Hexanal and 1-MCP treatments for enhancing the shelf life and quality of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.)

Sweet cherry has a short post-harvest shelf life and this greatly affects the consumer preference and export of fresh fruits. In this study, the effects of pre-harvest application of a hexanal formulation (enhanced freshness formulation, EFF) and post-harvest application of hexanal vapour and 1-MCP on quality parameters and shelf life of sweet cherry were investigated. Cherries subjected to pre-harvest spray with EFF had better color, brightness and firmness than unsprayed cherries even after 30 days of storage at 4 °C. These EFF-treated cherries also showed higher chroma values indicative of enhanced red color. Post-harvest application of either, hexanal vapour, 1-MCP, or a combination of both, enhanced the firmness of cherries. These treatments also resulted in higher levels of superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase activities. The levels of anthocyanins and phenolic components were either enhanced or maintained during the 30-day storage period. Our results suggest that a pre-harvest application of EFF combined with post-harvest treatment of hexanal and 1-MCP may enhance the quality and shelf life of sweet cherry.     

Genetic divergence in Indian populations of M. rosenbergii using microsatellite markers

Macrobrachium rosenbergii, known as the giant freshwater prawn or Malaysian prawn, is the sixth largest aquaculture species in Asia. Knowledge of genetic diversity of M. rosenbergii is important to support management and conservation programmes, which will subsequently help in sustainable production of this economically important species. This study aimed to analyse the genetic diversity and population structure of five M. rosenbergii populations using 11 microsatellite loci. In analysing 240 samples, the number of alleles, observed heterozygosity (H_O) and expected heterozygosity (H_E) ranged from 3 to 20, from 0.250 to 0.978 and from 0.556 to 0.944 respectively. The five stocks of M. rosenbergii displayed high level of genetic diversity. Both the F_ST and amova analyses showed that there was significant genetic differentiation among all populations. The UPGMA dendrogram based on Nei's genetic distance matrix revealed that the Narmada and Mahi populations were in one cluster and Mahanadi and Subarnarekha populations in another single major branch, whereas the Kerala population clearly showed a separate cluster. This information on genetic variation will be useful for genetic improvement and conservation of Indian populations of giant freshwater prawn M. rosenbergii.