Many types of banana (Musa spp.)—one of the most economically important horticultural crops—exist, and their ploidy (diploid, triploid, and tetraploid, usually) and genome types (containing A or/and B genome in most cases) differ. At present, observation and genome type detection are commonly used to identify banana germplasm resources. However, the former is tedious, while the latter cannot distinguish categories below genome types. It is therefore urgent that a simple and effective method for identifying banana germplasm resources is established. We sequenced and analyzed the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of 62 banana germplasm and found that the sequencing peaks, especially the 20 bp region near the 420 bp position (referred to as the “420 bp region”), exhibited relatively recognizable and repeatable polymorphism characteristics. Using the “420 bp region” as a marker, we were able to quickly distinguish bananas belonging to different genome type groups (comprising the AA, AB, AAA, ABB, AAB, ABBB, AAAB, and AAAA groups) or different subgroups in the same genome type group (for example, the Cavendish, Gros Michel, Red, Lakatan, and Ibota Bota subgroups in the AAA group; and the Pisang Raja, Plantain, Pome and Silk subgroups in the AAB group). Moreover, it appeared that Sanger sequencing of ITS could be used for identifying banana hybrid offspring. These results demonstrated that the banana ITS region contains rich genetic information that is useful for genotyping. In general, ITS sequencing simplifies the classification of banana germplasm resources and has potential application in several areas of Musa improvement.

Hazelnuts are one of the most valuable nuts in the world due to their unique organoleptic properties and nutritional characteristics. This work was intended to analyze some physical and chemical properties of various hazelnut cultivars grown in Zakataly (Azerbaijan), namely Ata-baba, Elbari, Topqara, Firovan, Nasimi, Qalib, Mirzebeyli, Tala, Dash findiq, Barli, Azeri and Sachaqli. In general, the results showed statistically significant differences between the studied cultivars. The density of kernels, depending on the hazelnut cultivars, varied from 0.71 g/cm³ (Azeri) up to 1. 03 g/sm³ (Sachaqli). The peeled fruits of Dash findiq were heavier on average (1.64±0.34 g), and the peeled fruits of Nasimi, Qalib, Mirzebeyli and Sachaqli were lighter on average (0.8±0.23 g, 0.8±0.31 g, 0.8±0.20 g and 0.80±0.09 g, respectively. In the unpeeled form, Dash findiq nuts were the heaviest (3.70±0.34 g), and Nasimi and Qalib nuts were the lightest of all cultivars (2.0 ±0.48 g and 2.0 ±0.36 g, respectively). Ata-baba nuts account for 49 masses per kernel. %, in other studied cultivars - 33.3- 45.3 wt. %. Nasimi nuts are rounded (in the equatorial zone); Tala, Ata-baba, Firovan and Azeri - rounded-oblong; Topqara, Barli and Dash findiq – oblong; Elbari, Qalib, Mirzebeyli and Sachaqli - elongated. Firovan, Tala and Topqara have thicker shells. Ata-baba is significantly ahead of other varieties in the yield of kernels (490 kg / 1 ton of nuts), Tala is in second place in this indicator (453 kg / 1 ton of nuts), Topqara is in third (433 kg/ 1 ton of nuts). According to the maximum fat content, the cultivars Mirzebeyli (77.00±2.20 g/100 g of kernels) and Firovan (75.0±3.08 u/100 kernels), protein - Sachaqli (16.02±0.50 u/100 kernels) and Ata-baba (15.92±0.48 g/100 g of kernels) were distinguished. The results of this study help to better understand the differences between some varieties of hazelnuts grown in Azerbaijan, which provides important clues for all players involved in this sector.

Crop phenotyping data collection is the basis for precision agriculture and smart decisionmaking applications. In this study, a dynamic slicing and reconstruction canopy volume (DR) algorithm is proposed to accurately estimate citrus canopy volume. The algorithm dynamically slices nearby slices based on their proportional area change and density difference, subsequently conducting AS reconstruction and volume calculation for each slice using an iterative mean point spacing as the α-value. Compared with six point cloud-based reconstruction algorithms, the DR approach achieved the best results in removing perforations and lacunae (0.84) and exhibited volumetric consistency (1.53) that closely aligned with the growth pattern of citrus trees. The DR algorithm effectively addresses the challenges of adapting the thickness and number of canopy point cloud slices to the shape and size of the canopy in the ASBS and CHBS algorithms, as well as overcoming inaccuracies and incompleteness in reconstructed canopy models caused by limitations in capturing detailed features using the PCH algorithm. It offers improved adaptive ability, finer volume computations, better noise reduction, and anomaly removal. In conclusion, we recommend selecting appropriate operating environments for each algorithm based on their principles, geometric properties, volumetric values, running time, and linear relationships with one another to guide orchard mechanization and intelligent operation.

In Germany, the phloem sucking planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus (Hemiptera: Cixiidae) currently represents the epidemiological driver for the spread of the syndrome “Basses Richesses” in sugar beet, which results in a reduced sugar content and an economic loss for the farmers. This disease is associated with the γ-proteobacterium ‘Candidatus Arsenophonus phytopathogenicus’ and the Stolbur phytoplasma ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’. Recently, P. leporinus was found in potato fields in Germany associated with Stolbur-like symptoms in this crop. In this study, we confirmed that the vector completes its lifecycle on sugar beet as well as on potato when reared under controlled conditions. Transmission experiments with adults of this vector combined with molecular analyses showed for the first time that both pathogens are transmitted by this vector to potato. For an accurate assessment of the Ca. P. solani and Ca. A. phytopathogenicus titers in the vector and host plants, gBlocks derived from the hsp20- and 16S rRNA gene were employed, respectively. For Ca. P. solani the limit of detection was determined in potato and sugar beet material. The results of this study will further research on the epidemiology of the syndrome “Basses Richesses” and “Stolbur” diseases and the response of host plants and vector insects to both pathogens.

