The Development of a Green Innovative Bioactive Film for Industrial Application as a New Emerging Technology to Protect the Quality of Fruits.

Today, the most significant challenge encountered by food manufacturers is degradation in the food quality during storage, which is countered by expensive packing, which causes enormous monetary and environmental costs. Edible packaging is a potential alternative for protecting food quality and improving shelf life by delaying microbial growth and providing moisture and gas barrier properties. For the first time, the current article reports the preparation of the new films from Ditriterpenoids and Secomeliacins isolated from Melia azedarach (Dharek) Azadirachta indica plants to protect the quality of fruits. After evaluating these films, their mechanical, specific respirational, coating crystal elongation, elastic, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), film thickness, and nanoindentation test properties are applied to apple fruit for several storage periods: 0, 3, 6, 9 days. The fruits were evaluated for postharvest quality by screening several essential phytochemical, physiological responses under film coating and storage conditions. It was observed that prepared films were highly active during storage periods. Coated fruits showed improved quality due to the protection of the film, which lowered the transmission rate and enhanced the diffusion rate, followed by an increase in the shelf life. The coating crystals were higher in Film-5 and lower activity in untreated films. It was observed that the application of films through dipping was a simple technique at a laboratory scale, whereas extrusion and spraying were preferred on a commercial scale. The phytochemicals screening of treated fruits during the storage period showed that a maximum of eight important bioactive compounds were present in fruits after the treatment of films. It was resolved that new active films (1-5) were helpful in the effective maintenance of fruit quality and all essential compounds during storage periods. It was concluded that these films could be helpful for fruits growers and the processing industry to maintain fruit quality during the storage period as a new emerging technology.

Polyamines Involved in Regulating Self-Incompatibility in Apple.

Apple exhibits typical gametophytic self-incompatibility, in which self-S-RNase can arrest pollen tube growth, leading to failure of fertilization. To date, there have been few studies on how to resist the toxicity of self-S-RNase. In this study, pollen tube polyamines were found to respond to self-S-RNase and help pollen tubes defend against self-S-RNase. In particular, the contents of putrescine, spermidine, and spermine in the pollen tube treated with self-S-RNase were substantially lower than those treated with non-self-S-RNase. Further analysis of gene expression of key enzymes in the synthesis and degradation pathways of polyamines found that the expression of DIAMINE OXIDASE 4 (MdDAO4) as well as several polyamine oxidases such as POLYAMINE OXIDASES 3 (MdPAO3), POLYAMINE OXIDASES 4 (MdPAO4), and POLYAMINE OXIDASES 6 (MdPAO6) were significantly up-regulated under self-S-RNase treatment, resulting in the reduction of polyamines. Silencing MdPAO6 in pollen tubes alleviates the inhibitory effect of self-S-RNase on pollen tube growth. In addition, exogenous polyamines also enhance pollen tube resistance to self-S-RNase. Transcriptome sequencing data found that polyamines may communicate with S-RNase through the calcium signal pathway, thereby regulating the growth of the pollen tubes. To summarize, our results suggested that polyamines responded to the self-incompatibility reaction and could enhance pollen tube tolerance to S-RNase, thus providing a potential way to break self-incompatibility in apple.

Assessment of physical, microstructural, thermal, techno-functional and rheological characteristics of apple (Malus domestica) seeds of Northern Himalayas.

