin synthesis. After the bag removal, the sucrose contents and PAL activities increased gradually and correlation analysis revealed that they were highly correlated with anthocyanin accumulation in two cultivars. This study suggests that anthocyanin biosynthesis in red Chinese sand pears is a highly light dependent process and modified by genotypes. Based on the current results, in order to obtain red Chinese sand pear fruit with attractive appearance and good inner qualities, fruit must be covered with light-impermeable bags at the early stage of fruit development and the bag should be removed totally at least 10 days before harvest.     

Mitigation of severe water stress by fruit thinning in ‘O’Henry’ peach: Implications for fruit quality

Fruit thinning can be used to relieve water stress in peach but it is not known how fruit quality will respond under water limited conditions. To elucidate this, we applied, over the growing seasons of 2003 and 2004, irrigation and fruit thinning treatments to ‘O’Henry’ peach at the onset of Stage III of fruit development. The treatments were full irrigation (FI) and no irrigation (NI) with each receiving three crop load levels: light, commercial and heavy. Fruit size and fruit skin colouration were lower in NI than in FI but the following were higher in NI fruit: firmness, juice titratable acidity and electrical conductivity, and concentrations of dry matter and soluble solids. All the quality parameters were significantly correlated with tree water status, expressed as midday stem water potential. NI fruit matured 5–10 days later than FI fruit. The increased dry matter concentration, juice acidity, and electrical conductivity in NI fruit were indicative of lower quality at harvest. Choosing a light crop load was not effective in improving NI fruit quality except for the size. Since fruit size is the most important fruit quality attribute, its increase might compensate for yield losses resulting from heavy fruit thinning. Nevertheless, when heavy thinning is performed for mitigation of water stress in Stage III, the overall fruit quality will suffer if severe water stress is inevitable because of shortage or lack of irrigation water.     

Changes in fruit maturity indices along the harvest season in ‘Algerie’ loquat

Loquat is a subtropical fruit tree that presents an annual cycle reverse to that of the well-known temperate fruit crops. Loquat rests during summer, blooms in autumn, develops its fruit through winter and ripens them in early spring. Its unusual phenology allows growers to obtain high prices for its fruits, especially for early harvests. Although loquat is harvested based on skin colour, a minimum soluble solid content (TSS) of 10° Brix is often required for commercialization. However, we have noticed that the relationship between skin colour and eating quality seems to change along the season leading costumers to complain for the high acidity of the earliest fruits. In order to establish a reliable maturity index, we have evaluated the changes in different fruit maturation parameters along the harvest period in four consecutive seasons for ‘Algerie’ loquat. The results show that in samples collected with similar skin colour, TSS and, especially, fruit titratable acidity (TA) tend to decline as harvest season progresses. This makes fruit skin colour on its own not suitable as a harvest index to assure an adequate fruit quality under all circumstances. We propose instead to monitor continuously TSS and TSS/TA ratio along the season in order to fulfill consumer's expectations.     

Effects of defoliation on fruit growth,carbohydrate reserves and subsequent flowering of ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit vines

A partial defoliation study was carried out on ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit vines with the aim of evaluating effects on fruit yield, changes in concentration of carbohydrates, and return bloom. At full bloom, ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit vines trained to the pergola system were submitted to 0% (control), 50% and 75% defoliation in the 2.0 m wide central horizontal area of the canopy. This area represents the vine ‘replacement cane zone’ (RCZ), whereas the remaining external area represents the ‘fruiting zone’ (FZ). Removing 50% of the leaves resulted in a small (−9 g in the RCZ and −3.3 g in the FZ), but significant, reduction in fruit weight compared to the control vines. More severe defoliation (75%) reduced fruit weight by 13 g in the RCZ and 7 g in the FZ. The defoliation treatment reduced the concentrations of starch and total soluble carbohydrates (glucose + fructose + sucrose) in the shoots and starch in trunk bark compared to those in control vines. The treatments caused a large reduction in return bloom, expressed as number of flowers per winter bud, by about 25% and 53% in vines with 50% and 75% defoliation, respectively.     