The abstract should be an objective representation of the article and it must not contain results that are not presented and substantiated in the main text and should not exaggerate the main conclusions. The study developed a novel method for evaluating the freshness of citrus fruits by integrating near-infrared spectroscopy with the nonlinear data processing capabilities of a BP neural network. This approach utilizes specific wavelength analysis to distinguish between fresh and non-fresh fruits effectively. Advanced preprocessing techniques are employed to remove spectral anomalies, enhancing the network's ability to accurately identify crucial quality indicators like sugar content. Concurrently, an experiment utilising a MATLAB-based BP neural network optimised the number of hidden layer nodes, identifying 61 as optimal. This configuration achieved impressive metrics, including a mean squared error of 0.0025665 and a root mean squared error of 49.8214, over 1000 training iterations with an 80% learning rate. The model demonstrated a high accuracy rate of 97.6275%, confirming its precision and reliability in assessing citrus freshness. This synergy between advanced neural network processing and spectroscopic techniques marks a significant advancement in agricultural quality assessment, setting new standards for speed and efficiency in data processing.

In order to understand the defense response of Sanchezia nobilis to biotic and abiotic stresses, this study investigated the phenomenon of S. nobilis under biotic of feeding by Achatina fulica, and measured the temporal changes of malondialdehyde content, catalase and peroxidase activities under biotic of feeding by Achatina fulica and abiotic stress of garden pruning conditions on S. nobilis. The results showed that: 1) S. nobilis was seriously damaged by A. fulica and the average hourly food intake of A. fulica is 0.22 ± 0.01 g. 2) Leaf cutting stimulation and snail feeding stress significantly affected the content of malondialdehyde, the activities of catalase and peroxidase in the leaves of S. nobilis. 3) Compared with the control group, the snail feeding and leaf cutting stimulated stress could induce the leaf of S. nobilis to synthesize more malondialdehyde under varying durations, and the activities of catalase and peroxidase were significantly enhanced in a short time, and the induction response of snail feeding biological stress was faster than that of leaf cutting stimulated abiotic stress. 4) After the defense enzyme was strengthened, the activities of catalase and peroxidase in the feeding stress group of snails showed a gradual downward trend, while the activities of catalase and peroxidase in the leaf cutting stimulation stress group showed a first upward and then downward trend, indicating that abiotic stress had more lasting effects on plants than biological stress. It can be seen that biotic stress and abiotic stress significantly affect the defense response of plants, and the defense-related substances malondialdehyde, catalase and peroxidase play an important role in plants' response to biotic and abiotic stress. This study has important production guidance significance for carrying out stress resistance breeding or cultivation management of garden plants.

The global warming has caused poor grape skin coloration and reduced the production of high-quality berries. To overcome these problems, the effect of synephrine (Syn) on anthocyanin accumulation was investigated. Syn treatment above 1 mM increased anthocyanin content in cultured grape cells in a molecular-structure-specific and concentration-dependent manner, and increased only the anthocyanin without affecting the sugar/acid ratio in grape bunches. It increased the expression of genes linked to anthocyanin synthesis after 24 h of treatment, without affecting phytohormone levels. Syn treatment induced the expression of SOD3, elevating hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production from 3 to 24 h after treatment in cultured cells. Subsequent increases in CAT and APX6 expression occurred, which encode H2O2-eliminating enzymes. In cultured grape cells, Syn and H2O2 treatments upregulated the H2O2-responsive gene Chit4 and the anthocyanin-biosynthesis-related genes mybA1 and UFGT 4 days after the treatments and promoted anthocyanin accumulation 7 days after the treatments. In berries, both treatments enhanced anthocyanin accumulation after 9 days. These results suggest that Syn promotes anthocyanin accumulation through the production of H2O2 without the upregulation of phytohormone biosynthesis. Syn treatment is expected to improve poor grape coloration and contribute to higher-quality fruit production.

Among the many approaches to COVID-19 prevention, the possible role of diet has so far been somewhat marginal. Nutrition is very rich in substances with a potential beneficial effect on health and some of these could have an antiviral action or in any case be important in modulating the immune system and in defending cells from the oxidative stress associated with infection. This short review draws the attention on some components of Citrus fruits and especially of the orange (Citrus sinensis), well known for its vitamin content, but less for the function of its flavonoids. Among the latter, hesperidin has recently attracted the attention of researchers, because it binds to the key proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Several computational methods, independently applied by different researchers, showed that hesperidin has a low binding energy both with the coronavirus "spike" protein, and with the main protease that transforms the early proteins of the virus (pp1a and ppa1b) into the complex responsible for viral replication. The affinity of hesperidin for these proteins is comparable if not superior to that of common chemical antivirals. The preventive efficacy of vitamin C, at dosage attainable by diet, against viral infections is controversial, but recent reviews suggest that this substance may be useful in case of increased stress on the immune system. Finally, the reasons that suggest undertaking appropriate research on the Citrus fruits addition in the diet, as a complementary prevention and treatment of COVID-19, are discussed.

A superior variant of dried jujube in China is ‘Huizao’ (HZ) jujube. Nonetheless, detailed evaluations of the texture quality of HZ fruits have been the subject of few studies. Texture is a significant indicator of the sensory and processed quality of a fruit. Here, we differentiate and characterize the texture quality of HZ fruits from the four primary producing regions in southern Xinjiang, as well as develop a system for assessing the texture quality of HZ fruits. Furthermore, five texture indices of HZ fruits from 109 plantations were exhaustively evaluated utilizing principal component analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and hierarchical clustering analysis. Consequently, by the 10th, 30th, 70th, and 90th percentiles, each index was classified into five grades—lower, medium, high, and higher. Correlation investigation indicated strong relationships between the springiness, chewiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and hardness of HZ fruits. Springiness, hardness, and adhesiveness are essential indicators that influence the texture of HZ fruits. We used clustering analysis to separate the six texture indices into three major categories (hard factor, stick-elastic factor, and adhesive factor), with indices representing hardness, springiness, and adhesiveness, respectively. Furthermore, according to the factor molecules, the texture quality of HZ fruits in the four production areas was evaluated as Bazhou (1.24) > Hotan (0.773) > Kashi (-0.577) > Aksu (-0.852). RDA analysis of six texture quality parameters and 24 climate conditions identified higher mean temperature (TEM) and lower relative humidity (RHU) as the primary factors contributing to the improved texture quality of HZ fruits in Xinjiang. This study identified the texture quality characteristics of HZ fruits in four major producing areas of Southern Xinjiang, and it offered a theoretical foundation for optimizing the dominant producing areas and regional production of HZ varieties in Xinjiang.

