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Based on industrial atomization devices, the efficiency of atomization and fumigation has been improved through hardware and software modifications and process design of atomization and fumigation equipment. By adding three sets of medicine and fumigant boxes and introducing a high-pressure atomization machine and an ultramicro-atomization nozzle, the diversity of the atomization and fumigation options was increased and the automatic proportioning of fumigants (ratio ranges of 1:1-1:200) was achieved. The optimal pressure of the high-pressure atomization machine 5.0 MPa, whereas the optimal mode was intermittent atomization for 75 s when an acrylic fumigation box was used. In a storage warehouse of 550 m3, the optimal pressure for the high-pressure atomization machine was 6.5 MPa, whereas the optimal operation mode was continuous atomization for 7 min, followed by natural precipitation of the fumigant natural for 3 min. The ultramicro-atomization nozzles were installed at 1 m intervals and the placement area of the specimens for atomization and fumigation were located 50 cm away from the wall of the warehouse and vertically 0.5~1.0 m below the ultramicro-atomization nozzles. Fumigation treatment with 40 mmol/L salicylate (SA) was effective in maintaining the storage quality of 'Xiaobai' and 'Saimaiti' apricots. At the end of the 7 day storage period, firmness of 'Xiaobai' apricots was 8.72 N, whereas the soluble solids (TSS) and titratable acid (TA) contents were 15.9% and 0.49%, respectively, representing 1.66-, 1.10-, and 1.58-fold increase compared to those of the control group, respectively. The decay rate was 0 after treatment with 40 mmol/L SA. The firmness of the Saimaiti apricots was 9.01 N, whereas TSS and TA contents were 13.5% and 0.67%, respectively (1.57-, 1.69-, and 1.60-fold higher than those of the control group, respectively). The decay rate was also 0 for Saimaiti apricots fumigated using SA. These results provide insights and technical support for the application of atomization and fumigation technologies in the storage and preservation of fresh apricots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interlayer soil is common in southern Xinjiang, because interlayer can reduce the infiltration rate of soil water. To simulate the interlayer soil in heavy saline–alkali cotton fields, this paper adopted a vertical one-dimensional infiltration test. T1 (315 mm), T2 (270 mm), and T3 (225 mm) and different interlayer positions (T5, 315 mm) and thicknesses of the interlayer (T6, 315 mm) with the same irrigation volume, as well as one perforation and sand filling treatment (T4, 315 mm), were set. The influence of different irrigation amounts, locations, and thicknesses of the interlayer and sand injection on water infiltration was analyzed. The analysis results showed that with the increase in irrigation amount, the water infiltration rate and the migration distance of the wet front increased, but did not penetrate to the bottom soil (90 cm). Under the same irrigation volume, the increase in interlayer thickness (T6) compared with the increase in interlayer position (T5), the change in soil moisture content in the upper and lower layers of the interlayer was greater, and the advance time of wetting front migration and cumulative infiltration were slightly higher. After tunneling and sand filling (T4), the infiltration rate of water was increased, the migration time of the wet front was reduced, and the profile water content of each soil layer was improved. The Kostiakov model could better simulate the water infiltration characteristics of interlayer soil with different profile configurations in heavily saline–alkali land. The results showed that in all of the treatments, only the wet front of the soil moisture reached 100 cm in the T4 treatment, and the maximum was only 87.8 cm in the other treatments, indicating that too little irrigation water or the upward movement and thickening of the interlayer were not conducive to water infiltration. For the interlayer soil area in the heavy saline–alkali land in southern Xinjiang, the appropriate irrigation water should be more than 315 mm. The treatment of drilling first and then filling sand can be used as a simple but effective measure to increase the water infiltration rate of the interlayer soil, and can thus be applied to the layered soil structure in the interlayer position of 60–80 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cistanche deserticola planted in Xinjiang was used as the test material, and the effects of the active modified atmosphere treatment (6% CO2+4% O2+90% N2) combined with different packaging materials PE film (oxygen permeation 300 cm³/(m²⋅d)), microporous membrane M1 (oxygen permeation 6,000 cm³/(m² ⋅d)) and microporous