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Plum pox, or Sharka disease, caused by infection with plum pox virus (PPV), results in enormous economic losses to the stone fruit industry. However, the frequency and distribution of PPV remain unclear in China, the world’s largest stone fruit producer. Systemic visual surveys were performed on stone fruit trees in China from 2008 to 2018, and the results suggest that plum pox disease is widely distributed on common apricots (Prunus armeniaca) and Japanese apricots (Prunus mume), with an average symptoms incidence rate >30% in the latter. In samples collected from Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Wuxi, and Yuncheng, PPV was detected in 77% (85 of 110) of collected samples by immunochromatographic (IC) strip tests and reverse transcription PCR, and 96% (67 of 70) of samples showing Sharka symptoms were PPV positive. Transmission electron microscopy revealed filamentous particles of ∼640 × 12.5 nm (n = 19) in size and pinwheel inclusions in symptomatic plants but not in the asymptomatic and PPV-negative plants. Full-length genomes were determined for four isolates (three from Japanese apricot and one from common apricot), and phylogenetic analyses indicated that all four isolates belong to a clade PPV-D, despite slight differences in genome size. These findings not only highlight the widespread occurrence and distribution of PPV in China but also provide detailed information about the genomic characteristics and evolutionary position of PPV isolates in China.

Investigation of genetic variability and population relationship of 50 accessions of the apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) was carried out using ISSR markers. The results revealed that the number of alleles per locus varied from 4 to 8 with a mean value of 6.75, and the mean effective number of alleles (Ne) per locus was 1.54. Similarly, the polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.464 to 0.424, with a mean value of 0.424. The mean heterozygosity, marker index, resolving power, and effective multiplex ratio (EMR) ranged from 0.001 to 0.002, 0.01–0.06, 1.76–3.84, and 1–4.12. The dendrogram clustered genotypes into two main clades based on their origins. The population structure revealed two sub-populations with some admixtures. The average expected heterozygosity and population differentiation within two sub-populations was 0.1428 and 0.216, respectively. The results outcome reveals that the four ISSR markers comprehensively separated the indigenous germplasm from the exotic germplasm. The genetic divergence within indigenous genotypes and exotic genotypes could allow for future insights into apricot breeding programs.

Apricot is considered an ecologically and economically important tree species of the stone-fruit crops that is widely grown in temperate regions of the world. Very few studies on apricot genetic diversity assessment have been carried out from the regions of Kashmir and Ladakh. In this backdrop, the present study was carried out to analyse the genetic diversity and population structure of 120 apricot genotypes collected from both the regions using 21 SSR markers. A total of 52 alleles were amplified with average values of marker index (MI) = 0.7084, resolving power (RP) = 2.8690, polymorphism information content (PIC) = 0.3132, Na = 2.317, Ne = 1.720, I = 0.572, Ho = 0.284, He = 0.360 and an average polymorphism of 91.2% per assay indicating high level of genetic diversity. The neighbour-joining (NJ) dendrogram generated three main clusters among selected apricot genotypes independent of their geographical locations. Interestingly, the result of the dendrogram coincides with the results of structure analysis which showed that the 120 apricot genotypes could be assigned to three (K = 3) sub-populations and the grouping of genotypes did not follow their geographical location suggesting that they share the same genetic pool. Moreover, analysis of molecular variance showed that 73% of the variation was attributed to differences within the individuals, 25% among individuals while only 2% of the variation was observed among the populations. The present study represents the most comprehensive analysis of the genetic diversity and population structure of apricot genotypes in Kashmir and Ladakh regions of India.

Apricot is a deciduous perennial tree, which classified within to the Rosacea family, sensitive to climatic factors, and its production has an economic role for many countries of the world, including Palestine. Mean annual temperatures and precipitation were analyzed, using data from a meteorological station of Jerusalem, Palestine, which has recorded between the year (1993-2012), and with the same number of years of apricot production, knowing that production data were taken from the Palestinian Statistics Center for the mentioned period. On the other hand, we used Professor Salvador Ravers Martins' methodology to classify the Earth in the process of analyzing environmental factors, there are two aspects of the factors: The first is climatic, which is the amount of rain or precipitation, mean monthly temperature and soil water reserve, and the second factor is the bioclimatic, which is annual ombrothermic index, simple continentality index, compensated thermicity index, and water deficit. In conclusion, Jerusalem was adversely affected by mean monthly temperature, precipitation, compensated thermicity index, deficit water, annual ombrothermic index during (1997-2002 and 2007-2012), but positively influenced by soil water reserve on apricot production, during (1993-1997 and 2002-2007), with a great rate of the variance in axis F1 (98.8%), axis F2 (0.82%) and symmetrical plot axes F1and F2 (99.8%), when the correspondence analysis was applied. However, humid areas characterized by mild summers are the suitable region for apricot production and productivity, with a temperature ranging between 22-24°C, at which high quality production can be obtained, the amount of rain is between 600 - 800 mm annually. Final, environmental regions in the thermomediterranean and the Mesomediterranean, with simple continentality index is 17 - 22, annual ombrothermic index is 2.5, while the compensated thermicity index is about 250/420, to obtain the highest ideal production of apricots in Jerusalem, Palestine.