A total of 473 metabolites were identified from 4 sour cherry genotypes using UPLC-TOF-MS. Untargeted metabolomics revealed the dominant chemical groups present in sour cherries. PCA showed that the diversity in sour-cherry metabolites was due to the genotype differences indicating iditol, malic acid, chlorobenzene, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, and pyroglutamic acid as the predominant contributors. The variable importance in the projection (VIP > 1.0) in partial least-squares–discriminant analysis described 20 biomarker metabolites, representing the cherry metabolome profiles. A heatmap of Pearson’s correlation analysis between the 20 biomarker metabolites and antioxidant activities identified seven antioxidant determinants that displayed the highest correlations with different types of antioxidant activities. This study of correlating metabolomics and antioxidant activities elucidated that the higher nutritional value and biological functions of select sour cherry genotypes can be useful for the development of nutraceutical and functional foods.

Molecular markers, including Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR), Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP), and Intron Length Polymorphism (ILP), are widely utilized in crop improvement and population genetics studies. However, these marker resources remain insufficient for Musa species. In this study, we developed genome-wide SSR, SNP, and ILP markers from Musa and its sister species, creating a comprehensive molecular marker repository for the improvement of Musa species. This database contains 2115474 SSR, 63588 SNP, and 91547 ILP markers developed from thirteen Musa species and two of its relative species. We found that 77% of the SSR loci are suitable for marker development; 38% of SNP markers originated from the genic region, and transition mutations (C↔T; A↔G) were more frequent than transversion. The database is freely accessible and follows a ‘three-tier architecture,’ organizing marker information in MySQL tables. It has a user-friendly interface, written in JavaScript, PHP, and HTML code. Users can employ flexible search parameters, including marker location in the chromosome, transferability, polymorphism, and functional annotation, among others. These distinctive features distinguish the Musa Marker Database (MMdb) from existing marker databases by offering a novel approach that is tailored to the precise needs of the Musa research community. Despite being an in silico method, searching for markers based on various attributes holds promise for Musa research. These markers serve various purposes, including germplasm characterization, gene discovery, population structure analysis, and QTL mapping.

The revaluation of agri-food waste to provide consumers with bioactive compounds for a healthy and environmentally sustainable diet is growing exponentially in society. In the present work, the chemical and physical properties of essential oils (EO) extracted from the peels of four citrus fruits grown and commercialized in Amazonas, Peru: lime (Citrus limetta Risso), sweet lemon (Citrus limetta sp.), mandarin (Citrus reticulata) and orange (Citrus sinensis) were determined. The essential oils were extracted using green solvent and then their antioxidant capacity was determined by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) free radical scavenging technique; the total phenolic content using Folin Ciocalteu's reagent. Total flavonoids, refractive index, density, specific heat capacity, Ramam mapping and main phenolic compounds were also determined by liquid chromatography (UHPLC-DAD). It was found that lime and mandarin essential oils had higher antioxidant capacity (1592.38 and 1216.13 μmol TE/g) and higher total phenolic content (680.78 and 420.28 mg AGE/g); while sweet lemon peel essential oil had higher total flavonoid content (23.18 mg QE/g). Given their characteristics, these essential oils have a high potential for use in the food and/or pharmaceutical industry.

Spray penetration into citrus canopies is critical for adequate coverage and deposition to ensure effective pest control. However, mismatch of air assistance to target canopy characteristics can lead to unintended spray loss through over penetration. To evaluate the effect of air assistance on on-target deposition, two sprayers (surrogates for airflow rates) were used to apply a fluorescent tracer dye solution @ target concentration of 300 ppm to 16 medium foliage density tree blocks in a commercial mandarin orchard. The complete factorial experiment in three replications comprised two ground speeds (1.6 and 4.8 km/h), two disc-core nozzles (TeeJet® D3-25 and D6-45), and either one or two nozzle rows to obtain a wide range of application rates (496 to 9,719 L/ha). Dye deposition significantly decreased with canopy depth (p=<0.001) by nearly 7 times across the 3.4-m-wide canopies but was not significant over 1.2 to 2.2 m sampling height (p=0.867). Deposition obtained with the low airflow rate sprayer was significantly greater (p=<0.001) than that obtained with the high airflow rate sprayer over the dose range likely due to too much air pushing out spray droplets. This study underscores the importance of matching the air assistance of orchard sprayers to the target canopy.

The objective of the current study is to evaluate the effects of nitrogen rate N on tree growth, fruit yield and quality of clementine Nules variety, budded on Flhorag and Carrizo citrange rootstocks, grown on clay soils at the Experimental station of Sidi Allal Tazi, INRA Morocco, over five seasons. The experiment has been carried out in a split-plot design with three replications, including the nitrogen doses as the main plot and rootstock the subplot. Three fertilization treatments of the rates of N (g/tree) (T0: control (native nutrient), T1: 270, T2: 540 in g/tree) and 135 P2O5, 270 K2O g/tree have been applied to citrus trees in field conditions. The study found that nitrogen rate and rootstock genotype had significant effects on vegetative growth, yield, and fruit quality of Nules clementine. As N rate increased, vegetative growth improved significantly, with the trees grafted on Carrizo citrange and fertilized with T2 (540 N g/tree) showing the best results. A strong positive correlation was also observed between canopy volume and fruit yield for both rootstock genotypes. Carrizo citrange proved to be a more efficient rootstock for Nules variety than Flhorag, with higher yield and better fruit quality. As a conclusion, the recommended NPK rate for obtaining an optimal yield and good fruit quality of Nules clementine fruits was 540 N-135 P2O5-270 K2O g/tree/year under Sidi Allal Tazi–Gharb (Morocco) conditions.