membrane M2 (oxygen permeation 8,000 cm³/(m² ⋅d)) on the changes of active components and antioxidant activities of the fresh-cut Cistanche deserticola stored at a low temperature, (4±0.5)°C. The results showed that after 7 days of storage, the PPO activity and browning degree for the group treated with modified atmosphere microporous membrane (6% CO2+4% O2+90% N2+M1) were 2.07 U/g and 0.57 OD410/g, respectively, which were lower than those of the CK group. The contents of Vc, total phenolics, flavonoids, total polysaccharides, echinacoside and calycoside were 13.00%, 5.88%, 11.24%, 14.45%, 1.20% and 1.47%, respectively, higher than those of the CK group. The DPPH and ABTS+ free radical scavenging rates and FRAP value for the group treated with 6% CO2+4% O2+90% N2+M1 microporous membrane were 8.97%, 1.99% and 11.43%, respectively, higher than those of the CK group. Accordingly, the 6% CO2+4% O2+90% N2+M1 treatment could significantly retard the decrease of the active components of the fresh-cut C. deserticola, and maintain its high antioxidant capacity and slow down its senescence, thereby maintaining better the medicine and food homology of fresh-cut C. deserticola. This would be a good preservation method for fresh-cut C. deserticola. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of heat treatment (HT) technology on the storage quality of three different varieties of muskmelons cultivated in Xinjiang - an early-ripening variety (Xizhoumi No.25), middle-ripening variety (Jinmi No.3), and late-ripening variety (Jiashi melon) - was investigated. The melons were treated under different HT conditions (temperature and time) to analyze the physiological changes when stored at room temperature (23±2) °C. The optimized HT conditions of different melon varieties were selected and the effects of heating processing on the postharvest quality of the melons were studied. The optimum HT conditions for Xizhoumi No.25 and Jiashi melons were 62 °C and 15 s, whereas those for Jinmi No.3 melons were 58 °C and 15 s. The heat tolerance of the peels influenced the optimum HT conditions; the melon varieties with darker peels were more tolerant than those with lighter peels. After 18 days of storage, the conductivities of Xizhoumi No.25, Jinmi No.3, and Jiashi melons were 61.24%, 65.94%, and 74.18%, respectively, representing decreases of 12.54%, 17.72%, and 10.93% compared with those of the control group. HT technology effectively delayed fruit hardening and remarkably inhibited the increase in total soluble solids content. Thus, the quality of different varieties of melons was better maintained during storage. This study has provided theoretical and technical support for the industrial application of HT technology for muskmelon storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Munage grape (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Munage.) is a unique cultivar in southern Xinjiang, China. Spike stalk browning in this species has becomes more common in recent years, negatively impacting the shelf life, and causing severe economic losses during storage. This study investigated the changes in metabolisms of cell wall by Botrytis cinerea infection in association with spike stalk browning. Morphological and physiological observations showed that preharvest B. cinerea infection accelerates the spike stalk browning during storage in Munage grapes by promoting cell wall degradation. Accordingly, the cell structures in infected spike stalk showed severe collapse, while the cell structures in uninfected spike stalk remained relatively complete. Furthermore, the contents of CDTA‐soluble pectin (CSP), Na2CO3‐soluble pectin (NSP), cellulose, and hemicellulose were reduced, while the water‐soluble pectin (WSP) content was increased during infection. In addition, the activities of polygalacturonase (PG), pectin methylesterase (PME), beta‐galactosidase (β‐Gal), and cellulase (Cx) were highly promoted by B. cinerea. Correspondingly, the expression levels of VvPG were markedly upregulated after inoculation and played a major role in cell wall degradation. Additionally, the spike stalk inoculated by B. cinerea showed higher activities of PPO and POD, and content of total phenolics. These results contribute to elucidating the relationship between cell wall degradation induced by B. cinerea during spike stalk browning and provide a basis for future research on improving the ability of the host cell wall to resist degrading enzymes. Practical applications: Botrytis cinerea is the main fungal pathogen causing the gray mold of grapes. It usually enters the tissue early in crop development, has a long incubation period, and rapidly infects the tissue when the environment is favorable and the host physiology changes. Gray mold has been reported as one of the major postharvest diseases of