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Food is indispensable for fulfilling the nutritional requirements of living beings. The principal source of food, nutrition and feed are horticultural commodities. Grains, pulses, fruits, vegetables, flowers, ornamental plants and medicinal plants are just a few of the important horticulture crops that are widely grown as cash crops by farmers and to meet these needs. However, eventually, horticulture crops are facing major challenges to enhance the productivity of field crops due to changes in environmental conditions. Crops are affected by many environmental stresses including both biotic as well as abiotic. Environmental stresses affect the overall growth, development, physiology and metabolism of plants which leads to the loss of crop quality produce and yield. Old approaches to decipher the mechanism of stress management and overall improvement in plants are involved with tedious experiments, long breeding programs and different cultivation environments. With the advancement in the field of bioinformatics and next-generation sequencing technologies, it has become possible to study the molecular mechanisms of plants coping with stresses. It is the need of the hour to investigate the mechanism of stress tolerance in economically important horticultural crops. This area has sought the attention of horticulturists as many regions are under the spell of environmental alterations and climate change. Thus, this review takes up the genetic and epigenetic aspects of stress management in high-value horticultural fruit and vegetable plants.

Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (FAES): 2nd Place (The Ohio State University Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum)

The industrialization of high-quality crops can help to increase the affordability of healthy diets for residents, and it is crucial to ensure food security and a better life. Quality traits are complex agronomic traits influenced by environment and regulated by multiple genes, whose basis is metabolism. Crops directly or indirectly provide energy and diversified nutrients for human beings through coordinated and orderly primary and/or secondary metabolism of photosynthates. Currently, several major genes responsible for nutrition, taste and other qualities have been cloned, and remarkable progress has been made in the analysis of metabolic pathways of vitamins and some special functional substances such as anthocyanins, and in the molecular design breeding of high-quality crops. However, our understanding of the regulatory mechanism of quality traits is limited, and the knowledge of environmental variation of quality traits is still lacking. Here, we summarized the present quality research on rice, wheat, corn and soybean at home and abroad, discussed the future development trend and bottleneck of quality research in China, and put forward some thoughts for crop quality research in China toward 2035.

Silkworms have been domesticated or semi-domesticated insects for many centuries, as silkworms play an important role in the economy of men. The silkworm is by nature very delicate and sensitive to environmental conditions. Silkworm rearing is therefore aimed at producing very good quality cocoons of very high silk content utilizing the available optimum environmental conditions. The ecological factors, chiefly temperature, humidity, light and air during rearing show a significant effect in the growth of larvae and finally cocoon crop quality. However, other factors such as quality and quantity of the leaf supply and techniques of rearing adopted, such as feeding, cleaning, spacing etc. also influence the rearing activity. The silkworm behavior in relation to various environmental conditions varies with different stages of growth, and a bad environment affects the growth of worms.

This study was conducted with an objective to determine the optimal negative pressure irrigation suitable for growth and development of eggplant. The total water consumption, yield, growth and development, physiological activity, and quality of eggplant were tested using a pot experiment in a greenhouse with four treatments, namely -3, -8, -15 kPa and normal irrigation (C). The negative pressure was maintained using a stable negative pressure irrigation device. The total water consumption of eggplant was decreased by 20.51–70.00%, the total water consumption intensity was decreased by 22.18–70.27%, and the water use efficiency was increased by up to 7.45–41.48% under negative pressure irrigation compared with control (C). When the irrigation pressure was controlled at -3 kPa, the nitrate reductase activity, root activity, and chlorophyll content were increased by 6.14–15.5%, 11.11–33.33% and 20.04–51.58%, respectively. The yield of eggplant was also increased by 12.43% compared with control. The soluble sugars, soluble protein, and vitamin C contents of eggplant fruits at different maturation stages were increased by 14.47–47.22%, 16.33–58.78%, and 19.64–43.42% at -3 kPa, respectively, compared with the control. Taken together, it was observed that stable negative pressure irrigation in the range of -3 to -15 kPa obviously reduced water consumption of eggplant, and had a water saving effect. Negative pressure irrigation (-3 kPa) improved the water use efficiency, physiological activity, growth and development, and yield and quality of eggplant. © 2021 Friends Science Publishers

FRUIT DEFECTS, SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND SENSORY EVALUATION OF FOUR COMMERCIAL TOMATO CULTIVARS

