Investigation of the fertilization biology of some sweet cherry cultivars grown in the Central Northern Anatolian Region of Turkey

The experiments were carried out between 2003 and 2005 in the Province of Amasya. The first objective of the study was to determine the best pollinizer for the cultivar ‘0900 Ziraat’ which is the most popular sweet cherry cultivar (Prunus avium L.) in Turkey. The ‘0900 Ziraat’ was used as a female parent and ‘Türko?lu’, ‘Köro?lu’, ‘Kargayüre?i’, ‘Hac? Ali’, ‘Starks Gold’ and ‘Geçkiraz’ were used as pollinizer cultivars. In 2003, for the hand cross pollination combinations, fruit set was between 31.25% and 42.80%. In 2004, fruit set was reduced by spring frost and was between 9.69% and 15.24%. Additionally, the blooming periods of the experimental cultivars, fruit set of open pollination and hand self pollination were examined. The fruit set ratios of all tested cultivars under open pollination conditions varied between 26.73% and 53.49% in 2003 and 4.38% and 38.35% in 2004. ‘Geçkiraz’ had the highest fruit set owing to its late flowering date. For open pollination, fruit set values of ‘0900 Ziraat’ were lower than hand cross pollination with other cultivars in 2003 when the results of both treatments are compared. On the contrary, fruit set was higher than hand cross pollination in 2004. In the present study, pollen germination values varied greatly among year, cultivar and sucrose concentration. Viability percentages were generally high, not less than 66%. According to phenological observations, partial or complete overlapping of the flowering period of ‘0900 Ziraat’ and its possible pollinizer cultivars were observed in 2003 and 2005. But in 2004, the flowering period overlapped for only ‘0900 Ziraat’ and ‘Geçkiraz’ cultivars. When blooming times are taken into consideration, ‘Geçkiraz’ was found to be the best pollinizer cultivar.     

Responses of eight chile peppers to saline water irrigation

Salt tolerance of five cultivars of Capsicum annuum L. Early Jalapeno, Golden Treasure, NuMex Sweet, NuMex Joe E. Parker, and Santa Fe Grande, two cultivars of C. chinense Jacq. Habanero and Pimienta De Chiera, and one accession of C. annuum, NMCA 10652, were evaluated in a field study. Seedlings were transplanted in late May to field raised beds containing loamy sand soils in a semi-arid environment. Plants were well irrigated throughout the experiment. Three saline solution treatments, prepared by adding NaCl, MgSO₄, and CaCl₂ to tap water at different amounts to create three salinity levels of 0.82 dS m⁻¹ (control, tap water), 2.5 dS m⁻¹, and 4.1 dS m⁻¹ electrical conductivity (EC), were initiated on 15th June and ended in late August. Among the eight varieties, NMCA 10652 had the highest survival percentage at 100% in the 4.1 dS m⁻¹ treatment, followed by ‘Early Jalapeno’, ‘NuMex Sweet’, ‘Pimienta De Chiera’, ‘Santa Fe Grande’, ‘Golden Treasure’, and ‘NuMex Joe E. Parker’. ‘Habanero’ had the lowest survival at 28%. Compared to control, final shoot dry weight of the plants irrigated with saline solution at 4.1 dS m⁻¹ was reduced by 92% in ‘Habanero’, followed by ‘Golden Treasure’ at 80%. For fruit fresh weight in 4.1 dS m⁻¹ vs. control, ‘Habanero’ had the highest reduction at 86%, followed by ‘Golden Treasure’ at 74%, while NMCA 10652 and ‘Santa Fe Grande’ had the least at 26% and 19%, respectively. NMCA 10652, the most tolerant to salinity, had the lowest leaf Na⁺ accumulation, while ‘Habanero’, the most sensitive to salinity, had the highest Na⁺ in the leaves. For leaf Cl⁻, ‘Early Jalapeno’ had the highest, while ‘Habanero’ had the lowest Cl⁻ accumulation in the leaves. Generally, sensitive varieties accumulated more Na⁺ and/or Cl⁻ in leaves, except for ‘Early Jalapeno’, which was relatively tolerant to salinity but had high Na⁺ and Cl⁻ accumulation in leaves.     