Aerosols on plant leaves make it possible to assess the quality of air in settlements. The purpose of this work was to assess the acidity and specific electrical conductivity of aerosol suspensions (by washing off aerosol particles from the leaves of apricot trees (Prunus armeniaca)), which characterize the air pollution in the residential area of the Svetly Yar settlement (Volgograd region, Russia) during the spring-summer of 2019. The research hypothesis was as follows: Acidic mineralized aerosols with a mixed source are present in Svetly Yar. The differences were checked by the Student's t-test and evaluated at the level of significance of p = 0.05. The results indicated the presence of acidic (pH = 4.56 + 0.02) and highly mineralized aerosols (EC = 130.41 + 0.17 μS/cm) in the ambient air of the Svetly Yar residential area during the spring-summer of 2019 and revealed environmental risks for the population in comparison with aerosol suspensions from a (relatively) clean location (pH = 6.46 + 0.02; EC = 37.61 + 0.19 μS/cm). The authors confirmed their hypothesis in favor of mixed source acidic mineralized aerosols in the residential area of the Svetly Yar village. The anthropogenic sources were the industrial zones of Svetly Yar, the southern part of the city of Volgograd and artificial sedimentation tanks in the southwestern part of Svetly Yar. A natural source of pollution in the vicinity of Svetly Yar may be hidden geologically active structures: faults in the Earth's crust, a salt diapir, an underground ancient semiactive volcanic zone on a steppe, etc.

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.), which belongs to the genus Prunus, is one of the most commonly commercialized fruits produced in Turkey. Apricot pomace, the most common byproduct of apricot nectar processing, is the press residue of the fruit flesh. Ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) is known as one of the most efficient techniques for separation of valuable ingredients from raw materials with enhanced extraction yield. In this study, UAE parameters (temperature and time) were optimized by using Response Surface Methodology with a central composite design for maximization of the total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as the antiradical (DPPH scavenging) activity and extraction yield. Phenolic composition and CUPRAC, ABTS and FRAP values of the extract at the highest extraction yield point was also determined. In the results, the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents, antiradical activity and extraction efficiency were determined as 1.206 mg GAE/g DM, 1.015 mg CE/g DM, 79.85% and 7.86% in apricot pomace samples at 50 °C and 90 min trial points, respectively. HPLC–DAD showed that p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid and rutin were the most abundant phenolics found in the extract. CUPRAC, ABTS and FRAP values of the extract were 30.00, 32.30 and 18.80 mg TE/100 g, respectively. In conclusion, this study provided valuable findings to food industry and other related fields for extraction of valuable bioactive compounds from apricot pomace using UAE as an eco-friendly extraction technique.

Semen armeniacae refers to the seeds of Prunus armeniaca L. (Rosaceae). The Prunus armeniaca L. plant is spreading in the Korean peninsula, China, India, Japan, North Africa, and the United States of America. The Prunus armeniaca contains 3% amygdalin, titratable acidity, sugars (saccharose, fructose, and glucose), and organic acids (citric and malic acids) in addition to prunasin and mandelonitrile. Semen armeniacae is used for the treatment of asthma and cough (with expectoration and fever). It is used in constipation therapy. It is also used as eardrops for inflammation and tinnitus and the treatment of skin diseases. The pharmacological effect of Semen armeniacae includes experimental and clinical pharmacology. Experimental pharmacology includes anti-cholinesterase, neuroprotective, analgesic, antipyretic, antitumor, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal, and antitussive activities. Decoction of Semen armeniacae to 2275 patients with COVID-19 improves clinical parameters such as lung state, clinical cure rate, number of cough reduction cases, symptom score of cough, viral nucleic acid testing, and inflammatory biomarkers. Oral intake of Semen armeniacae extract for 28 days did not cause any hematological, biochemical, or histological changes in rats. The Prunus armeniaca plant declines oxidative stress, inflammation, fat degeneration, and necrosis in alcohol-induced in-vivo and in-vitro liver injury models. There is no effect on fertility in rats after eating Semen armeniacae for 5 weeks. The average daily dose= 3-9 g of Semen armeniacae rinsing in boiling water then adding to a decoction. In conclusion, Semen armeniacae has anti-cholinesterase, neuroprotective, analgesic, antipyretic, antitumor, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal, and antitussive activities. © 2021 by the authors. This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

The shift in food consumption pattern to accommodate an array of bioactive compounds in foods with minimum calorie intake has resulted in the development of many novel beverages in the last decade. In the present study, optimization of apricot (AP; 0–50%) blended Aloe vera (AV; 50–100%) based low-calorie beverage functionally enriched with aonla juice (AJ; 3,5,7,10%) using steviol glycoside (SG; 0–100%) was performed. The preliminary screening suggested that 40% addition of AP (AV-AP; 60:40) had an acceptable taste. While, for functional enrichment of squash, incorporation of 7% AJ with 40oB TSS was optimized based on color, consistency, taste, and overall acceptability scores. The developed squash had higher ascorbic acid (26.83 mg/100 g), total phenols (68.77 mg/100 g), antioxidant potential (36.50%) and antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (18.00 mm). The aloin content was recorded 0.9 ppm, well within the maximum permissible limits. Additionally, replacement of sucrose with stevioside up to 50 per cent resulted in equi-sweetness level without characteristic bitter aftertaste and a significant reduction in energy value from 142 kcal/100 g to 85.26 kcal/100 g. The developed beverage recorded a high amount of functional compounds with reduced energy values. The beverage can be a recommendation for general consumption for health- conscious people to cover their functional food desires.