Çilek dünyada ve ülkemizde eşsiz tat ve aromasından dolayı, üretimi giderek artan önemli bir meyve türüdür. Birçok meyve türünde olduğu gibi, çilek meyvelerdeki verim, tad ve diğer önemli kalite bileşenlerinin genetik yapıdan etkilendiği bilinmektedir. Bu kapsamda, özellikle son 100 yılda dünyadaki çilek ıslah çalışmaları sonucunda çok miktarda çilek çeşidi geliştirilmiştir. Bu bağlamda, Çukurova Üniversitesi bünyesinde de uzun yıllar farklı yoğunluklarda çilek ıslah çalışmaları gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu çalışmada, bölümümüzde gerçekleşen çilek ıslah programı sonucu ön plana çıkan ‘33‘, ‘36‘ ve ‘61‘ kodlu genotipler ile Akdeniz bölgesinde yaygın olarak yetiştiriciliği yapılan ‘Fortuna‘, ‘Rubygem‘ ve ‘Festival‘ gibi ticari çilek çeşitleri geniş hasat (Ocak-Mayıs) süresi boyunca meyve SÇKM, pH, asit miktarı ile et sertliği gibi özellikler bakımından karşılaştırılmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda Akdeniz iklim koşullarında ocak ayında az miktarda ürün elde edilmiş olup, söz konusu ayda incelenen çeşit ve genotiplerde en yüksek SÇKM ve meyve et sertlik değerleri elde edilmiştir. Genotipler bakımından; ‘36‘ kodlu olan, sezon boyunca %8,0 ile %13,1 arasında değişen SÇKM değerleriyle diğerlerine göre yüksek olması yanında, nispeten düşük asit içeriğiyle de dikkat çekmiştir. Bu genotip tat bakımından güçlü yönüne rağmen, 0,63 lb/inch2 meyve et sertlik değeriyle ticari çeşitlere (1,10-1,20 lb/inch2) göre oldukça yumuşak bulunmuştur. Bütün bu bilgiler doğrultusunda, her yönüyle çok iyi bir çeşit elde etmenin fizyolojik ve genetik nedenlerden dolayı mümkün olmadığı düşünülmektedir. Bununla birlikte, çilek ıslahçıları belirledikleri temel amaçlar doğrultusundaki özellikleri en yüksek seviyelerde bünyesinde barındıran çilek çeşidi geliştirmeyi hedeflemelidirler.

Bu araştırma, iki farklı terbiye şekli ile üç farklı göz yükü seviyesi uygulamasının Trakya İlkeren üzüm çeşidinin verim ve kalite özellikleri üzerine etkisini belirlemek amacıyla üç yıl süreyle yürütülmüştür. Bütün göz yükü seviyelerinde ilk 500 g budama odunu ağırlığı için 20 adet göz bırakılmış sonraki ilave her 500 g için Kontrol göz yükü uygulamasında 10 adet, 1. Göz yükü (1GY) uygulaması için 5 adet ve 2. Göz yükü (2GY) uygulaması için ise 15 adet göz bırakılmıştır. Süren göz sayısı 2GY seviyesi uygulanan omcalarda; salkım sayısı ise Y terbiye şeklinde ve 2GY uygulamasında daha yüksek düzeyde elde edilmiştir. Verim miktarı Y terbiye şeklinde denemenin 1. yıl ve 2. yılında 9763 g ile 19168 g olarak saptanmıştır. Ayrıca göz yükleri bakımından 2GY uygulamasında 1. yıl 10845 g, 2. yıl 19693 g ve 3. yıl 14097 g verim elde edilmiştir. Salkım ağırlığı, Y şekli verilen omcalarda, denemenin 1. 2. ve 3. yılı boyunca sırasıyla; 210 g, 279.7 g ve 364.4 g olarak belirlenmiştir. T ve Y terbiye şekli uygulanan omcalardan elde edilen üzümlerde antioksidan aktivite düzeyi benzer olarak saptanmıştır. Şıra özellikleri bakımından bütün uygulamalar ve yıllara göre farklı sonuçlar kaydedilmiştir. Bu sonuçlara dayanarak, Trakya İlkeren üzüm çeşidi için Y terbiye sistemi ve 2GY seviyesinin önerilebilmesi mümkün gözükmektedir.