Plant growth,yield, and fruit quality of ‘Fallglo’ and ‘Sunburst’ mandarins on four rootstocks

Vegetative growth, yield, and fruit quality of ‘Fallglo’ and ‘Sunburst’ mandarins on ‘Rangpur’ lime, ‘Swingle’ citrumelo, ‘Orlando’ tangelo, and ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin were evaluated under subtropical climate of Northern São Paulo State, Brazil, from 2000 through 2006 harvest seasons. ‘Fallglo’ mandarin trees had the highest cumulative yield on ‘Rangpur’ lime, and the smallest on ‘Swingle’ citrumelo and ‘Orlando’ tangelo. Plants of this cultivar had the highest yield efficiency on ‘Rangpur’ lime, and the lowest on ‘Orlando’ tangelo. ‘Sunburst’ mandarin trees began to bear fruits later than ‘Fallglo’ mandarin trees, with no differences in yield induced by the rootstocks. ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin induced the most vigorous growth in ‘Fallglo’ mandarin as compared to plants on ‘Swingle’ citrumelo. On the other hand, the largest trees of ‘Sunburst’ mandarin were registered on ‘Orlando’ tangelo, and the smallest on ‘Rangpur’ lime. ‘Sunburst’ mandarin had higher alternate bearing than ‘Fallglo’ regardless the rootstock. Fruit weight and juice content were not affected by the rootstock. These two mandarin scion cultivars may be considered adequate alternatives to produce good fruit quality for the fresh fruit market. ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin and ‘Rangpur lime are suitable rootstocks for ‘Fallglo’ mandarin, whereas all rootstocks evaluated are adequate for ‘Sunburst’ mandarin.     

Determination of Vegetative and Fruit Characteristics of Some Thornless Blackberry Genotypes in Hatay (Turkey)

ABSTRACT

The experiments were carried out during 2002 and 2003 at the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Turkey. In this study, some vegetative and fruit quality attributes of eight blackberry genotypes (‘Jumbo’, ‘Chester Thornless’, ‘Black Satin’, ‘Navaho’, ‘Bursa 1’, ‘Bursa 2’, ‘Bursa 3’, ‘Bartm’) were evaluated in 2002 and 2003. The greatest cane numbers and cane lengths were recorded for ‘Bursa 2’. They were followed by ‘Bursa 3’ and ‘Chester Thornless’ in both years. Harvest periods ranged from 8 to 44 days and occurred from the middle of June until the end of August. ‘Jumbo’ and ‘Bursa 1’ were the earliest ripening cultivars. ‘Bursa 2’ had the longest harvest period. The highest yields were obtained from ‘Bursa 1,’ ‘Bursa 2’ and ‘Chester Thornless.’ ‘Jumbo’ had the largest fruits. The highest TSS/TA ratio was found in ‘Navaho’.     

Characterization of yield,sensitivity to Botrytis cinerea and antioxidant content of several rose species suitable for edible flowers

Yield, susceptibility to Botrytis and levels of antioxidants are important traits of fresh edible flowers. These parameters were determined for 12 garden rose cultivars selected as edible flowers: ‘Mount Shasta’, ‘San Francisco’, ‘Brandy’, ‘Maxim’, ‘Sweet Surrender’, ‘Amadeus’, ‘Eterna’, ‘Trier 2000’, ‘English sachet’, ‘Golden Celebration’, ‘Pat Austin’ and ‘Katharina Zeimet’. Yield of most cultivars ranged between 80 and 300 flowers/plant (for 64 weeks), which is higher than that produced by cultivars suitable for cut flowers. The yield makes the selected garden cultivars suitable for commercial growth as edible flowers.     

Performance of Prunus rootstocks for apricot in Mediterranean conditions

The influence of five rootstocks (Evrica, Krymsk^® 86, Torinel, PAC 00-08 and PADAC 01-47) on flowering, fruit set, trunk cross-sectional area, yield efficiency and fruit quality parameters of apricot cultivars (Prunus armeniaca L.) grown in a Mediterranean agro-climatic environment was evaluated. The five rootstocks were grafted with ‘E-101’ and ‘E-404’ apricot cvs., and established in an experimental orchard in the Region of Murcia (South-eastern of Spain) in 2004. Rootstock had no significant influence on the number of flowers but affected fruit set. Evrica, PAC 00-08 and PADAC 01-47, induced a higher percentage of fruit set on the apricot cultivar ‘E-101’. The greatest TCSA was exhibited with Torinel, Evrica and PADAC 01-47. The yield efficiency was significantly greater on PADAC 01-47, because of its higher yield and cumulative production compared with the other rootstocks. Thus, differences in precocity among rootstocks became evident, PADAC 01-47 being the most efficient rootstock for the first bearing years. The fruit quality traits were also significantly affected by rootstocks. In the case of ‘E-101’, the highest fruit weight was induced by Evrica, Krymsk^® 86 and Torinel. In relation to fruit size, the smallest equatorial, suture and polar diameters were produced by fruit on PADAC 01-47 for both cultivars. The highest firmness was induced by PAC 00-08 for ‘E-101’, while in ‘E-404’ the highest firmness was induced by PADAC 01-47. The colour of fruit was also affected by the rootstock. The brightest coloured skin (high L* values) was found on Evrica, PADAC 01-47, Torinel and Krymsk^® 86. The fruit weight was positively correlated with pulp yield and negatively correlated with TCSA. According to these results, higher fruit quality was found on PADAC 01-47 and Evrica.     