The Fruit Harvest Helper, a mobile application developed by Northwest Nazarene University’s (NNU) Robotics Vision Lab, aims to assist farmers in estimating fruit yield for apple orchards. Currently, farmers manually estimate the fruit yield for an orchard, which is a laborious task. Fruit Harvest Helper seeks to simplify their process. While prior research efforts at NNU concentrated on developing an iOS app for blossom detection, this current research aims to adapt that smart farming application for apple detection across multiple platforms, iOS and Android. The old and new applications were designed with an intuitive user interface that is easy for farmers to use, allowing for quick image selection and processing. Unlike before, the adapted app utilizes a color ratio-based image segmentation algorithm implemented in OpenCV C++ to detect apples in apple tree images selected for processing. The results of testing the algorithm with a dataset of images indicate an 8.52% Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.6 between detected and actual apples on the trees. These findings were obtained by evaluating the images from both the east and west sides of the trees, which was the best method to reduce the error of this algorithm. Although the Fruit Harvest Helper shows promise, there are many opportunities for improvement. These opportunities include exploring alternative machine-learning approaches for apple detection, conducting real-world testing without any human assistance, and expanding the app to detect various types of fruit. The Fruit Harvest Helper mobile application is among the many mobile applications contributing to precision agriculture, nearing readiness for farmers to use in yield monitoring and farm management.

The aim of this work was to describe the physiological limitations induced under drought conditions in young sweet orange trees, including the crop capability to recuperate its physiological status once re-watering, and after a water withholding. The trial was conducted during two consecutive months (July and August) in two-years old sweet orange trees. Three irrigation treatments were arranged: A full irrigation treatment; (FI); a low-frequency deficit-irrigation treatment (LFDI); and a sustained-deficit irrigation (SDI) treatment. The obtained results showed that for Stem values below -1.5 MPa, significant decreases in gas exchange rates, evidencing diffusive limitations to drought stress. Additionally, there was evidence of increased osmolyte synthesis, compatible as a defensive response to prevent oxidative damage. Likewise, the isohydric behaviour observed also resulted in significant decreases in gs even for moderate stress situations. In addition, it was observed that in the LFDI treatment, the stress levels reached caused a significant increase in the levels of Pro and MDA, which were not equal to those detected in FI during the recovery periods, which leads us to assume that potential values below -1.8 MPa would be causing significant oxidative damage with no capacity for subsequent recovery, and probably affecting the final yield.

Pyrops candelaria is one of the common pests of fruit trees, but the research on the pathogenic microorganisms it may carry is very limited. Therefore, it is essential to reveal the pathogenic microbes it carries and their potential hazards. This study found a new virus from the transcriptome of P. candelaria, which was first reported in P. candelaria and named as PyCaV (Pyrops candelaria associated virus). RACE and bioinformatics assay revealed that the full-length of PyCaV is 10855 bp with the polyA tail, containing a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polyprotein consisting of 3171 amino acid (aa). The virus has a typical Iflavirus structure, including two rhv domains, a RNA helicase domain (HEL), a 3C cysteine protease domain (Pro), and a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domain (RdRp). Further phylogenetic analysis revealed that this virus belongs to family Iflaviridae and sequence alignements analysis suggedted PyCaV is new member in unassigned genus of family Iflaviridae. Further in-depth analysis of virus-infection-part showed that PyCaV is distributing in the whole longan lanternfly, including its head, chest, and abdomen, but more PyCaV was identified in the chest. The distribution of PyCaV in different parts of P. candelaria was further explored, which showed that more PyCaV were detected in its piercing-sucking mouthparts and chest viscera. Statistical analysis showed that the PyCaV infection was affected by time and locations.

In order to shorten the detection time and improve the average precision on embedded devices, A lightweight and high accuracy model is proposed for passion fruit in complex environments (backlight, occlusion, overlap, sunny, cloudy, rainy). Firstly, replacing the backbone network of YOLOv5 with a lightweight GhostNet model reduces the number of parameters and computation while improving detection speed. Secondly, a new feature branch is added to the GhostNet network, and the feature fusion layer in the neck network is reconstructed to effectively combine the lower-level and higher-level features, which not only improves the accuracy of the model but also maintains its lightweight. Finally, the knowledge distillation methods are used to transfer the knowledge from the more capable teacher model to the less capable student model, which significantly improving the detection accuracy. The improved model is denoted as G-YOLO-NK. The average accuracy of the G-YOLO-NK network is 96.00%, which is 1.00% higher than the original YOLOv5s model. Furthermore, the improved model size is 7.14MB, reduced to half of the original model, and the real-time detection frame rate is 11.25 FPS on the Jetson Nano. Compared to the state-of-the-art model, the proposed model outperforms them in terms of average precision and detection performance. The present work provides an effective model for real-time detection of passion fruits in complex orchard scenes, which can provide valuable technical support for the development of orchard picking robots and greatly improve the intelligence level of orchards.

Citrus species essential oils (EOs) are significant sources of bioactive compounds and demonstrate diverse therapeutic effects. However, limited documentation exists regarding the phytochemicals associated with their biological activities. This study aims to assess the antioxidant activity, plant inhibitory properties, and brine shrimp cytotoxic effects of EOs derived from three Citrus species: C. sinensis, C. limon, and C. hystrix. Utilizing chemometric analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) fingerprints, the volatile components contributing to antioxidant activity were elucidated. The peels of the Citrus samples were hydro-distillated to obtain EOs, and subsequently subjected to antioxidant, plant inhibitory, and brine shrimp cytotoxic assays. The results indicated that C. limon EO exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, while C. hystrix and C. sinensis EOs demonstrated pronounced inhibitory effects against Aetrmia salina and Lactuca sativa, respectively. GC-MS analysis facilitated the identification of key compounds in each EO. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchy cluster analysis (HCA) effectively categorized Citrus EOs based on their antioxidant properties, highlighting the proximity of C. limon and C. sinensis. Among the identified compounds, D-limonene, α-Terpineol, Caryophyllene, (+)-3-Carene, β-Pinene, (-)-Spathulenol, trans-p-Mentha-1(7),8-dien-2-ol, and trans-Verbenol were the most discriminating compounds affected the antioxidant activity of C.limon and C. sinensis EOs.

Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, is a devastating disease impacting citrus trees worldwide, with severe effects particularly noted in Florida. Current strategies to combat HLB have focused on aggressive replanting despite the high susceptibility of young trees to infection. In this context, it is critical to explore agronomic practices that can enhance the health and resistance of young citrus trees to HLB. Here, we demonstrate that treatment with homobrassinolide (HBr), a type of brassinosteroid, on newly planted citrus trees can delay HLB infection and improve tree health amidst the high psyllid pressure conditions endemic to Florida. Our study reveals a significant reduction in HLB infection rates in HBr-treated trees compared to control trees, with only 25% of treated trees testing positive for HLB by six months, in contrast to 100% infection in untreated trees. This delay in infection may be attributed to HBr inducing an immune response and negatively impacting psyllid performance, as subsequently demonstrated in a greenhouse experiment. Our findings suggest that HBr applications could serve as a viable strategy to enhance the resilience of citrus production against HLB, underscoring the need for further investigation into their mechanisms of action and potential role in a comprehensive pest and disease management strategy.