The experimental data on effect of Bloom & Grow and Immune System fertilizers on growth, development, yield and grain quality of spring durum and soft wheat in light gray forest soils of the Chuvash Republic are presented. The results of two research years revealed that in plants treated with fertilizers, the growth period ‘seedling-ripening’ is reduced by 7-8 days, height of the treated soft wheat plants exceeded the control variant by 12.5 cm, length of the main spike - by 0.4 cm, number of grains per spike - by 6.1, and grain mass per spike - by 0.23 g. Plants of spring durum wheat treated with micronutrient fertilizers exceeded the control variant by 25.1 cm in plant height, length of the main spike, number of grains in it and grain weight significantly exceeded the control variant. The 1000 seed mass exceeded the control variant by 7.28 grams. The increase in the yield of spring soft wheat was 0.89 t/ha (26.3%), and durum wheat - 0.93 t/ha (28.6%). Application of Bloom & Grow and Immune System fertilizers led to an increase in gluten content in spring soft and durum wheat grains, and an improvement in gluten deformation rate to group 1 with the accumulation of minerals.

Pawpaw (Carica pawpaw L.) fruit production and utilisation have been on the increase in Uganda. However, challenges related to identification of phenotypes with inherent characteristics for improvement of fruit shelf life have limited identification of better varieties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the phenotypic diversity and shelf life determinants of Uganda’s pawpaw accessions and their variations based on selected quality parameters. Nineteen accessions were collected as seeds from different markets of Uganda, germinated and planted in Namulonge-Wakiso district, central Uganda. The accessions were significantly (P5 kg F) such as 16/20’ 16/16, 16/17 and 18/1; and external pulp thickness (>2 cm) such as 16/16, 16/17 and 18/1 had improved fruit shelf life and are recommended for marketability and processing.

The dependence of plant health and crop quality on the epiphytic microbial community has been extensively addressed, but little is known about plant-associated microbial communities under natural conditions. In this study, the bacterial and fungal communities on grape leaves were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer high-throughput sequencing, respectively. The results showed differences in the composition of the microbial communities on leaf samples of nine wine grape varieties. The most abundant bacterial genus was Pseudomonas, and the top three varieties with Pseudomonas were Zinfandel (22.6%), Syrah (21.6%), and Merlot (13.5%). The most abundant fungal genus was Alternaria, and the cultivar with the lowest abundance of Alternaria was Zinfandel (33.6%), indicating that these communities had different habitat preferences. The linear discriminant analysis effect size of all species showed that the bacteria Enterococcus, Massilia, and Kocuria were significantly enriched on the leaves of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, respectively; Pseudomonadales and Pantoea on Zinfandel; and Bacillus, Turicibacter, and Romboutsia on Pinot Noir. Similarly, the fungi Cladosporium, Phoma, and Sporormiella were significantly enriched on Zinfandel, Lon, and Gem, respectively. Both Bray–Curtis and unweighted UniFrac revealed that bacteria and fungi have a significant impact (P < 0.01), and the results further proved that variety is the most important factor affecting the microbial community. The findings indicate that some beneficial or harmful microorganisms existing on the wine grape leaves might affect the health of the grape plants and the wine-making process.

Pawpaw or Northern banana (Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal) is the only representative of the Annonaceae family that can be cultivated in temperate areas. The increasing demands from the consumers for this nearly unknown fruit with high nutraceutical potential require specific researches. The aim of this study is to present the fruits pomological characteristics for 23 genotypes analyzed, cultivated in the Bucharest area. For each genotype yield, fruit size, average number of seeds per fruit, average weight of seeds and seeds size were measured. Fruit biochemical analyses as dry matter, total soluble solids, ascorbic acid content, acidity, were done for several genotypes. Fruit quality evaluation through sensorial analyses was conducted for 13 genotypes. The most valuable genotypes from the Experimental field according to the analyses performed and the consumer’s preferences are taken in consideration for further research.

To know the extent of heterosis among the selected 21 crosses derived from the diallel mating system using seven parents regarding yield and quality traits. The magnitude of heterosis was high for grain yield and protein content and moderate to high for plant height, ear bearing tillers per plant, number of primaries per panicle, L/B ratio, head rice recovery and GT score. The best heterotic crosses for grain yield were erramallelux NLR 33637 and IR 72 x NLR 33637. The high heterotic effects in the hybrids may be due to predominant role of non additive component in the inheritance of the characters studied.