The fruit pitting disorder—A physiological anomaly in mango (Mangifera indica L.) due to deficiency of calcium and boron

A new disorder known as fruit pitting has been observed in some Indian mango orchards during the recent years. In this disorder, there is a development of some sunken pits on fruit peel, which distract consumers. Based on preliminary observations, it was observed that deficiency of nutrients could be the cause, and hence systematic studies were conducted in five indigenous cultivars such as ‘Alphonso’, ‘Amrapali’, ‘Dashehari’, ‘Mallika’ and ‘Neelum’, and five exotic mango cultivars such as ‘Edward’, ‘Irwin’, ‘Rosari’, ‘Sensation’ and ‘Tommy Atkins’ with the aim to observe the fruit pitting incidence and degree, and to investigate its probable causes. Our studies indicated that nearly 13% of the mango fruit was affected by fruit pitting with variable degree and magnitude. All indigenous cultivars had higher incidence of fruit pitting than exotic cultivars. ‘Dashehari’ had the maximum incidence of fruit pitting (30.3%), followed by ‘Amrapali’ (28.6%), and ‘Rosari’ the least (3.4%). Our studies indicated that the incidence of fruit pitting in mangoes was nearly 13% with a significant variability among the cultivars (Table 1). Although the concentrations of most of the major nutrients such as N, P, K, Mg, and minor nutrients such as Cu, Mn, Fe, Zn, did not differ significantly. However, the pitted fruit had lower Ca (1.53%) and B (22 mg kg⁻¹) concentrations than normal fruit (2.47% and 38 mg kg⁻¹, respectively), indicating that deficiency of Ca and B probably is the cause for fruit pitting in mangoes.     

Plant spacing and cultivar affect melon growth and yield components

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cultivars and in-row spacing on vegetative growth and yield components in melon (Cucumis melo L.). The cultivars ‘Early Dawn’ (ED), ‘Superstar’ (SS) and ‘Medoro’ (ME) were grown in rows 1.5 m apart at plant spacing 0.6, 0.9, 1.2 or 1.5 m. Cultivars ED and SS were grown in 1998 and 1999, while ED and ME were tested in 2000. The main vine length, diameter, number of leaves and lateral branches were highest at 1.5 m in-row spacing in 1999 and 2000, while there was no influence of plant spacing on observed growth parameters in 1998. ED performed better compared with other two varieties, mostly due to more fruit per ha and per plant. Yield was significantly decreased with increased plant spacing in all 3 years of research. At in-row spacing of 1.5 m yield was in average 25% lower than at 0.6 m spacing. Average fruit weight slightly increased with plant spacing up to 1.2 m, even though the differences were significant only in 1999. Small differences among cultivars were also found. Number of fruit per ha decreased linearly while number of fruit per plant increased linearly as plant spacing increased in all cultivars except SS in 1999.     

Anthocyanins from flowers of Hippeastrum cultivars

The anthocyanins, cyanidin 3-O-(6″-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl-β-glucopyranoside) (1) and pelargonidin 3-O-(6″-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl-β-glucopyranoside) (2), were isolated from the ornamental flowers of a Ugandan Hippeastrum cultivar by a combination of chromatographic techniques, and their structures were elucidated mainly by the use of homo- and heteronuclear nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electrospray mass spectrometry. The same anthocyanins were found in six different Hippeastrum cultivars purchased in Norway. However, the absolute amount of the anthocyanins (0.08–1.79 mg/g, fresh weight) and the relative proportions of the individual anthocyanins varied from cultivar to cultivar (13.2–96.5% of 1). The colours of the fresh petals of the three cultivars ‘Red Lion’, ‘Royal Velvet’ and ‘Liberty’ were described by the CIELab coordinates L^* (lightness), C^* (chroma) and h_ab (hue angles). All the cultivars showed hue angles corresponding to scarlet nuances (h_ab = 22–35°), with the highest value in ‘Red Lion’. The most reddish petals (in ‘Royal Velvet’) contained the highest relative proportion of 1. Thus, the in vivo colours of these cultivars seem to be correlated with the relative proportions of individual anthocyanin in the petals.     