In this research, two common apple seed cultivars Viz: 'Golden Delicious' (GD) and 'Red Delicious' (RD) of Northern Himalayan region were characterized for physical, techno-functional, microstructure, thermal, and rheological properties. Seeds showed a significant difference in width, arithmetic, and geometric mean diameters, volume, and surface area. Proximate analysis results revealed that seed flours have high oil content (> 20%) and are potentially rich sources of protein (> 40%). Color analysis of flours indicated their satisfactory whiter color with higher brightness values (L* ˃ 75), resulting from the reduced particle size which allows greater light penetration and relatively lower a* (< 1.5) and b* (< 11) values. Techno-functional attributes including water/oil absorption capacity, emulsifying capacity, and emulsion stability were significantly higher in RD than GD flour. There was also a significant difference in the average particle size of seed flours. Flour micrographs indicated the presence of oval/spherical-shaped starch granules embedded in dense protein matrix while, Differential Scanning calorimeter (DSC) revealed exothermic transition enthalpies for seed flours. Additionally, seed flours depicted high elastic modulus (G'), suggesting their suitability for modifying food texture. It was concluded that apple seeds exhibit significant potential for use in formulating protein-enriched foods while contributing to reducing industrial wastage.

Aloe vera gel coating aggravates superficial scald incidence in 'Starking' apples during low-temperature storage.

The effects of aloe vera (Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f.) gel treatment on the incidence of superficial scald in 'Starking' apples (Malus domestica Borkh. Var. Starking) during cold storage were studied. Apples were harvested at the pre-climacteric stage and treated with aloe vera gel. The treatment increased malondialdehyde content and membrane lipid damage. Furthermore, it inhibited the release of ethylene at the early stage but increased it in the later stage. The expression level of ACC synthase 1 (MdACS1) also increased, and the antioxidant capacity in apples, particularly, catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities, all decreased, while concomitantly, the content of α-farnesene and its oxidation product, conjugated triene increased, thereby aggravating superficial scald incidence during storage at low temperature.

Pollen tube growth from multiple pollinator visits more accurately quantifies pollinator performance and plant reproduction.

Pollination services from animals are critical for both crop production and reproduction in wild plant species. Accurately measuring the relative contributions of different animal taxa to pollination service delivery is essential for identifying key pollinators. However, widely used measures of pollinator effectiveness (e.g., single visit pollen deposition) may be inaccurate where plant reproduction is strongly constrained by pollen quality. Here, we test the efficacy of single and multiple pollinator visits for measuring pollinator performance in a model plant species (apple, Malus domestica Borkh) that is strongly limited by pollen quality. We determined pollination success using a suite of measures (pollen deposition, pollen tube growth, fruit and seed set) from single and multiple pollinator visits. We found that pollen deposition from a single pollinator visit seldom resulted in the growth of pollen tubes capable of eliciting ovule fertilisation and never resulted in fruit or seed production. In contrast, multiple pollinator visits frequently initiated the growth of pollen tubes capable of ovule fertilisation and often led to fruit and seed production. Our findings suggest that single visit pollen deposition may provide a poor measure of pollinator performance when linked to reproductive success of plant species that are constrain by pollen quality. Alternatively, pollen tube growth from single and multiple pollinator visits can provide a measure of pollinator performance that is more closely linked to plant reproduction.

Bioactive food packaging based on starch, citric pectin and functionalized with Acca sellowiana waste by-product: Characterization and application in the postharvest conservation of apple.

Innovative biodegradable packaging with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties was developed, and functionalized with Acca sellowiana waste by-product (feijoa peel flour, FPF). Physicochemical, morphological, antioxidant, antimicrobial properties, and in situ application in the postharvest conservation of apple were conducted with the packaging produced. The results obtained demonstrate that FPF addition had a positive influence on the packaging characteristics, for all the parameters tested. The high concentration of antioxidant compounds in the films with FPF promoted antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The packaging produced maintained the quality of apples during storage, with constant weight after 5 days of storage. Based on our results, the bioactive, antioxidant and antimicrobial packaging functionalized with Acca sellowiana waste by-product may be considered as a new alternative to packaging in food systems.

Common and specific responses to iron and phosphorus deficiencies in roots of apple tree (Malus × domestica).