Commercially cultivated Prunus species are commonly grown in adjacent or mixed orchards, and can be infected with unique or commonly shared viruses. Apple (Malus domestica), another member of the Rosacea and distantly related to Prunus, can share the same growing regions and common pathogens. Pollen can be a major route for virus transmission, and analysis of the pollen virome in tree fruit orchards can provide insights into these virus pathogen complexes from mixed production sites. Commercial honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollination is essential for improved fruit set and yield in tree fruit production systems. Here we describe the metagenomics-based detection of plant viruses through bee and pollen samples collected during the spring bloom period from a mixed Prunus and Malus orchard. Twenty-one unique viruses were detected in samples collected during apricot (Prunus armeniaca), sweet cherry (Prunus avium), peach (Prunus persica), and apple blooms. Ilarviruses prune dwarf virus (PDV) and prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV), Secoviridae family members tomato necrotic ringspot virus, tobacco necrotic ringspot virus, and prunus virus F, and Capillovirus cherry virus A (CVA) were detected in all time points, while other viruses were detected with restricted ranges. These results demonstrate the benefits of area-wide monitoring through bee pollination activities, and provide new insights into the diversity of viruses in tree fruit pollination ecosystems.

The existing methods of oil palm Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) evacuation from in-field to temporary collection point which typically apply medium to large tractors, often result in unexpected soil compaction. Meanwhile, smaller size equipment indicates low working capacity and unable to perform direct unloading to collection bin. This paper addresses the challenge of FFB evacuation by focusing on preventing soil compaction, increasing working capacity and enabling direct unloading to collection bin. For this purpose, a 6x6WD transporter prototype with a scissor lift mechanism was developed. With the design, the transporter could evacuate FFB in both steep mineral terrain and low ground pressure peatland, able to carry FFB with capacity of 750 kg and provide direct unloading into collection bin. The average field working capacity of the transporter was found to be 15 tons day-1. This research offers insights for future designs of medium-sized FFB transporters with advanced unloading mechanisms.

This review deals with the adaptive mechanisms that plants can implement to cope with the challenge of salt stress. Plants tolerant to NaCl implement a series of adaptations to acclimate to salinity, including morphological, physiological and biochemical changes. These changes include increases in the root/canopy ratio and in the chlorophyll content in addition to changes in the leaf anatomy that ultimately lead to preventing leaf ion toxicity, thus maintaining the water status in order to limit water loss and protect the photosynthesis process. Furthermore, we deal with the effect of salt stress on photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence and some of the mechanisms thought to protect the photosynthetic machinery, including the xanthophyll cycle, photorespiration pathway and water-water cycle. Finally, we also provide an updated discussion on salt-induced oxidative stress at the subcellular level and its effect on the antioxidant machinery in both salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive plants. The aim is to extend our understanding of how salinity may affect the physiological characteristics of plants.

Computational studies suggest that hesperidin, a flavonoid abundant in citrus peel, binding the three main cellular receptors of SARS-CoV-2 virus can act in the prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19. Herein we urge the uptake of hydrodynamic cavitation industrial-scale reactors based on the low cost, reliable Venturi tube for the extraction of citrus pectin rich in hesperidin (and in other bioflavonoids including naringing) by very fast processing of waste orange peel or waste lemon peel in water only. A device able to process up to 500 kg of waste peels per session, similar to the one lately deployed in Italy for hydrodynamic cavitation-assisted brewing, is capable to provide 36,000 doses of 1000 mg hesperidin per day.

Besides a diffuse research activity on drug discovery and biodiversity carried out in natural contexts, more recently investigations concerning endophytic fungi have started considering their occurrence in crops based on the major role that these microorganisms have been recognized to play in plant protection and growth promotion. Fruit growing is particularly involved in this new wave, by reason that the pluriannual crop cycle implies a likely higher impact of these symbiotic interactions. Aspects concerning occurrence and effects of endophytic fungi associated with citrus species are revised in the present paper.

High-density olive groves, despite their interesting production potential, have several limitations, also due to the high fruit load and the irrigation requirements.The study aimed to evaluate the effects of fruit load and deficit irrigation on oil yield and fruit quality, and on olive chemical composition in a high-density olive grove (cv Sikitita). Our main hypothesis was that the primary metabolism, as influenced by crop load and stress, could modify the accumulation of different phenolic classes.Different fruit loads were generated through flower thinning (66%, 50%, 33%, 0%) and two deficit irrigation treatments (-60%, -75%) were compared to the well-watered control (920 m3/ha).Thinning treatments had a limited effect on oil yield, on the other hand, deficit irrigation caused considerably less oil accumulation in the fruit on all sampling dates.Thinning 66% and deficit irrigation 75% were considered with the control for untargeted metabolomic analysis, considering three sampling dates. 233 different phenolic compounds were annotated. Multivariate HCA results indicated the impact of harvest time on the phenolic profile of olive fruits, yielding two separate clusters grouping t1 and t2 together and apart from t3. Regarding agronomic techniques, they played a differential role in the phenolic profile (supervised OPLS – DA). Fruit load mostly affected flavonoid glycosides. In contrast, the phenolic response to deficit irrigation is more heterogeneous, with phenolic acids (35%), flavonoids (25%), LMW, and other phenols (25%).

