Branch Numbers and Crop Load Combination Effects on Production and Fruit Quality of Flat Peach Cultivars (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) Trained as Catalonian Vase.

Thinning and pruning are expensive cultural practices in peach cultivation, but essential to obtain adequate production. This study evaluated the effects of combining two pruning (four and six scaffold branches) and three thinning (low, medium, and high crop load) levels on yield and fruit quality of four different flat peach cultivars, trained as Catalonian vase in 2017-2018 in Italy. Productive (average fruit weight, plant total production, and fruit circumference), qualitative (fruit firmness and overcolor, Soluble Solids Content, and Titratable Acidity), and nutritional (Total Antioxidant Capacity, and Total Phenol Content) parameters were evaluated. For productive parameters, a high crop load level led to a decrease in fruit weight and circumference, while a high crop load resulted in higher plant yield. Regarding the qualitative parameters, fruit SSC significantly increased with the diminution of the crop load level in both years of study, while TA was not influenced by crop load and number of branches. Both the total antioxidant capacity and the polyphenol content decreased with an increase in branches number. The findings derived from this study will help growers to select the most suitable combination among genotypes and plant management, to obtain the desired productive or qualitative goals.

Yield and nutritional quality of highbush blueberry genotypes trialled in a Mediterranean hot summer climate.

BACKGROUND: Cultivation of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) has been increasing in Europe in recent years, in particular due to the availability of new genotypes suitable for cultivation in many different environmental conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the resilience and nutritional quality of 11 highbush blueberry cultivars and two new selections (from the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd breeding program) in Mediterranean hot summer climate conditions by measuring plant yield, seasonality, fruit sensorial traits, and phytochemical content in the fruits. RESULTS: The new blueberry genotype PFR005 showed a high level of adaptability to these environmental conditions, with the highest total plant yield, whereas PFR075 was the best genotype for nutritional characteristics. Among the cultivars, 'Cosmopolitan' showed the maximum average fruit weight, 'Blueray' and 'Hortblue Poppins' demonstrated a good sensorial profile, while the best cultivars from the nutritional point of view were 'Hortblue Poppins', 'Hortblue Petite', and 'Early Blue'. CONCLUSION: New cultivars and new genotypes able to satisfy the needs of different users, have been identified. The integration of germplasm evaluation with a tailored breeding program will help to create new cultivars that will be useful for the expansion of blueberry cultivation in hot Mediterranean summer climate conditions, which up to now have limited this crop. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Application of the Non-Destructive NIR Technique for the Evaluation of Strawberry Fruits Quality Parameters.

The determination of strawberry fruit quality through the traditional destructive lab techniques has some limitations related to the amplitude of the samples, the timing and the applicability along all phases of the supply chain. The aim of this study was to determine the main qualitative characteristics through traditional lab destructive techniques and Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) in fruits of five strawberry genotypes. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to search for spectral differences among all the collected samples. A Partial Least Squares regression (PLS) technique was computed in order to predict the quality parameters of interest. The PLS model for the soluble solids content prediction was the best performing-in fact, it is a robust and reliable model and the validation values suggested possibilities for its use in quality applications. A suitable PLS model is also obtained for the firmness prediction-the validation values tend to worsen slightly but can still be accepted in screening applications. NIR spectroscopy represents an important alternative to destructive techniques, using the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum to investigate in a non-destructive way the chemical-physical properties of the samples, finding remarkable applications in the agro-food market.

Use of wild genotypes in breeding program increases strawberry fruit sensorial and nutritional quality.

This study evaluated 20 advanced selections, derived from a strawberry interspecific backcross program, and their parents for fruit weight, commercial yield, acidity, sugar content, antioxidant capacity, and phenol and anthocyanin contents. Phytochemical profiling analysis was performed to determine the compositional characteristics of the improved selections in comparison with their parents and an important commercial variety ('Elsanta'). Advanced selections showed substantial improvement for agronomic and nutritional quality parameters. From the profiling analysis there was evidence for specific improvements in fruit phytochemical contents; new advanced selections had substantially increased fruit flavonol, anthocyanin, and ellagitannin contents compared to their parent cultivar 'Romina' and, for flavonols and ellagitannins, compared to a standard cultivar 'Elsanta'. Such results confirm that an appropriate breeding program that includes wild strawberry germplasm can produce new strawberry cultivars with a well-defined improvement in fruit nutritional and nutraceutical values.

Increasing strawberry fruit sensorial and nutritional quality using wild and cultivated germplasm.

BACKGROUND: Increasing antioxidant levels in fruit through breeding is an important option to support higher antioxidant intake particularly when fruit consumption is low. Indeed, if nutritional components are also combined with a high standard of sensorial fruit quality, the perspective for consumer health can be further improved by encouraging more fruit consumption. Wild species are valued by strawberry breeders as sources of novel traits, especially for pest resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. Furthermore, previous investigations have shown improvements in fruit nutritional quality in breeding material that originated from Fragaria virginiana ssp. glauca (FVG) inter-species crosses. Recently, commercial varieties of strawberries have also shown interesting variability in fruit nutritional quality. RESULTS: Strawberry fruit sensorial and nutritional qualities generated by Fragaria inter-species and intra-species crosses were evaluated on 78 offspring derived from 8 families: two that originated from F. × ananassa intra-species crossing; three from back-crossing of F1- FVG × F. × ananassa; and three from back-crossing of BC1- FVG × F. × ananassa. The genetic variability from the three types of cross combinations was analyzed by calculation of the correlations among the fruit sensorial and nutritional parameters. The results obtained show that two subsequent back-crossing generations from an inter-species crossing combination with F. virginiana ssp. glauca provides useful improvement of the fruit nutritional and sensorial qualities that is combined with agronomic standards that are close to those requested at the commercial level. Improvements of these traits can also be achieved by programming F. × ananassa intra-species crosses and producing progeny with productivity traits more similar to those of the commercial cultivars. CONCLUSIONS: The two types of combination programs (inter-species back-crosses, and intra-species crosses) can be used to improve strawberry nutritional quality.

Water-drinking test in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma while treated with different topical medications.

OBJECTIVE: Reduction and diurnal stabilization of the intra-ocular pressure (IOP) is the mainstay of treatment for glaucoma. Fluctuations of IOP in glaucomatous patients can also be induced by the osmotic variations caused by water ingestion. Such influence can be studied by means of the water-drinking test (WDT). The aim of this study was to perform the WDT in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) while they were being treated with different IOP-lowering medications, to test the effect of drugs with different mechanisms of action on the ability to maintain a stable IOP. METHODS: A total of 280 POAG patients were enrolled, 40 patients per group for each of the tested medications (timolol, dorzolamide, brinzolamide, travoprost,latanoprost, bimatoprost, and brimonidine). After baseline IOP measurement, all patients underwent WDT (1000 mL of water in 10 min). The IOP was measured at 15-min intervals until the return of IOP to baseline values. The main outcomes measured were mean IOP peak, mean IOP percentage increase, and mean time for returning to baseline IOP value. RESULTS: The highest mean IOP peak was found with timolol, whereas no difference was found among the other drugs. The highest mean IOP percentage increase was found with timolol, whereas bimatoprost showed an IOP percentage increase significantly lower than latanoprost, dorzolamide, and brinzolamide. The duration of IOP increase was shortest for bimatoprost and longest for timolol. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that topical medications that enhance outflow (e.g., bimatoprost, latanoprost, travoprost, and brimonidine) may provide, under stressful conditions such as the WDT, better IOP stabilization than medications that decrease aqueous humor inflow, such as timolol and topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.