Erlitou (Henan province, China) is a Bronze Age site which occupies a prominent position in the study of early state and civilization of China. 359 charcoal fragments >4 mm and 40 charred fruit stones unearthed during the 2010 and 2011 excavation seasons at Erlitou have been analysed. Wood charcoals belong to 18 taxa: Platycladus, Pinus, Picea, Prunus armeniaca, Prunus persica, Quercus (deciduous oaks), Celtis, Zelkova, Broussonetia, Ziziphus, Salix, Toona, Koelreuteria, Sophora, Melia, Bambusoideae and 2 unidentified broadleaved species. In addition, 39 Prunus persica stones and 1 Ziziphus stone have been identified. The anthracological results indicate that the main types of woodland vegetation were Quercus broadleaved forest, and coniferous and broadleaved forest during the Erlitou Culture period (1750-1520 BC) including Platycladus orientalis coniferous forest and deciduous vegetation composed of oak, Zelkova, Salix, Toona and some fruit trees such as apricot, peach and Chinese date. Our study indicates a vegetation adapted to a warmer and more humid climate in phases 2 and 3 of the Erlitou Culture period (1680-1560 BC) becoming drier in phase 4 (1560-1520 BC). By the late Erligang period (1400-1300 BC) climate becomes again warmer and more humid. It also suggests that oak played an important role as firewood and possibly for wooden artefacts and as a food source. The appearance of charcoals of apricot, peach and Chinese date also suggests that fruits were consumed, while Chinese hackberries could have been used either as food or fodder.

The aim of the present work was to optimize the encapsulation of Pomegranate peel extract (PPE) using Prunus armeniaca gum exudates (PAGE) and chitosan (CS) as wall materials, and to investigate the effect of pH on surface charge, particle size, polydispersity index and the extract retention of the microparticles (MPs). Furthermore, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of both pure and encapsulated PPE were examined. Based on the values of Hausner ratio (1.17) and Carr’s index (14.9%), PAGE/CS MPs powder had excellent flow property. The antiradical activity of pure extract and PPE-loaded particles revealed that PPE-loaded PAGE/CS MPs possessed higher radical scavenging activity than pure extract. A clear antibacterial activity was observed for PPE-loaded PAGE/CS MPs. In vitro release test indicated a sustained release of PPE (only 14.2% of phenolic compounds were released from PAGE/CS MPs to simulated stomach medium). The Korsmeyer-Peppas model could successfully describe the release behavior of PPE from PAGE–CS MPs (R2 = 99). Overall, PAGE/CS MPs can be regarded as suitable micromaterials for the protection and controlled delivery of natural antioxidants/antimicrobial agents, such as PPE.

This study aimed at investigating the influence of different postharvest treatments with oxalic acid (OA) and salicylic acid (SA) on quality attributes and postharvest shelf life of temperate grown apricot varieties stored under controlled atmosphere (CA) storage conditions. After each treatment was given, the samples were stored in CA store maintained at a temperature of 0 °C, 90 ± 5% relative humidity, 5% oxygen and 15% carbon dioxide for 30 days. Results indicated that both OA and SA treatments significantly (p ≤ 0.05) retained total soluble solids, titratable acidity, color profile, ascorbic acid content and total phenolic content of apricot varieties and had a positive effect on antioxidant activity and texture of samples compared to control. However, carotenoid content was found to be higher in control. Both the treatments reduced chilling injury index, weight loss and decay percentage of samples. Moreover, it was found that SA treatment was the most effective treatment in maintaining visual color of apricots while OA maintained fruit firmness and effectively decreased the decay percentage and chilling injury index of apricot varieties. In conclusion, it was found that both OA and SA have the potential to extend storage life of apricots and maintain quality attributes of the crop during CA storage.

Tunisia is characterized by the presence of specific seed-propagated apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) material which is found in the oasis agroecosystems. In order to highlight the genetic diversity, population structure, and demographic history of this germplasm, 33 apricot accessions collected from six different oasis regions in southwestern Tunisia were genotyped using 24 microsatellite markers. A total number of 111 alleles was detected with an average of 4.62 alleles per locus. Bayesian model-based clustering analysis indicated four subdivisions within the collection sampled that corresponded mainly to the geographic origin of the material. The analysis of the 33 accessions using chloroplast markers allowed the identification of 32 haplotypes. Overall, the present study highlighted the high Tunisian apricot's diversity in the traditional oasis agroecosystems with low genetic differentiation. Understanding the structure of seed-propagated apricot collection is crucial for managing collections in regard to adaptive traits for Arid and Saharan climates as well as for identifying interesting genotypes that can be integrated into international coordinated actions of breeding programs.