Transcription is carried out in most eukaryotes by three multimeric complexes (RNA polymerases I, II and III). However, plants contain two additional RNA polymerases (IV and V), which have evolved from RNA polymerase II. RNA polymerases II, IV and V contain both common and specific subunits that may specialize some of their functions. In this study, we conducted a search for the genes that putatively code for the specific subunits of RNA polymerases IV and V, as well as the corresponding of RNA polymerase II in olive. Based on the homology with the genes of Arabidopsis thaliana, we identified 13 genes that putatively code for the specific subunits of polymerases IV and V, and 16 genes that code for the corresponding specific subunits of polymerase II in olive. The transcriptomic analysis by RNA-Seq revealed that the expression of the RNA polymerases IV and V genes was induced during the initial stages of fruit development. Given that RNA polymerases IV and V are involved in the transcription of long non-coding RNAs, we investigated their expression and observed relevant changes in the expression of this type of RNAs. Particularly, the expression of the intergenic and intronic long non-coding RNAs tended to increase in the early steps of fruit development, suggesting their potential role in this process. The positive correlation between the expression of RNA polymerases IV and V subunits and the expression of non-coding RNAs supports the hypothesis that RNA polymerases IV and V may play a role in fruit development throughout the synthesis of this type of RNAs.

The processing of Mexican limes generates great amounts of peel as a byproduct. Lime peel is mainly rich in the flavonoid hesperidin, whose bioactivity is oriented mainly to cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The purpose of this work was to develop a green process for the extraction and purification of hesperidin from Mexican lime peel. The extraction of hesperidin was investigated on a laboratory scale by varying the solvent composition and the solid-to-solvent ratio. The best conditions (solid-to-solvent ratio of 0.33 g/mL and 60% ethanol) were used for the extraction of hesperidin in a pilot scale (Volume = 20 L). The kinetics of the extraction was studied to find the maximum hesperidin concentration at 100 min. The concentrated extract had a hesperidin content of 0.303 mg/mL. Next, a purification process using adsorption resins was assessed. Through static tests, it was determined that higher adsorption efficiencies were achieved with the EXA-118 resin and diluted extract (4:6 ratio with 10% DMSO). Finally, the adsorption of hesperidin from the diluted extract (hesperidin concentration of 0.109 mg/mL) was carried out at 25 °C in a column packed with 80 mL of EXA-118 resin. The mean recovery efficiency of hesperidin from the extract was almost 90%.

This study examined the impact of differences in fruit load of olive trees on the rate of stem refilling. The experiment was conducted in a commercial olive orchard over the consecutive years of 2021 and 2022, during which the biennial bearing cycle of olive trees resulted in minimal fruit production in 2021 and maximal production in 2022. The rate of stem refilling was determined by quantifying the differences in water volume traversing the apex and base of the principal branches of experimental trees using sap flow sensors. Concurrent measurements of tree water status were also conducted using psychrometers, while soil moisture content dynamics were continuously recorded. Results indicate that alternate bearing significantly influences the stem refilling process, while soil moisture availability also plays a pivotal role. Water reserves were more intensively utilized during the year of full production (“ON” year) primarily to fulfill the water demands of developing fruits. This replenishment occurred in various periods during the day, including early morning, afternoon, and night, when stomatal conductance measurements indicated stomatal closure. The study suggests a more intense replenishment of reserves during the night in "ON" year trees, irrespective of soil moisture, water vapor pressure deficit, or phenological fruit development stage.

The sustainability of agricultural commodities produced in the Southern U.S. under irrigation is increasingly at risk due to erratic rainfall patterns, inadequate water supplies and compromised water quality. This study assessed the needs of crop growers in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Southern Region. The purpose was to identify growers’ critical water resource management concerns to identify research priorities from the perspective of growers in this region. To obtain this information, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to growers throughout the Southern Region in 2020. The final sample included 112 crop (row and specialty) production growers from the Southern Region. Overall, respondents named the water available to irrigate as the greatest water resource management priority. Within all the water availability priorities asked, respondents’ first choice was declining water supply in the future. Declining water supply and the cost of irrigating presently were the next most frequently named water availability priorities. Growers named both increasing the efficiency of irrigation and development of farming practices to improve soil moisture retention as the first and second focus of future irrigation research, respectively. These results will aid in strengthening existing and developing new initiatives for water research and Extension in this region.

Two experiments were conducted to develop a Nano green manganese and assess its effect on grapevines. The first experiment was microbiological, where several incorporation strategies were utilized to enrich the yeast with manganese, as follows: (1) adding manganese to the liquid medium (growth phase), (2) adding after 24 h of incubation (non-growth phase). As the results, growth phase reduced the possibility of medium contamination. Manganese concentration in the yeast cells was increased as that of manganese sulphate in the medium. Manganese incorporation in yeast cells was 99.93% higher than that of the medium at 0.0195 g/l of manganese. Although the concentration of manganese in the medium raised the OD of yeast cell biomass, manganese sulphate had no passive influence on it. The second experiment was horticultural, done on Flame Seedless grapevines, since both active fresh and frozen yeast enriched with manganese resulted from the first experiment were sprayed twice a year at 10 or 20 cm3/l comparing with manganese sulphate, and manganese chelate. The results demonstrated that yeast extracts in both forms increased the yield and improved fruit properties. The most effective treatment on vegetative growth, yield and fruit properties was the frozen yeast enriched with manganese at 20 cm3/l.

Named herein “CytroCell”, the cellulosic material obtained via hydrodynamic cavitation of citrus processing waste in water is cellulose of low crystallinity, high porosity, good water holding capacity and good dispersibility in water. These properties, here demonstrated for the first time for lemon and grapefruit CytroCell, open the route to mass scale production of a useful functional material from a cheap and abundant biowaste. The process, indeed, does not require any pre-treatment of the raw material, and does not use acid, alkali, chemical oxidants or enzymes.

The most relevant fungal disease of the olive tree in Portugal is anthracnose, which has negative effects on fruit destruction and consequently on the yield and quality of the olive oil. Moreover, the loss of quality caused by olive fruit fly is associated with the presence of fungi in the galleries made by the larvae. The present study focuses on the effect of olive anthracnose and olive fly on the content of bioactive compounds, namely on hydroxytyrosol (HYT) and its derivatives (health claim) in olive oils extracted from 'Galega Vulgar' and 'Cobrançosa' cultivars. The olives, with different damage levels (olive fly and anthracnose disease), were harvested in Castelo Branco (Center of Portugal) in organic rainfed orchards, at four harvest times during 2019, 2020 and 2021 harvest years. The fruits were immediately submitted to olive oil extraction. The results of the quality criteria show that Galega olive oils extracted from olives with a higher anthracnose incidence show no conformity for the Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and Virgin Olive Oil (VOO) categories, with high acidity values and negative sensory notes accompanied by the disappearance of oleacein (the main phenolic compound of both monovarietal olive oils). Conversely, no sensory defects were observed in Cobrançosa olive oils extracted from fruit with high anthracnose and olive fly incidence. Moreover, despite a decrease in all the positive attributes associated with the cultivar, namely in oleacein and oleocanthal contents, quality criteria were still in accordance with the EVOO category. The total HYT and tyrosol (TYR) content (> 5 mg/20g) allows the use of the health claim on the label of all the analysed Cobrançosa olive oils.

Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) is an important crash crop for producing seeds in Inner Mongolia, China. In August 2021, the harvest season of seed-producing zucchini, fruit rot symptom (cv. Jindi No.1) was found in the Wuyuan region. The incidence of infected fruits of zucchini ranged from 10% to 30% and symptom consisted in 4 to 5 cm diameter lesions where the fruit was in contact with the soil. Ten isolations from six symptomatic fruits were preliminary classified as Fusarium species based on its morphological characters in potato dextrose agar. Phylogenetic tree was constructed by concatenating TEF-1α and RPB2 gene and exhibited the isolates clustered together with the Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae sequences. Pathogenicity tests revealed that two isolates caused over 3 cm diameter lesions on the fruits while negative-controls remained asymptomatic. The colonies reisolated from the leasions were morphologically identical to the original isolates, thus fulfilling Koch’s postulates. Results demonstrated that F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae was the causal agent of fruit rot observed in the field. To our knowledge, this is the first report of fruit rot of seed-producing zucchini caused by F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae in Inner Mongolia, China.

Autophagy is a highly conserved self-degradation process involving the degradation and recycling of cellular components and organelles. Although the involvement of autophagy in metabolic changes during fruit ripening has been preliminarily demonstrated, the variations in autophagic flux and specific functional roles in fruit ripening remain to be elucidated. In this study, we analyzed the occurrence of autophagy during tomato fruit ripening. The results revealed differential expression of SlATG8 family member during tomato fruit ripening. Transmission electron microscopy observations and dansylcadaverine (MDC) staining confirmed the presence of autophagy at the cellular level in tomato fruits. Furthermore, the overexpression of SlATG8f induced the formation of autophagosomes, increased autophagic flux within tomato fruits, effectively enhanced the expression of ATG8 proteins during the color transition phase of fruit ripening, thereby promoting tomato fruit maturation. This overexpression also led to the accumulation of vitamin C (VC) and soluble solids while reducing acidity in the fruit. Collectively, our findings highlight the pivotal role of SlATG8f in enhancing tomato fruit ripening, providing insights into the mechanistic involvement of autophagy in this process. This research contributes to a better understanding of key factors regulating tomato fruit quality and offers a theoretical basis for tomato variety improvement.

Previously the nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical methods which were costly and toxic to bio-systems. Plant extracts provides simpler, eco-friendly and cost efficient method for synthesizing nanoparticles. Lemon peel extract (LPE) was used to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) which were evaluated for their antimicrobial effects after optimizing the pH of extract and concentration of both extract and synthesized AgNPs. The characterization of synthesized AgNPs was carried out using Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) Spectrophotometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Well diffusion method was used to determine the antimicrobial activities of synthesized AgNPs. The presence of phenols and proteins was assumed to reduce the Ag⁺ ion into silver nanoparticles. The characteristic surface plasmon resonance frequency was observed at 405–425 nm for all varying condition of silver nanoparticles synthesis. Furthermore, results revealed that the synthesized AgNPs remains stable upto 75 days. The average particle size was 2–5 nm, calculated with the help of scherrer’s equation by using XRD data. LPE mediated AgNPs (200 µg/mL) showed significant antimicrobial activity, compared to commercially available nanoparticles while LPE (50 mg/ml) showed no effect. LPE mediated AgNPs might get attention of pharmacists in order to design medicines against different diseases including the infections of bacteria.

Mancozeb is extensively used fungicide to prevent citrus melanose in most Asian countries, especially in China. So far, however, there have been no reports of thet effect of Mancozeb on the citrus rhizosphere bacterial community. Therefore, this comparative experiment defined the genomic and functional related to community and soil health of 2-years old Citrus unshiu Marc. rhizosphere through amplicon sequencing and chemical analysis. This study evaluated the effect of mancozeb on the chemical properties of citrus-cultivated soil and the richness and diversity of rhizosphere bacterial community. We also investigated the abundance response of rhizosphere bacterial groups to 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 times application of 2 g mancozeb (active ingredient content, ai.) 600 times diluted with water. Our data revealed that the abundance of rhizosphere-associated bacterial species increased significantly after planting citrus. The relative abundance of Candidatus, Saccharibacteria, Parcubacteria, and Proteobacteria increased with the increase in mancozeb watering times. Meanwhile, the abundance of Nitrospirae decreased with the increase in mancozeb application times. The findings indicated that the chemical properties of the soil and the richness and diversity of rhizosphere bacterial community did not significantly differ across the mancozeb gradients in soil.

Biosynthesis of nanoparticles for delivery of therapeutic agents has introduced new opportunities in upgrading medical treatment. Plant extracts contains different capping and reducing agents naturally thus provided simpler and less expensive way to synthesize AgNPs. In present work, Citrus reticulata mediated stabilised AgNPs was synthesized. Optimum concentration of reactants was achieved by varying the amount of extracts (1-11 ml) and AgNO₃ concentration (0.5-3 mM). Surface Plasmon peak of Citrus reticulata mediated AgNPs was determined by UV-visible spectrophotometer and functional groups of capping agents were examined by FTIR analysis. Surface Plasmon peaks of Citrus reticulata fresh peel, seed, and juice extracts were observed at 420 nm. But in dry peel extract, absorption peak of AgNPs appeared at 410 nm. Colour of different extracts was changed after the reduction of AgNO₃ to AgNPs by reducing agents present in the extracts. FTIR analysis showed band peaks at 3316 cm-1 correspond to amide (N-H and O-H) stretching vibrations while alkanes peaks was observed at 1638 cm-1 which showed C=C stretching aromatic ring (flavonoids). Furthermore, Citrus reticulata fresh peel mediated AgNPs showed impressive stability up-to 112 days. In conclusion, Citrus reticulata fresh peel extract provided an excellent source of reducing agents for synthesizing stabilized AgNPs.