Tomato is one of the most important vegetables cultivated in Vietnam. Besides its regular consumption as a vegetable, a new demand for using tomato as a decorative plant on special occasions was identified in recent years. This study aimed to characterize new tomato accessions on their desirable morphological traits to select potential materials for further breeding programs of ornamental tomato varieties in Vietnam. Twenty-four heirloom tomato genotypes were evaluated on 19 morphological traits. Based on the describing system for tomato developed by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI, 1996), significant variation was assessed in both qualitative and quantitative traits related to fruit morphology. The results of principle component analysis indicated that three main principle components explained over 60% of the total phenotypic variation. The five traits of fruit size, fruit shoulder shape, fruit cross-sectional shape, number of locules, and shape of the pistil scar were recommended as important traits for clustering tomato genotypes in this study. In addition, the 24 genotypes were classified at the coefficient of 0.39 into six different clusters. Finally, six interesting accessions, AU66, AU67, AU68, AU73, AU79, and AU83 (with strange fruit colors and shapes), were selected as potential materials for further breeding programs of ornamental tomato in Vietnam.

Nitrogen is a nutrient that most limits the development, biomass yield and protein composition of Poaceae. The N losses can be reduced by synchronizing fertilizer additions with plant uptake requirements. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of N topdressing at different rates and times on grain yield and industrial quality of two white oat cultivars. The experiment was carried out under field conditions, from July to November of 2014, in a factorial design 2 x 3 x 4, with four replications. Two oat cultivars (URS Guria and URS Brava) combined with nitrogen topdressing were applied under three management systems: (i) semi-late, (ii) late and (iii) semi-late plus late, described as a growth stages (GS) GS31 (first node visible) and GS45 (booting) or split N on GS31 plus GS45 and N rates (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg ha-1) with urea as a source. White oat cultivars responded differently to nitrogen fertilization. The URS Brava cultivar showed higher hectoliter weight (HW) and crude protein in the grains (CP) and URS Guria higher number of spikelets per panicle (NSP) and plant lodging (LOD). Application of at least part of the N at the first detectable node played important role on grain yield and yield components. Splitting N fertilization in two applications, 50% at the beginning of stem elongation and 50% at booting, favored higher yield and protein content of the grains. The increase in N rates up to 90 kg ha-1 did not promote grain yield, but it provided increases in grain thickness and protein content in white oats cultivars, increasing the nutritional (more protein), industrial quality (more flakes per ton of the grains) and grain yield leading to more profit to farmer.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most common type of eukaryotic mRNA modification. It plays an important role in regulating plant growth and development and stress resistance. m6A modification influences nearly all aspects of RNA metabolism and functionality and has great potential for improving crop quality. However, changing m6A modification levels as a whole may have unpredictable effects, making it impossible to accurately predict the effect of specific m6A modifications on RNA. In this opinion article, the main challenges and possible solutions for exploring m6A modification functions in plant systems are discussed. An m6A editing platform that uses new high-throughput methods to identify m6A modification at single-base resolution, and genome editing for selective editing of specific m6A sites for crop improvement is proposed.

Vase life is one of the most important factors determining the marketability of cut flowers and influenced by water balance strongly. In recent years, the consumption of hydrangeas as a cut flower has gradually increased. However, the vase life of cut hydrangea flowers is short depends on wilting. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the effects of different treatments [thymol (100, 150 and 200 mgL–1), 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate (8-HQS) (200 mgL–1)], and their combination with and without 1% sucrose on the vase life, relative fresh weight, daily (solution uptake for 3 days) and total solution uptake of hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Green Shadow’) harvested freshly. Distilled water was used as the control. Compared to the control, thymol 150 mgL–1 treatment with 1% sucrose significantly increased the vase life of hydrangeas flowers in 5.80 days (from 10.7 to 16.5 days). It was also determined that same treatment increased the total solution uptake and delayed relative fresh weight loss. These results indicated that thymol treatments in combination with sucrose can be used to extend the vase life of cut hydrangea.