To boost our understanding of recent frost damage events in apricot trees, we focused on estimating the cell death point in the receptacle and pistil organs of apricots by simulating the unexpected temperature changes occurring in early spring under laboratory-based freezing experiments. The hypothesis also that organic acids (oxalic, propionic, tartaric, butyric, malonic, malic, lactic, citric, maleic, fumaric and succinic acids) and soluble sugar compositions (glucose, fructose, sucrose and total sugar) may directly stimulate the change of the frost tolerance in apricot receptacle and pistil organs was investigated using two apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) cultivars, one tolerant to frost (‘Igdir Salak’) and the other sensitive to frost (‘Mihralibey’). Our results indicated that the mean the cell death point (CDP) of flower pistil (from −13.26 to −14.18 °C) was at lower temperatures than those of flower receptacle (from −6.28 to −8.65 °C) in both apricot cultivars during the full blooming stage. In both apricot cultivars, receptacle organs showed more sensitive changes to the frost tolerance in response to low temperatures compared with pistil organs. In terms of organic acid and soluble sugar contents, significant differences were determined for both apricot cultivars and between the pistil and the receptacle organs of the flowers. Organic acid content was higher in the freezing-tolerant apricot cultivar (‘Igdir Salak’) than the freezing-sensitive apricot cultivar (‘Mihralibey’), but it was lower in the freezing-tolerant organ (pistil) in comparison with the freezing-sensitive organ (receptacle). Moreover, fructose concentrations for both ‘Mihralibey’ and ‘Igdir Salak’ were significantly higher in the receptacle compared to the pistil. A significant negative correlation was also observed between the mean CDP values and both all organic acids and sucrose contents in the pistil and the receptacle organs for both apricot cultivars. There was a positive relationship between the CDP values and fructose content in ‘Igdir Salak’. Additionally, there was a negative correlation between the CDP values and sucrose in 'Mihralibey'. Overall, the data presented suggest that the high level of sucrose and organic acid content of receptacle and pistil organs contributes to support frost tolerance of organs. The results of this study could help in the understanding of how receptacle and pistil organs of two different apricot cultivars react to frost stress, and how they modulate their soluble sugar and organic acid metabolism.

The collection and characterization of apricot germplasm is an important step for its utilization, conservation, and breeding programs. In the present study, the genetic diversity and population structure of 106 accessions of apricot including 82 indigenous and 24 exotic accessions collected from various geographical locations of Jammu and Kashmir, India were evaluated using 14 inter simple sequence repeat markers. The PCR amplification produced 365 loci of which 356 (97.53%) were polymorphic. The average number of alleles, effective number of alleles, expected heterozygosity, Shannon’s information index indicated high level of genetic diversity in the collected apricot accessions, and the polymorphism information content (0.82) revealed that these markers were highly polymorphic. The results of UPGMA dendrogram and model-based STRUCTURE analysis clearly divided the 106 apricot accessions into two main groups; one group included the 78 accessions of Kashmir province and the other included 28 accessions of Jammu province indicating the distinction of two genetic pools of apricot in the region. Nonetheless, PCoA also revealed a similar grouping of accessions except few exotic accessions that formed a small separate group. Moreover, analysis of molecular variance showed high genetic variation within the population (67%) and low among the population (33%). To our knowledge, this study represents the first comprehensive report on the ISSR based genetic diversity, relationship, and the structure of apricot accessions of Jammu and Kashmir. Further, the results of the present study will assist in efficient utilization, conservation, and MAS based breeding programs of apricot.

Introduction: Prunus armeniaca is one member of the Rosaceae family. Antitumor activity of this family on the colon, prostate, bladder, cervix, lung and breast cancers has been proven in previous research, which is attributed to a natural compound called amygdalin. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of apricot kernel extract on acute leukemia that has not been studied before. Methods: In this experimental study, Aqueous, ethyl acetate, and hydro alcoholic of the Armeniacae semen extracts were prepared. The NALM-6 and KG-1 cell lines were treated with different doses of extracts; cell viability was investigated with MTT test and using double staining fluorescent, cell apoptosis was detected. Cell cycle progression was analyzed, using a BD Cycle TEST PLUS DNA Kit. Results: The results showed that different extracts of Prunus armeniaca induced dose-dependent inhibition in both Kg1 and Nalm6 cell lines. According to the results of MTT test, the strongest IC50 in Kg1 and Nalm6 cell lines was related to the 48h effect of ethyl acetate extract of Prunus armeniaca. Fluorescent microscopy analysis showed apoptosis. The ethyl acetate extract application in both cell lines increased the number of cells in the G0 / G1 phase and decreased the number of cells in the G2 / M phase. Conclusion: It seems that ethylacetat extract of Prunus armeniaca can reduce the proliferation of Kg1 and Nalm6 cell lines, probably by regulates cell cycle progression.

The objective of this two-year study was to assess the effect of N source on plant physiology, yield and fruit quality of apricot (Prunus armeniaca ‘Mogador’) trees. Parameters evaluated included: ...