Iron and phosphorus are abundant elements in soils but poorly available for plant nutrition. The availability of these two nutrients represents a major constraint for fruit tree cultivation such as apple (Malus × domestica) leading very often to a decrease of fruit productivity and quality worsening. Aim of this study was to characterize common and specific features of plant response to Fe and P deficiencies by ionomic, transcriptomic and exudation profiling of apple roots. Under P deficiency, the root release of oxalate and flavonoids increased. Genes encoding for transcription factors and transporters involved in the synthesis and release of root exudates were upregulated by P-deficient roots, as well as those directly related to P acquisition. In Fe-deficiency, plants showed an over-accumulation of P, Zn, Cu and Mn and induced the transcription of those genes involved in the mechanisms for the release of Fe-chelating compounds and Fe mobilization inside the plants. The intriguing modulation in roots of some transcription factors, might indicate that, in this condition, Fe homeostasis is regulated by a FIT-independent pathway. In the present work common and specific features of apple response to Fe and P deficiency has been reported. In particular, data indicate similar modulation of a. 230 genes, suggesting the occurrence of a crosstalk between the two nutritional responses involving the transcriptional regulation, shikimate pathway, and the root release of exudates.

Arabinogalactan proteins mediate intercellular crosstalk in the ovule of apple flowers.

KEY MESSAGE: AGP-rich glycoproteins mediate pollen-ovule interactions and cell patterning in the embryo sac of apple before and after fertilization. Glycoproteins are significant players in the dialog that takes place between growing pollen tubes and the stigma and style in the angiosperms. Yet, information is scarce on their possible involvement in the ovule, a sporophytic organ that hosts the female gametophyte. Apple flowers have a prolonged lapse of time between pollination and fertilization, offering a great system to study the developmental basis of glycoprotein secretion and their putative role during the last stages of the progamic phase and early seed initiation. For this purpose, the sequential pollen tube elongation within the ovary was examined in relation to changes in arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) in the tissues of the ovule before and after fertilization. To evaluate what of these changes are developmentally regulated, unpollinated and pollinated flowers were compared. AGPs paved the pollen tube pathway in the ovules along the micropylar canal, and the nucellus entrance toward the synergids, which also developmentally accumulated AGPs at the filiform apparatus. Glycoproteins vanished from all these tissues following pollen tube passage, strongly suggesting a role in pollen-ovule interaction. In addition, AGPs marked the primary cell walls of the haploid cells of the female gametophyte, and they further built up in the cell walls of the embryo sac and developing embryo, layering the interactive walls of the three generations hosted in the ovule, the maternal sporophytic tissues, the female gametophyte, and the developing embryo.

Identification of key genes and its chromosome regions linked to drought responses in leaves across different crops through meta-analysis of RNA-Seq data.

BACKGROUND: Our study is the first to provide RNA-Seq data analysis related to transcriptomic responses towards drought across different crops. The aim was to identify and map which genes play a key role in drought response on leaves across different crops. Forty-two RNA-seq samples were analyzed from 9 published studies in 7 plant species (Arabidopsis thaliana, Solanum lycopersicum, Zea mays, Vitis vinifera, Malus X domestica, Solanum tuberosum, Triticum aestivum). RESULTS: Twenty-seven (16 up-regulated and 11 down-regulated) drought-regulated genes were commonly present in at least 7 of 9 studies, while 351 (147 up-regulated and 204 down-regulated) were commonly drought-regulated in 6 of 9 studies. Across all kind of leaves, the drought repressed gene-ontologies were related to the cell wall and membrane re-structuring such as wax biosynthesis, cell wall organization, fatty acid biosynthesis. On the other hand, drought-up-regulated biological processes were related to responses to osmotic stress, abscisic acid, water deprivation, abscisic-activated signalling pathway, salt stress, hydrogen peroxide treatment. A common metabolic feature linked to drought response in leaves is the repression of terpenoid pathways. There was an induction of AL1 (alfin-like), UGKYAH (trihelix), WRKY20, homeobox genes and members of the SET domain family in 6 of 9 studies. Several genes involved in detoxifying and antioxidant reactions, signalling pathways and cell protection were commonly modulated by drought across the 7 species. The chromosome (Chr) mapping of these key abiotic stress genes highlighted that Chr 4 in Arabidopsis thaliana, Chr 1 in Zea mays, Chr 2 and Chr 5 in Triticum aestivum contained a higher presence of drought-related genes compared to the other remaining chromosomes. In seedling studies, it is worth notice the up-regulation of ERF4 and ESE3 (ethylene), HVA22 (abscisic acid), TIR1 (auxin) and some transcription factors (MYB3, MYB94, MYB1, WRKY53 and WRKY20). In mature leaves, ERF1 and Alfin-like 1 were induced by drought while other transcription factors (YABBY5, ARR2, TRFL2) and genes involved phospholipid biosynthesis were repressed. CONCLUSIONS: The identified and mapped genes might be potential targets of molecular breeding activities to develop cultivars with enhanced drought resistance and tolerance across different crops.