Purple corn (Zea mays L.) which background is the Kculli race, was originated in the Andean region and is grown in environments as high as 3000 m.a.s.l.; it is unique because of the purple color in the grain and other parts of the plant; the color is due to the presence of anthocyanin such as cianidine-3-glucoside. The objective of this study was to evaluate the grain production and determine the anthocyanin content in the cob and husk of six purple maize cultivars. Anthocyanin content in cob and husk was obtained through the pigment absorbance determination by HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography). Cultivars were planted at 28 environments of Cajamarca during 2016 to 2019. Results indicated that cultivar INIA 601 showed the highest grain yield (2.77 t ha-1) and the highest anthocyanin content in cobs (6.12) and husks (3.18 mg/cianidine-3-glucoside); consequently, using this technology, farmers can develop an agribusiness four times more profitable than growing other types of maize for grain production. El maíz morado (Zea mays L.) originado de la raza Kculli, es propio de los valles interandinos y se cultiva hasta 3000 m.s.n.m.; es único en el mundo por poseer un color morado oscuro en el grano y otras partes de la planta. El color está determinado por antocianinas como la cianidina-3-glucósido. El objetivo del trabajo fue evaluar la producción de grano y la cantidad de antocianinas en la coronta y brácteas de seis cultivares de maíz morado. El contenido de antocianinas se determinó a través de la absorbancia del pigmento por HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography). Los cultivares se sembraron en 28 localidades del departamento de Cajamarca (Perú), entre 2016 y 2019. Los resultados muestran que la mayor producción de grano (2,77 t ha-1) y la mayor concentración de antocianinas en corontas (6,12) y brácteas (3,18 mg/100 g de cianidina-3-glucósido) se obtiene sembrando la variedad INIA 601; con esta alternativa tecnológica el agricultor podría establecer un agronegocio rentable ya que podría obtener ingresos cuatro veces mayores que vendiendo solo grano de otros tipos de maíz.

The present investigation is aimed towards breeding varieties of garden pea for early summer cultivation (March-May) that can tolerate temperatures up to 35 0C. High temperature tolerant accessions KTP-4, Arka Sampoorna, Oregon Sugar, Magadi local were crossed with Arka Ajit, Arka Pramodh, Arka Priya having superior pod quality, yield and followed by pedigree method of breeding, superior transgressive segregants from these crosses were advanced up to F 7 generation. In F 7, six selected advanced breeding lines were assessed for their performance in the field with checks during early summer for four years in succession. Results revealed significant differences between selected lines and checks wherein all the lines surpassed checks with yield ranging from 5.9-7.6 t/ ha and in checks it was only 2.6-3.1 t/ha. Among these six breeding lines, three lines were selected based on high yield (6.7-7.6 t/ha), pod quality characters and identified to be highly suitable for early summer cultivation.

Globally, more than two billion people are Fe and Zn deficient. These people are mostly rural poor from developing countries. In the past, food fortification, diet diversification, and nutrient supplementation have been used to address micronutrient malnutrition. Unfortunately, these approaches did not reach malnourished rural population. Thus, biofortification, a biological process of adding micronutrients to food crops, through breeding or agronomic approach has taken place. Varieties, landraces and wild species are explored for their mineral levels and these materials are used in the breeding technique to develop new varieties with increased mineral content. In conventional plant breeding, parent lines with high mineral levels are crossed and back-crossed over several generations to produce plants that have elevated level of the nutrients. Earlier times conventional breeding mainly focused on yield attributes and resistance breeding against any stress e.g. disease. Transgenic approach has made it possible to transfer candidate gene from the same or a different species or organism to the intended crops. Internationally the HarvestPlus programme has taken initiative to address micronutrient malnutrition of rural poor in developing countries through development of staple food crop varieties (rice, wheat, maize, cassava, pearl millet, beans and sweet potato) that rich in Fe, Zn and Vitamin A (β carotene). Not the whole amount of minerals present in plant foods is bioavailable to humans due to presence of antinutritional compounds (e.g. phytate) that interferes with the absorption of the nutrients. Agronomic biofortification provides temporary micronutrient increase through fertilizer application. Nonetheless, in a highly Zn deficient soil the full benefits of growing Zn enriched rice variety would not be achieved. Thus, agronomic biofortification could be complementary to breeding strategy for achieving greater success of breeding efforts for micronutrient enrichment of food crops. [Fundam Appl Agric 2020; 5(2.000): 133-146]

Decorative apple species are used in different fields: breeding, landscape architecture, feeding of the birds during winter, etc. This paper presents the physicohemical characteristics of some ornamental apple genotypes grown and developed in the Northern area of Bucharest and the degree of pollen germination, according with area’s climatic conditions. The results show that some fruits have a high total soluble content, up to 26.98% and dry matter up to 33.18%, these ornamental apple genotypes can be recommended to be used in breeding to obtain new types of fruits for human consumption that have certain characteristics. The maximum percentage of pollen germination was 54.90% for the studied period, when during the efflorescence and blooming period massive rainfall occurred, but important for further research.