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is a world-wide highly appreciated fruit, with its attractive colour, soft texture and typical flavour. In the current investigation, 68 apricot accessions collected from Jammu and Kashmir, India were analysed to determine the measure of variation using 12 qualitative and 16 quantitative traits with an aim to identify superior apricot accessions with excellent fruit quality traits. High phenotypic variability was observed among the studied apricot accessions with significant differences among most of the qualitative and quantitative traits. Fruit-related characteristics including fruit weight, fruit length, fruit ratio, fruit firmness, fruit shape, fruit suture, stone weight, kernel weight and stone shape were the most diverse with a high coefficient of variation (>30%). One way analysis of variance showed significant differences (P < 0.0001) among all the quantitative traits. Significant positive and negative correlations were observed between all the agronomically important fruit quality traits. The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that 75.34% of the variability was defined by the first eight components. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) dendrogram, based on all traits measured grouped the accessions into two main clusters with several sub-clusters. Both UPGMA dendrogram and PCA scatter plot formed a cluster of 14 accessions, having the highest values regarding most important fruit quality traits such as fruit weight, fruit length and width, fruit ratio, stone weight and kernel weight can be treated as potentially superior accessions. These accessions can be used directly for cultivation and in future apricot breeding programmes. The present findings are promising for genetic resource management, cultivar improvement and commercial applications of apricot in Jammu and Kashmir, India.

The rapid ripening and fruit size are two important factors, which significantly influence the economy and marketability of apricot. Generally, the postharvest quality of fresh crops depends on the quality achieved at harvest time, which is influenced considerably by pre-harvest factors. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of foliar application of calcium chloride and potassium nitrate on the physical and biochemical attributes of apricot fruit. We evaluated the effect of foliar sprays of 0.5% or 1% calcium chloride (CaCl2) and 1% or 2% potassium nitrate (KNO3) on the yield and at harvest quality of apricot fruits cv. ‘Shahroudi’ during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons. The experiment was conducted in a commercial apricot orchard located in Birjand, Iran. The results indicated that twice foliar spray of both chemicals at the pre-harvest stage affected most of the evaluated traits in both years. KNO3 application at both concentrations significantly increased the length, width, and weight of apricot fruit and maintained total phenol content, vitamin C, and titratable acidity compared to the control. Interestingly, treated fruit with KNO3 solution at both concentrations increased fruit width (150%), fruit length (160%), and fresh fruit weight (180%), compared to the control. Besides, KNO3 (1% or 2%) and 1% CaCl2 treatments significantly increased fruit firmness (25%) and calcium content (35%) of fruit pulp compared to the control. Overall, the results suggest practical multiple practical application of both chemicals (particularly KNO3) at proper concentration and time during the growth season to improve the quality and increase the yield of apricot fruit ‘Shahroudi’ cultivar.

Natural products have been attracting increasing attention in human diet, both due to the possible negative effects of synthetic food additives on human health and the increased consumer perception. Apricot seeds contain a wide variety of bioactive components and their consumption is associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of consumption of bitter apricot seeds on blood lipid and endocrine profile in Slovak women (n = 18, 41.60 ± 11.28 years) of reproductive age. Volunteers consumed 60 mg.kg

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were examined effects of apricot kernel oil (Prunus armeniaca L.) on the immune mechanisms. After Fish weight 40 ±0,03 g was intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection 1% and 10% apricot kernel oil (AKO), blood was taken from the caudal vein of anesthetized (50 ppm, benzocaine) fish. Myeloperoxidase production (MPO), Serum bactericidal activity, protein levels, Lysozyme response (LYS) and total immunoglobulin (Ig) were determined on days 3, 7, 14 and 21. The same strategy was conducted on a control bunch. No contrasts were found within the levels of immunuglobulin between the control and test groups. However, there were considerable increases in bactericidal activity, MPO, LYS, protein levels and important differences were detected between the control and experimental groups. AKO can be utilized to improve the resistant instruments of rainbow trout.

Prunus armeniaca gum exudate (PAGE) is obtained from the trunk branches of apricot trees. PAGE is a high‐molecular‐weight polysaccharide with arabinogalactan structure. The physicochemical and rheological characteristics of this gum have been investigated in various researches. PAGE offers a good potential for use as an emulsifying, binding, and stabilizing agent in food and pharmaceutical industries. It also can be used as an organic additive in tissue culture media, synthesizing of metallic nanoparticles, binding potential in tablets, antioxidant agent, and corrosion inhibitor. For desirable emulsifying, stabilizing, shelf life‐enhancing properties, and antioxidant activity of PAGE, it can be used as additive in many foods. We present here a comprehensive review on the existing literatures on characterization of this source of polysaccharide to explore its potential applications in various systems., We present here a comprehensive review on the existing literatures on characterization of this source of polysaccharide to explore its potential applications in various systems.

Forty-seven apricot genotypes were used to assess genetic diversity (GD) based on morphological and SRAP (Sequence-related amplified polymorphism). Six qualitative and 16 quantitative characters were studied among the genotypes. Twenty combinations of SRAP markers were used, and 115 polymorphic bands out of 134 bands were observed. The overall GD estimated, as percentage polymorphic loci (85.06%), Nei’s genetic diversity (0.27±0.19), and Shannon’s information index (0.40±0.25) were high. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed higher GD (92%) within the groups of apricot. The unweighted pair group method (UPGMA) demonstrated that the apricot genotypes had a similarity range from 0.96 to 0.48, with a mean value of 0.72 similarity coefficient. Furthermore, UPGMA clustering and Bayesian-based STRUCTURE analysis revealed an intermixing in the clustering of apricot genotypes. There is no clear grouping between apricots according to their kernel taste and stone colour, which revealed that these genotypes have a similar genetic background. Knowledge gained from the present study has a practical utility in the management of germplasm conservation and breeding programmes.