Pathogen-induced changes in floral scent may increase honeybee-mediated dispersal of Erwinia amylovora.

Honeybees are well recognised for their key role in plant reproduction as pollinators. On the other hand, their activity may vector some pathogens, such as the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, the causative agent of fire blight disease in pomaceous plants. In this research, we evaluated whether honeybees are able to discriminate between healthy and E. amylovora-infected flowers, thus altering the dispersal of the pathogen. For this reason, honeybees were previously trained to forage either on inoculated or healthy (control) apple flower. After the training, the two honeybee groups were equally exposed to inoculated and control flowering apple plants. To assess their preference, three independent methods were used: (1) direct count of visiting bees per time frame; (2) incidence on apple flowers of a marker bacterium (Pantoea agglomerans, strain P10c) carried by foragers; (3) quantification of E. amylovora populations in the collected pollen loads, proportional to the number of visits to infected flowers. The results show that both honeybee groups preferred control flowers over inoculated ones. The characterisation of volatile compounds released by flowers revealed a different emission of several bioactive compounds, providing an explanation for honeybee preference. As an unexpected ecological consequence, the influence of infection on floral scent increasing the visit rate on healthy flowers may promote a secondary bacterial spread.

Enhancement of apple coloration using jasmonate treatment without sacrificing storage potential.

Apple coloration is very important for most cultivars. The application of jasmonate can effectively enhance the coloration of apple fruit, but it might ruin the fruit's storage potential. Here, we report that applying methyl jasmonate on apple fruit 3 weeks before commercial harvest not only enhanced the fruit coloration but also did not affect its storage potential. Our findings provide important information for enhancing apple coloration using jasmonate.

Raman imaging of changes in the polysaccharides distribution in the cell wall during apple fruit development and senescence.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Du ring on-tree ripening, the pectin distribution changed from polydispersed in cell wall to cumulated in cell wall corners. During apple storage, the pectin distribution returned to evenly dispersed along the cell wall. The plant cell wall influences the texture properties of fruit tissue for example apples become softer during ripening and postharvest storage. This softening process is believed to be mainly connected with changes in the cell wall composition due to polysaccharides undergoing an enzymatic degradation. These changes in polysaccharides are currently mainly investigated via chemical analysis or monoclonal labeling. Here, we propose the application of Raman microscopy for evaluating the changes in the polysaccharide distribution in the cell wall of apples during both ripening and postharvest storage. The apples were harvested 1 month and 2 weeks before optimal harvest date as well as at the optimal harvest date. The apples harvested at optimal harvest date were stored for 3 months. The Raman maps, as well as the chemical analysis were obtained for each harvest date and after 1, 2 and 3 months of storage, respectively. The analysis of the Raman maps showed that the pectins in the middle lamella and primary cell wall undergo a degradation. The changes in cellulose and hemicellulose were less pronounced. These findings were confirmed by the chemical analysis results. During development changes of pectins from a polydispersed form in the cell walls to a cumulated form in cell wall corners could be observed. In contrast after 3 months of apple storage we could observe an substantial pectin decrease. The obtained results demonstrate that Raman chemical imaging might be a very useful tool for a first identification of compositional changes in plant tissue during their development. The great advantage Raman microspectroscopy offers is the simultaneous localization and identification of polysaccharides within the cell wall and plant tissue.