Apples are an important source of polyphenols in the human diet. They have also shown many potentially beneficial effects on human health. Old, traditional apple varieties grown in the past could also be valuable varieties but little is known about their polyphenolic compounds and characteristics in general. The aim of this study was to collect 25 old, traditional apple varieties, to determine their polyphenolic profile and the amounts of total polyphenols in the peel and flesh, and to compare them with a commercial variety. To the best of our knowledge, some of those varieties have never been studied before (‘Mašanka’, ‘Bobovac’, ‘Batulenka’, ‘Krastavka’). Total polyphenols were determined by using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and individual polyphenol identification was done by using an RP-HPLC. The flesh contained 170 to 941 mg kg-1 fresh weight (FW) of total polyphenols, and the peel contained 931 to 3791 mg kg-1 FW. In comparison to the commercial variety, the peel of all old varieties had higher polyphenol content, while the flesh of only some old varieties was richer in polyphenols. Principal component analysis showed possible clustering. Eighteen individual polyphenols were distributed in apple peel and flesh. The dominant polyphenol subgroups in the peel were flavonols (18 to 80 %) and flavan-3-ols (6 to 66 %), and in the flesh those subgroups were phenolic acids (41 to 85 %) and flavan-3-ols (3-49 %).

Accurate quality classification is one of the requirements of the flower market, which is becoming increasing more sophisticated and demanding. However, there is a lack of information regarding how such classification is performed, and it is often conducted in a less empirical and more subjective way. Therefore, this work aimed to compare the efficiency of personal classification (in-person) and using digital images to determine the quality of anthurium cv. Tropical (Anthurium andraeanum Lind.). Three experiments were performed regarding the recording of the images and the display mode of the images and comparing three methods of classifying postharvest quality of anthurium. It was concluded that measurements of colorimetric parameters can be performed anywhere on the spathe, but the period in which the parameters are measured does affect. Evaluators differ in the thoroughness with which they assign grades, and there is no need for prior knowledge to assess quality using images. The L* parameter measured by the colorimeter presented higher correlation with the evaluation of postharvest quality of Anthurium andraeanum Lind. ‘Tropical’. Classification by images can be performed using different electronic devices, and in-person classification is more rigorous than classification conducted using digital images. Resumo A classificação precisa da qualidade é um dos requisitos do mercado de flores, que está se tornando cada vez mais sofisticado e exigente. No entanto, há uma falta de informações sobre como essa classificação é realizada, e muitas vezes é conduzida de maneira menos empírica e mais subjetiva. Portanto, este trabalho teve como objetivo comparar a eficiência da classificação pessoal (in-person) e usando imagens digitais para determinar a qualidade de flores de antúrio ‘Tropical’. Foram realizados três experimentos quanto ao registro das imagens e ao modo de exibição das imagens e comparando três métodos de classificação da qualidade pós-colheita do antúrio. Concluiu-se que as medidas dos parâmetros colorimétricos podem ser realizadas em qualquer lugar da espata, mas o período em que os parâmetros medidos são afetados pela senescência. Os avaliadores diferem na precisão com que atribuem notas e não há necessidade de conhecimento prévio para avaliar a qualidade usando imagens. O parâmetro L* medido pelo colorímetro apresentou maior correlação com a avaliação da qualidade pós-colheita de Anthurium andraeanum Lind. ‘Tropical’. A classificação por imagens pode ser realizada usando diferentes dispositivos eletrônicos, e a classificação in-person é mais rigorosa do que a classificação realizada com imagens digitais.