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’.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Growth characteristic and sink strength of fruit at different CO2 concentrations in a Japanese and a Dutch tomato cultivar

The aim of the present study was to elucidate how fruit growth was limited by the source and sink capacities in a Japanese (‘Momotaro York’) and a Dutch (‘Dundee’) tomato cultivar. The two cultivars were grown hydroponically with a high-wire system in greenhouses for 25 weeks, and the growth characteristics and sink strength of fruit were determined. Fruits were pruned to four (4F) or one (1F) per truss. The latter were used to determine potential fruit growth, an indicator of fruit sink strength. Growth was also determined under normal (LC) and enriched (HC, 700 μmol mol⁻¹) CO₂ concentrations to examine the effect of source enhancement on fruit production. In both cultivars under normal CO₂, the growth rate of fruit pruned to 4F per truss was lower than that in 1F, indicating that maximum potential fruit growth was not achieved. Under HC conditions, fruit growth rate of ‘Dundee’ achieved in 4F trusses was lower than that in 1F. In ‘Momotaro York’ in HC, fruit growth in 4F trusses was close to potential. This implies that fruit growth was source-limited irrespective of CO₂ concentrations in ‘Dundee’ cultivar while fruit growth in ‘Momotaro York’ under normal and enriched CO₂ conditions was limited by source and sink strengths, respectively. Adjustments of cultural practices including increasing fruit number per truss and/or genetic approaches to enhancing fruit sink strength by breeding may improve fruit yields of Japanese cultivars under high source/sink conditions.     

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.     

Relationships between strawberry fruit quality attributes and crop load

Crop load can influence fruit quality in several horticultural species. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of different concentrations of calcium on crop quality traits in three short-day strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cultivars (‘Ventana’, ‘Camarosa’ and ‘Candonga’) and to assess the relationships between crop load and quality parameters. The studies were conducted using a hydroponic system in a greenhouse. Calcium was added as Ca(NO₃)₂ at 2 mM, 3 mM, 4 mM and 5 mM. A completely randomized block design (4 Ca concentrations × 3 cultivars) with three replicates was used. Each replicate consisted of 12 plants grown in polyethylene bags (100 cm × 18 cm × 3 cm) filled with coconut peat. Titratable acidity, total soluble solids and firmness were measured throughout the experimental period. Calcium application had no effect on fruit quality attributes but the genotype effect was clear. At the end of the experiment (28th May, 2008), titratable acidity was positively related to the fresh weight of above-ground biomass and number of leaves respectively in the ‘Ventana’ and ‘Camarosa’ cultivars. Higher values of total soluble solids were found at low crop load in ‘Ventana’ but in ‘Camarosa’ this relation was not found. In ‘Candonga’, higher total soluble solids were linked to crop load. In ‘Ventana’, titratable acidity significantly decreased as crop load increased, and in ‘Camarosa’ high values of titratable acidity were found at different values of crop load. ‘Ventana’ seemed to be more sensitive to the effects of crop load patterns. Genotype was an important factor in determining fruit quality parameters.     

Grafting effects on postharvest ripening and quality of 1-methylcyclopropene-treated muskmelon fruit