In the winter-spring period of 2019-2020 the researches were carried out on the territory of the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (IH NAAS) of Ukraine (the Kyiv region) under the field and modeled conditions in order to determine the influence of variable temperatures on the frost resistance and winter-hardiness of five apricot cultivars bred in Crimea (Nikitsky Botanical Garden). Cv Siaivo of IH NAAS was used as the control. The varieties estimation in the natural conditions showed that they were characterized with high winter-hardiness and frost resistance in all the variants of the experiment in the orchards. During the relatively cool winter of 2018/2019 with the minimum temperature -14,2°C the damage of the shoots tissues and buds were by almost two times more severe (all the strains) than in the nearly frostless winter of 2019/2020. When testing in the laboratory under t -25 °C the difference in the cultivars damage by years was not considerable, its general level being higher than in the winter period of 2018/2019 (in the control freezing was not utilized). At the same time under a temperature of -30 °C percent of the damage of most of cvs (5 out of 6) was higher in the winter of 2019/2020. That showed the importance of the cold influence on the plants preparation to the effect of low temperatures. The usage of such temperatures as -30 °C established the critical level of their influence on the varieties, especially on such tissues as the top and generative buds of the one-year increment. In the field conditions under the effect of the critical temperatures, namely: after the long thaw the plants could lose crop at all as their generative buds did not endured significant air temperature fluctuations which took place in the winter period of 2019/2020. However, with the proper management the trees could be restored after the stress influence, the crop losses being rather substantial though. It was the strain Vynoslivyi that appeared the most frost resistant and can be applied in breeding as one of the parental forms and grown in sufficiently great industrial volumes.

The apricot is considered as one of the most delicious temperate fruit, a highly appreciated stone fruit and a valuable raw material for processing. The Republic of Serbia is one of the leading apricot producers in Southeast Europe, but the assortment is limited by a small number of cultivars harvested, mostly in the ripening season of ?Magyar kajszi?. In order to introduce the most suitable cultivars in the production, having high yield and high quality for consumption and various forms of processing, introduced and domestic cultivars have been intensively studied. In Serbia, apricots are mostly marketed fresh and processed for jams and spirits, but demand for high-quality dried fruits is increasing. To preserve the nutritional and sensory quality of fresh apricots, choosing the best drying technique is significant, and the most preferred technique is the reduction of moisture through convective drying. The aim of the paper was to compare the potential of the apricot cultivars ?Magyar kajszi?, ?Novosadska rodna?, ?NS-4? and ?NS-6? for dried fruit production by two-phase technology - combined osmotic and convective drying, as well as the profitability of apricot drying on small family farms. Cultivars ?NS-4? and ?Novosadska rodna? were found to be suitable for combined drying technology. The highest score in the sensory evaluation of the dried apricots was given to ?NS-4?, and then to ?Novosadska rodna?. The results indicate that the combined osmotic and convective drying of apricot rather than selling fresh fruits can be a profitable and important added value tool for small family farms.

Key message LC-MS based metabolomics approach revealed that putative metabolites other than flavonoids may significantly contribute to the sexual compatibility reactions in Prunus armeniaca. Possible mechanisms on related microtubule-stabilizing effects are provided. Abstract Identification of metabolites playing crucial roles in sexual incompatibility reactions in apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) was the aim of the study. Metabolic fingerprints of self-compatible and self-incompatible apricot pistils were created using liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry followed by untargeted compound search. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed 15 significant differential compounds among the total of 4006 and 1005 aligned metabolites in positive and negative ion modes, respectively. Total explained variance of 89.55% in principal component analysis (PCA) indicated high quality of differential expression analysis. The statistical analysis showed significant differences between genotypes and pollination time as well, which demonstrated high performance of the metabolic fingerprinting and revealed the presence of metabolites with significant influence on the self-incompatibility reactions. Finally, polyketide-based macrolides similar to peloruside A and a hydroxy sphingosine derivative are suggested to be significant differential metabolites in the experiment. These results indicate a strategy of pollen tubes to protect microtubules and avoid growth arrest involved in sexual incompatibility reactions of apricot.

The spiced beef is exposed to the invading of spoilage bacteria including Listeria monocytogenes. In the present study, the antimicrobial effects against L. monocytogenes of the chitosan (CS) films incorporated with apricot (Prunus armeniaca) kernel essential oil (AKEO) at 0.5% and 1.0% were demonstrated in solid medium, micro-atmosphere, liquid media and spiced beef. In the refrigerated storage for 24 days at 4 °C, compared with the control sample, the levels of peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) of the spiced beef packed by CS films incorporated AKEO at 0.5% and 1.0% were decreased to 4.8 and 3.6 meq peroxide/kg, and 0.5 and 0.4 mg MDA/kg (p 0.5 or p 0.1), and the levels for pH and total carbonyls (TC) were decreased to 5.8 and 5.7, and 0.7 and 0.6 nmol/mg protein (p 0.5 or p 0.1) on the 24th day, respectively. Furthermore, the sensory evaluation exhibited that the spiced beef packed by CS films incorporated AKEO at 1.0% had better sensory attributes including taste, color, texture and overall acceptance during the whole storage period. Consequently, CS films incorporated AKEO at 1.0% can be developed to be one packaging material for spiced beef.