Neonicotinoid pesticide exposure impairs crop pollination services provided by bumblebees.

Recent concern over global pollinator declines has led to considerable research on the effects of pesticides on bees. Although pesticides are typically not encountered at lethal levels in the field, there is growing evidence indicating that exposure to field-realistic levels can have sublethal effects on bees, affecting their foraging behaviour, homing ability and reproductive success. Bees are essential for the pollination of a wide variety of crops and the majority of wild flowering plants, but until now research on pesticide effects has been limited to direct effects on bees themselves and not on the pollination services they provide. Here we show the first evidence to our knowledge that pesticide exposure can reduce the pollination services bumblebees deliver to apples, a crop of global economic importance. Bumblebee colonies exposed to a neonicotinoid pesticide provided lower visitation rates to apple trees and collected pollen less often. Most importantly, these pesticide-exposed colonies produced apples containing fewer seeds, demonstrating a reduced delivery of pollination services. Our results also indicate that reduced pollination service delivery is not due to pesticide-induced changes in individual bee behaviour, but most likely due to effects at the colony level. These findings show that pesticide exposure can impair the ability of bees to provide pollination services, with important implications for both the sustained delivery of stable crop yields and the functioning of natural ecosystems.

Nesting and pollen preference of Osmia lignaria lignaria (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in Virginia and North Carolina orchards.

Cavity-nesting megachilid bees in the genus Osmia, found throughout the Palearctic and Nearctic regions, are good candidates for domestication. In North America, Osmia lignaria Say has been reported to be an excellent pollinator of tree fruit and is currently being developed for commercial use in orchards. This is largely because of research over several decades with the western subspecies of this bee, Osmia lignaria propinqua Cresson, in western orchards. The behavior of the eastern subspecies, O. lignaria lignaria Say, in eastern orchards has not previously been reported. This study evaluated the nesting activity and pollen preference of a population of the eastern subspecies in five orchards in the foothills and piedmont regions of North Carolina and Virginia over a 2-yr period. Apple was present in all orchards and all were bordered by hardwood forest. Shelters were placed both within orchards and the forest border. Emergence dates, nest construction, and orchard bloom were monitored weekly. Bee populations increased by 2-3 times annually at most orchards. Pollen species comprising nest provisions from 720 individual nest cells were identified and quantified using scanning electron microscopy. The greatest amount of pollen (46-82%) was that of a small understory tree, Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis L.), at all orchard sites where these trees were present nearby. The quantity of orchard pollen was relatively low, <20% at full apple bloom, except for one orchard (53%) without nearby redbud. O. lignaria lignaria appears to prefer Eastern redbud pollen over orchard pollen.

Identification of SFBB-containing canonical and noncanonical SCF complexes in pollen of apple (Malus × domestica).

Gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) of Rosaceae, Solanaceae and Plantaginaceae is controlled by a single polymorphic S locus. The S locus contains at least two genes, S-RNase and F-box protein encoding gene SLF/SFB/SFBB that control pistil and pollen specificity, respectively. Generally, the F-box protein forms an E3 ligase complex, SCF complex with Skp1, Cullin1 (CUL1) and Rbx1, however, in Petunia inflata, SBP1 (S-RNase binding protein1) was reported to play the role of Skp1 and Rbx1, and form an SCFSLF-like complex for ubiquitination of non-self S-RNases. On the other hand, in Petunia hybrida and Petunia inflata of Solanaceae, Prunus avium and Pyrus bretschneideri of Rosaceae, SSK1 (SLF-interacting Skp1-like protein1) is considered to form the SCFSLF/SFB complex. Here, we isolated pollen-expressed apple homologs of SSK1 and CUL1, and named MdSSK1, MdCUL1A and MdCUL1B. MdSSK1 was preferentially expressed in pollen, but weakly in other organs analyzed, while, MdCUL1A and MdCUL1B were almost equally expressed in all the organs analyzed. MdSSK1 transcript abundance was significantly (>100 times) higher than that of MdSBP1. In vitro binding assays showed that MdSSK1 and MdSBP1 interacted with MdSFBB1-S9 and MdCUL1, and MdSFBB1-S9 interacted more strongly with MdSSK1 than with MdSBP1. The results suggest that both MdSSK1-containing SCFSFBB1 and MdSBP1-containing SCFSFBB1-like complexes function in pollen of apple, and the former plays a major role.