Rind colour and taste are important factors influencing consumer acceptance of mandarins (Citrus reticulata Blanco) fruit. In this experiment, the influence of fruit canopy position and harvest date on the fruit rind colour and other quality parameters of Imperial mandarins was investigated. The mandarin fruit were harvested from four different positions in the tree canopy i.e., upper-inner, upper-outer, lower-inner and lower-outer and at three different harvest dates (H1 (five days before commercial harvest date); H2 (commercial harvest date) and H3 (five days after commercial harvest date). The experiment was conducted using a two factors (fruit position and harvest time) factorial randomised block design with four replicates and fifteen fruit per replicate. Rind colour and the quality of Imperial mandarins were significantly affected by the fruit position in the tree canopy, with the fruit harvested from the upper canopy having better rind colour and higher levels of organic acids and sugars compared to other positions. The late harvested (H3) mandarins exhibited the best fruit colour. In conclusion, the Imperial mandarin fruit had better fruit colour as well as quality when harvested from the upper canopy and by delaying the fruit harvest date by five days from the original commercial harvest date.

Understanding environmental impacts on crop growth and quality is essential in developing sustainable agricultural practices with climate change. Shifts are expected in precipitation, an essential ...

In order to ensure the nutritional quality of leafy vegetables produced under intensive cultivation systems, the proximate composition, mineral profile, and trypsin-inhibitory activity of three priority West African vegetable species ( Amaranthus cruentus, Ocimum gratissimum , and Solanum macrocarpon ) produced with urea micro-doses (20, 40, and 60 kg/ha) were compared with control leaves raised without urea. Plants were harvested three consecutive times to determine effects on nutrient and trypsin-inhibitory activity. Proximate and mineral compositions were mainly species-dependent (p

An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to investigate the effect of planting spacing and nitrogen levels on yield and quality of baby corn and green fodder. The experiment comprised three plant spacing viz. 45 cm × 30 cm, 45 cm × 20 cm, 45 cm × 10 cm and five nitrogen levels viz. 0, 80, 120, 160 and 200 kg N ha-1. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The highest number of leaves plant-1, total dry matter plant-1 at 30 DAS, chlorophyll content at 65 DAS were observed by at 45 cm × 20 cm spacing fertilized with 200 kg N ha-1. The highest number of cobs plant-1 and cob length without husk was recorded in 45 cm × 30 cm which was at par with 45 cm × 20 cm. The highest cob length with husk, cob diameter with husk, cob diameter without husk, cob yield with husk, cob yield without husk, fodder yield and protein content of cob were found at 45 cm × 20 cm spacing while the lowest values were recorded at 45 cm × 10 cm spacing. The highest number of cobs plant-1, cob length with husk, cob length without husk, cob diameter with husk, cob yield with husk, cob yield without husk, fodder yield and protein content of cob were observed by at 45 cm × 20 cm spacing fertilized with 200 kg N ha-1. Therefore, it may be concluded that planting of baby corn at 45 cm × 20 cm spacing along with application of 200 kg N ha-1 could be considered for obtaining higher cob yield, cob protein content (%) and green fodder from the same plant. [J Bangladesh Agril Univ 2020; 18(1.000): 55-60]

The research aimed to study heterosis, combining ability and performance along with their inter-relationship across three environments. Variance due to general (GCA) and specific combining abilities (SCA) and their interaction with environment was found to be significant for most of studied traits. For all the studied traits but ASI (Anthesis-silking interval), HI (Harvest index) and starch content, additive gene action was highly important than non-additive gene action for their expression as reflected by Baker's ratio which was near to unity. CML439, R13-1-1 and Tarun83-1-3-2 were the best general combiner for starch, protein and oil, respectively. R13-1-17, CML439 and Tarun83-1-3-2 were good general combiner for maturity characters and harvest index while TSK 196 and TSK 197 were good general combiner for cob length, cob girth, number of grains/row and grain yield. DMR9047×R13-1-17 and POP31Q×Tarun83-1-3-2 showed desirable heterosis and SCA effect for maturity characters. Regarding to SCA and heterosis, the prominent hybrids for grain yield were TSK197×R13-1-10, TSK194×POP31Q, DMR9047×POP31Q and R13-1-1×DMR9047. SCA established stronger relationship with per se performance of grain yield and quality traits than mid-parent (MPH) and best-parent heterosis (BPH), reflecting that an improvement in selection of SCA will results in an indirect improvement of MPH and BPH of hybrids.