grapes. However, there are relatively few reports on the pathways through which B. cinerea causes the browning of grape stalks. Controlling browning caused by B. cinerea may require clarification of the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which browning occurs. The elucidation of the role of B. cinerea in causing browning of grape stalks through the cell wall degradation pathway will help to provide scientific basis for further controlling browning, maintaining freshness of stalks, developing biological agents to prevent browning, improving grape quality, and extending storage period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Continuous Late Paleozoic magmatic activity in the western Tianshan, Xinjiang, China, temporally overlapped the Late Carboniferous collision between the Tarim and the Kazakhstan–Yili plates. Isotopic dating, whole-rock geochemistry, and isotopic characteristics of a suite of calc-alkaline to shoshonitic rocks from Yuximolegai area, in the eastern end of the Awulale Mountains, help define the tectonic evolution of this part of the Tianshan. Zircon U–Pb ages of a quartz diorite and a quartz syenite porphyry are 310.8±2.1Ma and 284.4±3.6Ma, respectively. The geochemical and isotopic characteristics of Late Carboniferous igneous rocks, including the quartz diorite, as well as basaltic andesite and K-rich trachyandesite, indicate an evolution from calc-alkaline towards shoshonitic series. This was generated by the partial melting of the hydrated mantle wedge induced by changing subduction angles. The younger quartz syenite porphyry, however, was more likely derived from the partial melting of a thickened crust in a post-collisional setting or the partial melting of hot juvenile basalt in the lower crust during Early Permian delamination of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Therefore, the generation of the calc-alkaline to shoshonitic igneous rocks in Yuximolegai area is genetically linked to the geodynamic evolution of the western Tianshan from convergent subduction to collision during the Late Paleozoic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• B. cinerea infection accelerated of the browning in grape spike-stalk. • The infection induced the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid pathways in grape rachis. • The infection induced the phenols biosynthetic genes in grape spike-stalk. • There were some phenolic compounds accumulated in fungal infected grape rachis. Munage grape (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Munage.) is a unique cultivar found in southern Xinjiang, China. Spike-stalk browning in this species has become more common in recent years, and negatively impacting fruit shelf life and market value, thereby causing severe economic losses during storage. To understand the underlying mechanisms of Botrytis cinerea -induced spike-stalk browning in Munage grape, we analyzed the transcriptome and phenolic substances so a response to fungal infection using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) coupled with Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis. Morphological and physiological observations showed that the browning degrees and phenolic enzyme activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), polyphenoloxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) in B. cinerea- infected spike-stalk were significantly higher than those of in controls' during the entire storage period. According to the omics profiles, phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways were the major pathways induced by B. cinerea infection. The genes encoding enzymes responsible for the synthesis of basic phenolic acids, including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 2 (PAL2), cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H), 4-coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL), shikimate O-hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HCT), caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and cytochrome P450 84A1 (F5H) were up-regulated 3 to 8 folds in response to B. cinerea infestation, accompanied by abundant accumulation of phenols such as 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, trans-cinnamic acid, 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxycinnamic acid and salicylic acid. Several flavonoid compounds with antioxidant activity (vitexin, (+)-dihydrokaempferol, luteolin, naringenin and apigenin) accumulated in the inoculated spike-stalk as stress-response signals. These results contribute to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of B. cinerea induced spike-stalk browning on Munage grapes and provide theoretical guidance for prevention and control measures to reduce the incidence of gray mold after harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]