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is a deciduous stone fruit grown in the temperate climate. India is not a leading producer country, but produces an appreciable quantity of apricot. The country fosters 84 genotypes including 15 commercially important genotypes. However, a large part of the fruit is wasted because of various reasons viz. unorganized market, lack of post-harvest technologies and unpredictable demand-supply. The present review comprises characteristics of the fruit, kernel and extracted oil with their aspects for value addition, packaging, storage, marketing aspects and future prospects. It also covers major growing areas of the country, botanical description, ecology, maturity, ripeness, physiology and promising cultivars of the region. Physical, chemical and functional characteristics of the fruit are reviewed. Value addition deals mainly with the products viz. dehydrated apricot, chutney, instant chutney powder and frozen fruit besides canned fruit, nectar, pulp juice, jam, infant drinks etc. It has widened to different methods and analysis of drying along with the need of engineering intervention in post harvest.

In this study, phylogenetic analysis of some Turkish Prunus armeniaca L. genotypes was conducted based on RAPD-PCR, ISSR-PCR, and chloroplast DNA (trnL-F) sequence analyses. Prunus armeniaca genotypes were obtained from Malatya province, and brought to the laboratory for genomic DNA isolation. Eleven RAPD and fifteen ISSR primers were used to determine molecular characterization of Prunus armeniaca genotypes. For the amplification of the trnL-F region, trne and trnf primers were used in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). A total of 46 and 95 bands were obtained with RAPD and ISSR analysis, respectively. The trnL-F sequences varied from 398 to 403 nucleotides. Average nucleotide composition of trnL-F sequences was 31.0% T, 14.4% C, 37.4% A and 17.2% G. The genetic distance between the five apricot genotypes is 0.00. A maximum likelihood tree was generated to determine genetic relationships among Prunus armeniaca genotypes. Analysis of Prunus armeniaca genotypes based on RAPD, ISSR, and trnL-F sequences revealed that the rate of polymorphism obtained using RAPD and ISSR were higher than those obtained through the trnL-F sequences.

In this study, RNAseq reads of apricots (Prunus armeniaca) were analyzed to see reliability of High-throughput sequencing (HTS) for virus detection. HTS reads produced from the tissues of 7 trees (7 leaves, 1 immature fruit and 1 petal) grown in Kayseri naturally infected by Plum pox virus (PPV) and from the tissues of 3 seed-borne seedlings (1 leaf, 1 root, and 1 cotyledon) grown in screen house were local blasted against to the complete RefSeq release of virus sequences of NCBI. The all 9 samples form the outdoor trees depicted fragments of PPV and also 7 of them showed Apricot latent virus (ALV) in their total RNA reads. The number of reads of PPV ranged from 215 437 in 'Esen3' to 4 in 'Roxana'. The highest number of ALV fragments (35,070) were observed in the total reads of 'SEO' accession. The three samples obtained from tissues from seed-borne seedlings protected in the screen house against to virus infection did not display fragments of PPV and ALV. The results pointed that HTS sequencing does not produce virus reads if the tissue is not infected, suggesting that HTS is reliable source for virus detection.

Identifying the originality and detecting the authentication of the processed and unprocessed commercial food products ensure food safety. Food adulteration of food products with high commercial value by cheap additives could threaten human health. In this study, we generated and tested five DNA barcodes (ITS, LEAFY, matK, rbcL, ycf1) of the Turkish Protected Designation of Origin Apricot “Iğdır Kayısısı” (Prunus armeniaca cv. Şalak) with related primer pairs. The generated barcodes were deposited on the GenBank database. The results showed that nuclear originated ITS and LEAFY barcodes discriminated the Prunus species and cultivars better than the plastidial barcodes. Due to plenty of ITS barcodes on the databases, and good results in our study we recommend using ITS to identify Prunus species and cultivars.

The plant diseases caused by the Pseudomonas syringae сomplex b acteria are economically important and occur worldwide on various plants, and it is as a pathogen that has not been the object of studies and little is known about its epidemiology in Kyrgyzstan. The conventional phenotypic ( LOPAT, API tests) and PCR-assisted isolation were used for the identificationof Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringaе isolates from the affected organs of local stone fruits, such as peach ( Prunus persica ), cherry ( Prunus subgen ), apricot ( Prunus armeniaca), and plum ( Prunus salicina ) samples taken from the Chy, Issuk-Kul, and Batken regions of the country. 16S rRNA gene a mplification was performed with primers 27F (5'-AGA GTT TGA TCC TGG CTC AG -3') and 907R (5 '–CCG TCA ATT CCT TTG AGT TT-3') for the identification of obtained P.syringae pv. syringaе isolates. From 40 primary isolates of Gram -negative rod-shaped bacteria, 1 2 were identified as Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae, while the remaining isolates were identified as bacteria from Stenotrophomonas , Xanthomonas, Erwinia genera . The antagonist bio control agent— Streptomyces b acteria strains were screened and selected against the bacterial canker pathogen in in vitro experiments and on apricot seedlings in vivo conditions. Obtained results could encourage to develop a local bio-product based on this bioagent for spraying stone fruits with the initial manifestation of disease symptoms and to conduct preventive treatments in the fall and spring to increase the plant's resistance to pathogens.