In addition to managing soil-borne diseases in muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) production, grafting with resistant rootstocks may impact fruit quality. The ethylene antagonist 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) has been shown to extend shelf life of fresh muskmelon fruit. Postharvest characteristics of 1-MCP-treated melon fruit as affected by grafting, however, have not been well examined. This study was conducted to explore the influence of grafting with different rootstocks on ripening and quality attributes of 1-MCP-treated muskmelon fruit during postharvest storage. Grafted ‘Athena’ muskmelon with two commercial squash interspecific hybrid rootstocks including ‘Strong Tosa’ and ‘Tetsukabuto’ as well as non-grafted and self-grafted ‘Athena’ were grown in replicated field plots at the University of Florida Plant Science Research and Education Unit (Citra, FL, USA) during April–June 2010. Half-slip fruit from two harvests were treated with 1.0 μL L⁻¹ 1-MCP (18 h, 20 °C) and analyzed during storage at 13 °C. For fruit from the 27 May harvest, whole fruit and mesocarp firmness, titratable acidity, soluble solids, and ascorbic acid content were measured, while production of ethylene and CO₂ was determined on fruit from the 29 June harvest. Grafting did not show a significant impact on fruit yield but affected the fruit shelf life significantly. Fruit from non-grafted ‘Athena’ and ‘Athena’ grafted onto ‘Strong Tosa’ demonstrated a shelf life of 31 d for the first harvest and 22 d for the second harvest. Shelf life of fruit from self-grafted ‘Athena’ and ‘Athena’ grafted onto ‘Tetsukabuto’ declined by 6 d and 3 d for the first and second harvest, respectively. Whole fruit firmness decreased by approximately 15.5% on average from 13 to 31 d except day 19 as a result of grafting, but to a lesser extent with ‘Strong Tosa’ rootstock. Mesocarp firmness of grafted melon was reduced by about 30.2% at days 13 and 19 compared to non-grafted ‘Athena’ fruit. In contrast, titratable acidity, soluble solid content, and ascorbic acid concentration were less affected by grafting. All the measurements except for ethylene and CO₂ production declined during storage regardless of the grafting treatment. Compared with ‘Strong Tosa’ rootstock, ‘Tetsukabuto’ resulted in a more rapid ripening under 1-MCP application, as reflected by earlier increase in ethylene production and higher respiratory rate. The study demonstrates that grafting effects on postharvest ripening and quality of ‘Athena’ muskmelon can vary markedly with rootstocks used.     

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.     

Temperature responses,flowering and fruit yield of the June-bearing strawberry cultivars Florence,Frida and Korona

The effect of night temperature on short day (SD) floral induction has been studied in three June-bearing strawberry cultivars of different geographic origin and compared with yield performance in the cool Nordic environment. At the optimum day temperature of 18 °C, the SD flowering response of the cultivars ‘Florence’ and ‘Korona’ increased significantly with increasing night temperature from 9 to 18 °C, while an optimum was reached at 15 °C in the cultivar ‘Frida’ that is selected under cool-environment conditions in Norway. Also, while saturated flowering response was obtained with 3 weeks of SD treatment at all temperatures in ‘Frida’, several plants of ‘Florence’ and ‘Korona’ failed to initiate flowers at 9 °C night temperature even with 5 weeks of SD. The effect of extended SD period was particularly pronounced in ‘Florence’. The slow SD floral induction response of ‘Florence’ was associated with a 2 week delay of anthesis in subsequent long day (LD) conditions at 21 °C. Yield performance of the same cultivars during 2 years under field conditions at Nes Hedmark and in North Norway also demonstrated that the yield potential of ‘Florence’ was not realized under the climatic conditions prevailing at these locations. In both years the yields varied significantly among the cultivars, ‘Frida’ having the highest yields followed by ‘Korona’, with ‘Florence’ far below. It is concluded that, in the Nordic environment, autumn (September) night temperatures are obviously sub-optimal for yield performance of some June-bearing strawberry cultivars, and that this effect is mediated by autumn temperature effects on flower initiation responses.     

Analysis of genetic diversity among some Persian walnut genotypes (Juglans regia L.) using morphological traits and SSRs markers

There is a high diversity among cultivated walnut trees in Iran due to its long time of seed propagation and vast area of cultivation. In this study some morphological characters as well as Simple Sequence Repeat (SSRs) markers were used to analyze the genetic diversity and relationships among 31 Iranian walnut genotypes along with four foreign cultivars. The nut weight ranged from 7.52 to 17.73 g, kernel weight from 4.00 to 9.83 g, and kernel percentage ratio from 38.78 to 67.05% among studied genotypes. In SSRs analysis, nine primer pairs were tested that produced 39 alleles ranging from 2 to 8, with a mean value of 5.10 allele per primer. The Iranian genotypes showed relatively high diversity both for their SSRs loci and morphological traits. Although the foreign cultivars (‘Serr’, ‘Vina’, ‘Franquette’ and ‘Lara’) clustered with each other, they also laid close and within the Iranian genotype. The results of the study provided us with valuable diversity among our genotypes which could be used for breeding studies and also showed the power of genetic markers for analysis and evaluation of this diversity.