Proteomics research on the effects of applying selenium to apple leaves on photosynthesis.

Untreated and Se-enriched apple leaves (Malus domestica Borkh. cv. 'Red Fuji') were used as the experimental materials. Proteomes of the differentially prepared tissues were compared through two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis and mass spectrum identification. There were 505 more protein spots in the proteome of the Se-enriched leaves than in the control leaves. Forty-seven protein spots were significantly differentially expressed (P < 0.05), among those, 32 protein spots were up-regulated while 12 protein points were down-regulated, and three new protein spots were found with the relative molecular masses of 31, 29, 26 kDa. Twenty-three protein spots with good shape and significant expression were selected for mass spectrometry analysis. These spots were excised from the gel and analyzed by a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Peptide mass fingerprints (PMF) of all the proteins were submitted to NCBInr for protein identification, and 10 differential proteins were positively identified. Biological information of the identified proteins was found via http://www.uniprot.org/. There were three (1475, 1479, 1527) ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunits (Rubisco), two ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylases (346, 486) belonging to the Rubisco large chain family, one photosystem I reaction center subunit II (297), one chloroplast oxygen-evolving enhancer protein 1 (619), one Os12g0127100 protein whose function was unknown (927), one monodehydroascorbate reductase (1451), and one polyphenol oxidase V (1596). The major subcellular location for these proteins was the chloroplast, and they play important roles in photosynthesis and stress resistance for plants.

A proteomic investigation of apple fruit during ripening and in response to ethylene treatment.

A proteomic approach employing a two dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) technique with SYPRO Ruby, a fluorescent stain with improved sensitivity and quantitative accuracy, was performed to separate the total proteins from apple fruit at different stages of ripening and senescence. After imaging and statistical analyses were performed on 2340 spots, a total of 316 spots, or approximately 13.5% of the total protein population, was found to be significantly changed in this study. Of the 316 proteins, 219 spots were only present at a specific ripening stage, while 97 spots were significantly different (p<0.05) throughout fruit ripening and in response to ethylene treatment. From 316 candidate spots, 221 proteins were further identified by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis with protein sequence and express sequence tag (EST) data searching. Analysis and identification of proteins revealed that apple fruit ripening is associated with increase of abundance of many proteins with functions such as ethylene production, antioxidation and redox, carbohydrate metabolism, oxidative stress, energy, and defense response. Ethylene treatment increased a group of unique proteins that were not present during normal fruit ripening and have not been previously reported. It also reduced some proteins involved in primary metabolism, including those of the last few steps of the glycolytic pathway. This study demonstrated the complexity and dynamic changes of protein profiles of apple fruit during ripening and in response to exogenous ethylene treatment. Identifying and tracking protein changes may allow us to better understand the mechanism of ripening in climacteric fruit. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Postharvest physiology and biochemistry has been conducted on apple fruit for many years. Ethylene plays an important role in ripening and senescence in many climacteric fruit. However, little information is available at the proteome level to investigate fruit ripening and effect of ethylene treatment. The significance of this paper is that it is the first study employing 2-DE and fluorescent dye in the investigation of the apple fruit ripening and influence of ethylene treatment. It reveals some significant biological changes in association with these events and demonstrates significant changed proteins under these conditions. Therefore, our study links the biological events with proteomic information and provides detailed peptide information on all identified proteins. Through the function analysis, those significantly changed proteins are also analyzed. These findings from this paper provide not only proteome information on fruit ripening, but also pave the ground for further quantitative studies using SMR to investigate certain proteins and pathways under the hypothesis involved in fruit ripening. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Translational Plant Proteomics.