Relationship between inbreeding coefficients and plant height of 1-year-old seedlings in crosses among Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) cultivars/selections

Plant height, a vigor trait, in 1-year-old seedlings made from Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) cultivars/selections was measured using 994 individuals from 29 families. The family mean of plant height was negatively correlated (r = −0.72**) to the inbreeding coefficients (F). The regression of the family mean (Fm) on the F value (Fm = 130 − 104F) showed that inbreeding depressions were 8%, 20%, and 40% for F = 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5, respectively. According to the regression, the family mean at F = 0 was estimated at 130 cm. These results showed that the vigor was greatly influenced by inbreeding in Japanese pear. Within-family variances, the genetic segregation of offspring in a family, differed according to family. The proportions of offspring with plant height above 130 cm (estimated Fm for F = 0) were extremely low, i.e., 0–17% for 0.5 ≤ F < 0.60 and 0–8% for F = 0.75.     

Selection and testing of epiphytic yeasts to control anthacnose in post-harvest of papaya fruit

Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, is a major post-harvest disease in papaya fruit. The major objectives of the present work were to isolate, select and test the in vitro and in vivo ability of epiphytic microorganisms, isolated from papaya fruit and leaf surfaces, in controlling anthracnose onset after harvest. A total of 75 bacteria, 67 yeasts and 22 mycelial fungi were isolated. Thirty yeast isolates were able to inhibit the mycelial growth of C. gloeosporioide in vitro and seven of those were used in in vivo assays, resulting in the identification of two very effective isolates. Isolate CEN63, identified molecularly as Cryptococcus magnus, was the most effective in controlling the disease and therefore was studied in more detail. The results of the assays with C. magnus provided evidence that when fruit were treated with the antagonists at concentrations of 10⁷ to 10⁸ cells/ml, as early as 24 h, preferentially 48 h, before inoculation with the pathogen, the development of disease was significantly reduced. C. magnus is a potential antagonist for the development of a commercial product. Additional studies on the modes of action of this yeast isolate, as on its ability to interact with fungicides are being conducted to generate solid basis for the development of an environmentally friendly control agent.     

Parameters of inner quality of the apple scab resistant and susceptible apple cultivars (Malus domestica Borkh.)

Individual organic acids and sugars were analysed in the fruits of scab resistant and susceptible apple cultivars. The total sugars ranged between 128.2 and 191.6 g/kg, and the total organic acid between 5.1 and 13.4 g/kg. In the flesh and peels of different apple varieties single phenolics (gallic, protocatehuic, chlorogenic, caffeic, ferulic and p-coumaric acid, phloridzin, epicatechin, catechin, quercitrin and rutin) were analysed together with their total phenolic content (TPC). ‘Golden Delicious’ was the cultivar with the lowest TPC whereas ‘Rubinola’, ‘Jonagold’ and ‘Goldrush’ had the highest level of TPC in the pulp. Peels showed a 2–9 times higher phenolic content than the pulp. ‘Goldrush’ had the highest content of TPC in its peel. The total antioxidant capacity of peels was about 2–5 times higher than respective pulps. Scab resistant apple cultivars had significantly higher content of some single and total phenolic contents in comparison with the scab susceptible, especially the pulp.     

Effect of high temperature stress on the reproductive growth of strawberry cvs. ‘Nyoho’ and ‘Toyonoka’

High temperatures are known to reduce fruit size and fruit weight in strawberry, but cultivar differences in the response to high temperature stress during the reproductive stage up to the second inflorescence have not been sufficiently reported. We examined the effect of two day/night temperature regimes on fruit set and fruit growth in two cultivars, ‘Nyoho’ and ‘Toyonoka’. A high day/night temperature of 30/25 °C reduced the number of inflorescences, flowers, and fruits in both cultivars compared with plants grown at 23/18 °C. The percentage of fruit set in ‘Nyoho’ was not significantly different between the two temperature treatments, while that in ‘Toyonoka’ was much lower at 30/25 °C than at 23/18 °C. Days to ripening was shorter at 30/25 °C than at 23/18 °C, and no cultivar differences were observed. Fresh weight of primary, secondary, and tertiary fruits was greater at 23/18 °C than at 30/25 °C in both cultivars, and no cultivar differences were observed, except in tertiary fruits. The diameter of fruits from all positions was also reduced at 30/25 °C in both cultivars. Relative growth rates of fruits showed two peaks in both cultivars and in both temperature treatments. Both peaks appeared earlier at 30/25 °C than at 23/18 °C. Percentage of fruit set at 30/25 °C in the second inflorescence was also significantly lower in ‘Toyonoka’ than in ‘Nyoho’. These results indicate that high temperature stress negatively affects the reproductive process in strawberry and that plant response to high temperature stress is cultivar-related in such responses.