Variability studies on 92 wild apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) genotypes growing in Himachal Pradesh, India were carried out during 2015–2017. The aim was to determine genetic relatedness amongst the genotypes and to identify characters influencing yield for effective genetic improvement in apricot. All the genotypes exhibited a great deal of variation for most of the characters studied and fell into two broad clusters further divided into 11 sub-clusters. Higher genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation was observed for sugar-acid ratio, stone weight, pulp to stone ratio, titratable acidity, reducing sugar and trunk girth. High heritability with high genetic gain was recorded in trunk girth, reducing sugars, titratable acidity and stone weight. High heritability with moderate genetic gain was recorded for yield, non-reducing sugars, total sugars and fruit weight. Several characters namely reducing sugars, trunk girth, TSS, fruit weight, stone breadth, non-reducing sugars, leaf area, stone weight, stone length and sugar/acid ratio had direct positive effect on fruit yield suggesting their use as selection indices for affecting genetic improvement in apricot.

Antioxidants of natural origin which are based on agroprocessing waste appear as substance with high performance properties. They have complicated structure and contain a complex of biologically active compounds. This is why research of the above is particularly relevant in current competitive market. When working with plant raw materials and isolation of valuable compounds, the urgent issue is the choice of the method (extraction method) and extractant, which will ensure a maximum release of chemically active compounds. Known solvents such as methanol, ethanol, hexane, diethyl ether, and mixtures thereof are usually used for recovery. The purpose of this research was to study the effect of selected nonpolar solvents on the phytochemical composition and the antioxidant capacity of Prunus armeniaca L. Extracts were obtained using ethanol, silicone, propan-2-ol, and mixtures of ethanol silicone and propan-2-ol with silicone. In the obtained extracts, identification of the sequestered chemically active compounds was carried out by means of chromatography, mass spectrometry, and IR and UV spectrometry, and the extracts were evaluated on antioxidant properties. Various extracts showed varying degrees of antioxidant activity in various test systems, depending on the concentration. Since various antioxidant compounds have different mechanisms of action, several methods have been used to evaluate the effectiveness of antioxidant extracts. The results showed that the test solvents play an important role in the extraction of the plant material into the component composition, as well as the antioxidant ability of Prunus armeniaca L.

The genus Prunus contains many fruits used in the human diet, which exhibit a variety of different flavors. However, publications on the diversity of carotenoid profiles and sequestering structures in Prunus fruits are limited. In this study, carotenoids and their associated sequestering structures in mature fruits of four Prunus species, including peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batschi], nectarine [Prunus persica (L.) Batschi var. nucipersica], plum (Prunus salicina L.), and apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) were investigated. HPLC-PAD analysis revealed that mature fruits all accumulated carotenoid esters, while their profiles and levels differed significantly. Transcription analysis suggested a positive correlation between carotenogenic genes and carotenoid profiles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed a common globular chromoplast in Prunus. However, the number and size of plastids and plastoglobules varied between species. Noticeably, the white-flesh Ruiguang 19 nectarine contained plastids similar to chromoplasts, except with smaller plastoglobules. In addition, it seemed like a lipid-dissolved β-carotene form in apricot fruits, which is more effectively absorbed by humans than the solid-crystalline form. Moreover, the lowest transcriptions of plastid-related genes were found in Friar plum, and GLK2 and OR genes were presumed to be associated with the largest chromoplasts observed in apricot. We investigated the correlations among carotenoid accumulation, plastid characteristics and gene transcription and found that chromoplast development is likely more important in determining carotenoid accumulation than carotenogenic transcription in Prunus fruits. This study presents the first report on the diversity of carotenoid sequestering structures in Prunus fruits and suggests some crucial genes associated with diversity.

We performed a comparative transcriptome combined with morpho-physiological analyses between two differential cold tolerance in two contrasting apricot cultivars. The revealed candidate genes potentially were identified by differential expression analysis. Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is a major (non-wood product) forest tree species that is adversely affected by spring frost. However, the mechanisms regulating gene expression in response to frost under natural conditions remains relatively uncharacterized. In this study, we analyzed the phenotypic, anatomical, physiological and molecular characteristics of pistils from two apricot cultivars that differ regarding cold tolerance under spring frost. A total of 217,142,216 and 218,148,439 clean reads were obtained for the cold-tolerant (‘Weixuan 1’) and the cold-sensitive (‘Longwangmao’) sample libraries, respectively. Moreover, 57,689 unigenes (≥ 200 bp long) were identified, with an N50 of 2468 bp and a mean length of 1038.08 bp. Furthermore, 1116 up-regulated and 428 down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the two apricot cultivars. Thirteen DEGs related to Ca2+ signaling, four DEGs involved in MAPK cascades, and thirty DEGs encoding transcription factors were affected by spring frost. The most significant transcriptome changes induced by spring frost were related to carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, secondary metabolites, plant hormone signal transduction, and terpenoid metabolism. Notably, bHLH75, GDSL esterase/lipase EXL3, GDSL esterase/lipase LTL1, and peroxidase-66 were more highly expressed in ‘Weixuan 1’ than in ‘Longwangmao’ under 6:00, suggesting these genes may contribute to the cold tolerance of ‘Weixuan 1’. The reliability of our RNA sequencing results was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. The data generated in this study may form the basis of future studies on the mechanisms underlying the cold tolerance of apricot under natural field conditions.