Down-regulation of POLYGALACTURONASE1 alters firmness, tensile strength and water loss in apple (Malus x domestica) fruit.

BACKGROUND: While there is now a significant body of research correlating apple (Malus x domestica) fruit softening with the cell wall hydrolase ENDO-POLYGALACTURONASE1 (PG1), there is currently little knowledge of its physiological effects in planta. This study examined the effect of down regulation of PG1 expression in 'Royal Gala' apples, a cultivar that typically has high levels of PG1, and softens during fruit ripening. RESULTS: PG1-suppressed 'Royal Gala' apples harvested from multiple seasons were firmer than controls after ripening, and intercellular adhesion was higher. Cell wall analyses indicated changes in yield and composition of pectin, and a higher molecular weight distribution of CDTA-soluble pectin. Structural analyses revealed more ruptured cells and free juice in pulled apart sections, suggesting improved integrity of intercellular connections and consequent cell rupture due to failure of the primary cell walls under stress. PG1-suppressed lines also had reduced expansion of cells in the hypodermis of ripe apples, resulting in more densely packed cells in this layer. This change in morphology appears to be linked with reduced transpirational water loss in the fruit. CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm PG1's role in apple fruit softening and suggests that this is achieved in part by reducing cellular adhesion. This is consistent with previous studies carried out in strawberry but not with those performed in tomato. In apple PG1 also appears to influence other fruit texture characters such as juiciness and water loss.

[The quality of Salvia miltforthiza from Beijing suburbs with different growing modes].

OBJECTIVE: Study the yield and quality of Salvia miltforthiza in the poplars and apple trees intercropping system. METHODS: Assay the yield, heavy metals, organochlorine pesticides and active components of Salvia miltforthiza in different intercropping systems are different. RESULTS: The contents of Cd exceeds the allowed figure seriously though other heavy metals such as Pb, As, Hg, Cu fell in the standard range. The contents of organochlorine pesticides of different Salvia miltforthiza fell in the standard range. The active components of biennial Salvia miltforthiza intercropping with apple trees, including Tanshinone II A and Salvianolic acid B complied with the quality standards of Pharmacopoeia. CONCLUSION: Soil fertility, heavy metals of intercropping system and planting years should be considered in order to ensure the quality and stability of Chinese medicine.

Effects of heat treatment on wound healing in gala and red fuji apple fruits.

This study investigated the effects of heat treatment (hot air at 38 degrees C for 4 days) on wound healing in Gala and Red Fuji apple fruits (Malus domestica Borkh.) and the possible mechanism. Wounded apples were healed at either 20 or 38 degrees C for 4 days. During the treatment, ethylene, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), and phenolic and lignin contents were measured. Following the treatment, healed wounds were inoculated with Penicillium expansum, Botrytis cinerea, and Colletotrichum acutatum, and then the decay development was observed. Results revealed that the influence of heating on wound healing in apple fruit was cultivar dependent. Compared with fruits healed at 20 degrees C, heating at 38 degrees C had a pejorative effect on wound healing in Gala apples. However, identical treatment enhanced wound healing in Red Fuji apples. Heating sharply reduced ethylene evolution, PAL and POD activity, and the accumulation of phenolic compounds and lignin around wounds in Gala apples. Alternatively, in Red Fuji apples, treatment at 38 degrees C significantly improved ethylene evolution and peroxide (H(2)O(2)) content at the first two days of treatment. In addition, both PAL and POD activities, and contents of phenolic compounds and lignin around wounds increased. Our findings suggest that this discrepancy in the effect of heat treatment on wound healing is due to different effects on ethylene evolution in cultivars of apple fruit.