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The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, is considered one of the most destructive fruit pests worldwide. Female medflies prefer to lay eggs in ripening, ripe, or overripe fruits. In deciduous orchards of temperate regions, fruitlets (juvenile fruits) of early cultivars could represent the earliest spring resource with a potential host function for medflies. However, little is known about the medfly female's ability to ovipositing and complete breeding in fruitlets. To clarify the possible role of fruitlets, the suitability of key-host fruitlets for the oviposition of medflies and the further development of immature stages were examined in laboratory conditions and an attempt was made to assess the degree of infection of fruitlets collected in the field. Additionally, the development of the overwintering medfly population and the putative use of fruitlets as a resource for early population growth were simulated using the PESTonFARM model optimized to reflect specific features of medfly biology and behavior. Our laboratory data demonstrate that nectarine and pear fruitlets can support the full development of medfly offspring. However, no medfly pupae were obtained from a sample of 14,000 fruitlets collected at the farm. The simulation showed that the sample number needed to detect with at least 95% certainty rare cases of medfly pupae or adults emerging from infected fruitlets is several tens of thousands, which is several times more than the actual number of fruitlets used in our study. Our research suggests that the fruitlets of some cultivated fruit species can potentially constitute a viable food resource for the development of the earliest generation of spring medflies, with implications for medfly Integrated Pest Management (IPM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims The Gram-negative bacterium Erwinia amylovora (Ea) is the causal agent of fire blight, a devastating disease of apples and pears. In the fire blight disease cycle, Ea grows in different plant tissues, each presenting a distinct nutrient environment. Here, we investigate the ability of aspartate and tyrosine double auxotroph Ea lines to proliferate on apple flower stigma surfaces representing the epiphytic growth stage of Ea and in developing fruitlets representing one endophytic growth stage of Ea. Methods and results Heterologous complementation studies in an Escherichia coli aspartate and tyrosine auxotroph verify that Ea aspartate aminotransferase (AspC) and tyrosine aminotransferase (TyrB) act as aspartate and tyrosine amino transferases. Growth analysis reveals that Ea aspC tyrB mutants multiply to near-wild-type levels on apple flower stigmas and immature fruitlets. Conclusions Ea AspC and TyrB are reciprocally complementing for aspartate and tyrosine synthesis in Ec and in Ea. Ea aspC and tyrB mutants obtain sufficient aspartate and tyrosine to support multiplication on stigma surfaces and virulence in immature fruitlets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, is considered one of the most destructive fruit pests worldwide. Female medflies prefer to lay eggs in ripening, ripe, or overripe fruits. In deciduous orchards of temperate regions, fruitlets (juvenile fruits) of early cultivars could represent the earliest spring resource with a potential host function for medflies. However, little is known about the medfly female’s ability to ovipositing and complete breeding in fruitlets. To clarify the possible role of fruitlets, the suitability of key-host fruitlets for the oviposition of medflies and the further development of immature stages were examined in laboratory conditions and an attempt was made to assess the degree of infection of fruitlets collected in the field. Additionally, the development of the overwintering medfly population and the putative use of fruitlets as a resource for early population growth were simulated using the PESTonFARM model optimized to reflect specific features of medfly biology and behavior. Our laboratory data demonstrate that nectarine and pear fruitlets can support the full development of medfly offspring. However, no medfly pupae were obtained from a sample of 14,000 fruitlets collected at the farm. The simulation showed that the sample number needed to detect with at least 95% certainty rare cases of medfly pupae or adults emerging from infected fruitlets is several tens of thousands, which is several times more than the actual number of fruitlets used in our study. Our research suggests that the fruitlets of some cultivated fruit species can potentially constitute a viable food resource for the development of the earliest generation of spring medflies, with implications for medfly Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

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Hokkaido has the highest harvest of fruitlets such as seaberry, haskap and aronia in Japan. Haskap and raspberry are native to Hokkaido, but blueberry, aronia and seaberry were introduced from abroad in the middle of the 20th century. The functional components of these fruits, such as polyphenols, are now attracting attention and their production is increasing. The Education and Research Center for Antioxidant Function has been analyzing and studying the antioxidant function of food materials produced in Hokkaido, and has revealed that many fruitlets have high antioxidant value. I will introduce the attractiveness of the antioxidant function of various fruitlets in Hokkaido such as seaberry, haskap, aronia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on SEM and LM some morphological and anatomical features of achenes of Anemone L. of Ukrainian flora (A. narcissiflora, A. sylvestris, A. nemorosa, A. narcissiflora) have been investigated. Сarpological features after which it is possible to diagnose species are detected: the dimensions and shape of the achenes and beaks, the peculiarities of pubescence (length and character of localization of the hairs), a presence of different appendages of pericarp (as ribs or wings which surround body of fruit), thickness of pericarp and peculiarities of the thickness of the cell walls of endocarp. Detailed descriptions of fruitlets have been represented. The key for determination of species not in a flourishing condition on the revealed signs have been composed. Data obtained are important for systematics and phylogeny of the genus and the family as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Seedless avocado fruit are produced alongside seeded fruit in the cultivar Arad, and both reach maturity at the same time. Using this system, it was possible to show that avocado seed inhibits the ripening process: seedless fruits exhibited higher response to exogenous ethylene already at the fruitlet stage, and also at the immature and mature fruit stages. They produced higher CO2 levels, and the ethylene peak was apparent at the fruitlet stage of seedless fruit, but not of seeded ones. The expression levels of PaETR, PaERS1 and PaCTR1 on the day of harvest at all developmental stages were very similar between seeded and seedless fruit, except that PaCTR1 was higher in seedless fruit only at very early stages. This expression pattern suggests that the seed does not have an effect on components of the ethylene response pathway when fruits are just picked. The expression of MADS-box genes, PaAG1 and PaAGL9, preceded the increase in ethylene production of mature seeded fruit, but not at earlier stages. However, only PaAGL9 was induced in seedless fruit at early stages of development. Taken together, these data suggest that these genes are perhaps involved in climacteric response in seeded fruit, and the seed is responsible for their induction at normal fruit ripening. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]