Effective plant differentiation plays a vital role in agriculture, wherein this includes identifying crops and weeds in the farmland. The common method used for weed control is herbicides. However, the excessive use of herbicides will result in herbicides-resistance in weeds. An effective plant differentiation can decrease the expense of agriculture and increase crop quality, yield, and weed control. Henceforth, this research work has proposed a deep learning-based convolutional neural network to efficiently classify the plant leaves of three crops like canola, corn, and radish. In the experiment, the dataset used here is “bccr-segset,” which includes four categories like background, radish, corn, and canola. The dataset contains 30,000 images of these subclasses in four different growth stages.

Climate change is impacting crop performance and agricultural systems around the world with implications for farmers and consumers. We carried out a systematic review to synthesize evidence regarding the effects of environmental factors associated with climate change and management conditions associated with climate adaptation on the crop quality of a culturally-relevant perennial crop, coffee (Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora). Seventy-three articles were identified that addressed the study's research question including 42 articles on environmental factors, 20 articles on management conditions, and 11 articles on both. While variation was found between studies, findings highlight that coffee quality is vulnerable to changes in light exposure, altitude, water stress, temperature, carbon dioxide, and nutrient management. Both increases as well as decreases were found in secondary metabolites and sensory attributes that determine coffee quality in response to shifts in environmental and management conditions. The most consistent evidence identified through this systematic review includes the following two trends: (1) increased altitude is associated with improved sensory attributes of coffee and; (2) increased light exposure is associated with decreased sensory attributes of coffee. Research gaps were found regarding the effects of shifts in carbon dioxide, water stress, and temperature on the directionality (increase, decrease, or non-linear) of coffee quality and how this varies with location, elevation, and management conditions. This systematic review further identified the following research needs: (1) long-term studies that examine the interactive effects of multiple environmental factors and management conditions on coffee quality; (2) studies that examine the interaction between sensory attributes and secondary metabolites that determine coffee quality and; (3) studies on the feasibility of various climate-adaptation strategies for mitigating the effects of climate change on coffee quality. Evidence-based innovations are needed to mitigate climate impacts on coffee quality toward enhanced sustainability and resilience of the coffee sector from farm to cup.

FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS OF 18 PUMMELO VARIETIES WITH POTENTIAL FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION IN PUERTO RICO

Türkiye‘de ekolojik farklılıktan dolayı çoğu bitki ve meyve türü hem doğal olarak hem de ekonomik olarak yetişmektedir. Kayseri civarı bazı meyve türlerinin doğal yayılış bölgelerinden biri durumundadır. Yapılan bu çalışmada Kayseri yöresinde tohumdan yetiştiği varsayılan 31 ayva (Cydonia oblanga Mill.) genotipinde genetik çeşitliğin ve bazı meyve özelliklerinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmada meyve boyu, meyve eni, SÇKM ve asitlik gibi meyve özellikleri incelenmiştir. Çalışmada, 15 SRAP primer kombinasyonu kullanarak yapılan moleküler incelemelerde genetik çeşitliliğin 0,53 ile 0,92 arasında değişkenlik gösterdiği ve genotiplerin 2 ana grupta toplandığı ortaya çıkmıştır. Çalışmada primerlerin baz uzunlukları 400-1700 bp arasındadır. Toplam da 97 adet skorlanabilir bant elde edilmiş olup, bunlardan 91‘i polimorfiktir ve polimorfizm oranı %87,7 olarak bulunmuştur. Çalışmada elde edilen sonuçlar bölgedeki ayva popülasyonlarının korunması ve daha sonraki çalışmalarda kullanılması adına önem taşımaktadır.

Knowledge of the physiology of natural fruitlet shedding is especially important to insure thinning efficiency in apple production. The effect of partial spur leaf removal on shedding, as well as on fruit quality and bourse shoot growth, was investigated. Removing spur leaves increased shedding, while there was no effect of partial leaf removal on mature fruit quality in terms of weight, firmness and sum of sugars, detected by HPLC-RI and resulted in lower contents of citric, fumaric and shikimic acids, detected by HPLC-UV. Growth of bourse shoots was poorer in treatments with leaf removal. To summarize, a decreased number of spur leaves caused more intensive fruitlet abscission and poorer bourse shoot growth but had no negative influence on fruit size. These results show the potential use of decreasing spur leaf area to stimulate more intensive natural shedding to support fruitlet thinning, which could be used in combination with prospective mechanical thinning.