Understanding morphological and genetic diversity of forest trees is essential to facilitate their conservation, sustainable management and genetic improvement for addressing the economic and environmental demands and challenges. We have examined variation in morphometric seed and pod traits and seed germination of multipurpose and widely distributed forest tree Albizia lebbek (Indian siris) from 12 provenances covering the species’ range in northern India and its relationships with bioclimatic factors. Highly significant inter-provenance variation was observed in seed size (seed length (SL), seed width (SW), SW/SL, SL×SW), seed mass (1000 seed weight), pod size (pod length (PL), pod width (PW), PW/PL), seed germination, number of seeds per pod, and insect infected seeds (IIS). The provenance effect contributed a major portion to the total phenotypic variance. Morphometric variation in all traits except for IIS was not clinal related to longitude, latitude, altitude or rainfall. There was an indication of the presence of ecotypic variation. IIS showed clinal variation with significant negative correlation with latitude. Most seed size and pod size traits showed positive correlations with several temperature bioclimatic factors and negative correlations with several precipitation bioclimatic factors. Our results have significance for genetic improvement, population genetics and genomics studies and conservation and sustainable management of A. lebbek genetic resources.

Verticillium dahliae (Vd) and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol) are two major fungal pathogens that infect tomato plants, causing significant challenges in their control since both pathogens can persist in the soil for several years even in the absence of a host plant and no effective fungicides are available at present. This study investigated the efficacy of two biocontrol formulations, Clonotri and Strepse, against Vd and Fol, and their impact on tomato fruit quality and yield under greenhouse conditions. Pathogenicity experiment demonstrated that the Clonotri formulation, containing Trichoderma and Clonostachys spores, significantly reduced Fusarium wilt disease by 32% compared to the control group. However, in Vd pathogenicity experiment, the formulations did not exhibit disease reduction, although the treatment with Strepse, containing Streptomyces and Pseudomonas microorganisms, resulted in preserved total fruit number when compared to uninfected plants. Analysis of fruit quality attributes revealed no significant differences among the various interventions. Furthermore, Fol infection in the first fruit set significantly increased fruit firmness, while Vd infection resulted in elevated levels of total soluble solids in fruits. These findings demonstrate that the evaluated biocontrol formulations provide a degree of protection against fungal wilt pathogens in tomato plants and can increase yield in greenhouse conditions, while having minimal impact on overall fruit quality attributes.

Background: Capsaicinoid are a group of compounds and widely used in the food, medical, and pharmaceutical industries. Capsaicinoid are unique synthesized and accumulated in the pepper fruits. MeJA can enhance the capsaicinoid production. Temporal and spatial expression of capsaicinoid biosynthetic genes are helpful to understand the molecular mechnism of capsaicinoid biosynthesis in the fruits of pepper. Although some of the capsaicinoid biosynthetic genes in pepper have been identified, the expression of these genes at different developing stages of fruit has not been systemically investigated, and little is known about the molecular basis of MeJA inducing capsaicinoid biosynthesis. Results: HPLC study revealed that the capsaicinoid accumulation in the developing fruit of pepper initially appeared at 24 DAP (day after pollination), was actively development at 36 DAP and peaked at 48 DAP. 11 genes that encoded enzymes involved in capsaicinoid biosynthesis were isolated and characterized. Gene expression with quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that the CaCS was unique expressed in placenta and the other 10 genes were expressed in all selected tissues and 9 of 11 genes (except CaCa4H and CaCa3H) were strongly expressed in placenta tissue. Spatial expression analysis demostrated that the 11 gene could be collectively grouped into four categories based on the patterns of relative expression of the genes during fruit development. Category I has 2 and they displayed a bell-shaped expression pattern with the peak expression at 24 DAP, Category II contains 5 genes and expression of the 5 genes was constantly increased from 0 to 36 DAP and peaked at 36 DAP. Category III comprises of 2 genes and both genes reached the peak at 48 DAP. Category IV consists of 2 genes and they showed a high expression at 36 and 48 DAF, but unexpressed from 0 to 12 DAP. The gene expressions of the 11 genes were up-regulated by MeJA. 3 genes showed a high expression at 24 h; 4 genes reached the peak at 12 h; the top expression were observed at 18 h; The last one, CaACYase, achieved the highest level at 8 h. Conclusion: The biosynthesis of capsaicinoid in pepper fruit is developmentally regulated. The expression of the majority of capsaicinoid biosynthetic genes is highly consistent with the development accumulation of capsaicinoid in pepper fruit. These results not only provide the initial information on spatial and temporal expression of capsaicinoid biosynthetic genes in pepper developing fruit, but are also valuable to identify the MeJA-induced genes for capsaicinoid biosynthesis and accumulation during pepper fruit development.

Citrus peels are considered as a rich source of valuable biomolecules like pectin as polymer of polysaccharide acid. In this study, response surface methodology was used to optimize pectin extraction from Citrus clementina peels using citric acid as extraction solvent. The effect of parameters conditioning the extraction process and pectin yield (pH, temperature, extraction time, solid/liquid ratio, and raw material particle size) was investigated using a Box-Behnken design. The quality of the extracted pectin was assessed both chemically (moisture, ash, protein, and sugar content) and functionally (gelling power and emulsifying activity). According to the screening experiment, the factors pH, temperature, and particle size were the main factors influencing the pectin yield. The adjusted mathematical model enabled us to plot response surfaces in order to determine optimal extraction conditions. The highest production yield of pectin (26.6%) was obtained at the optimal conditions of: pH = 1.5; temperature 100 °C and particle size = 0.1 mm for an extraction time of 30min. Compared to the predicted value of 26.6%, the experimental extraction yield was about 21.4% of pectin. Concerning the functional properties, the extracted pectin has a high gelling power of 164°SAG and an emulsifying activity of 38.5%.

The most recent outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus, named as COVID-19, caused pneumonia epidemic in Wuhan with 2,121 deaths cases as of February 20^th 2020. Identification of effective antiviral agents to combat the novel coronavirus is urgently needed. Citrus fruit peel or wild citrus are rich in flavonoid, and is clinically documented for roles in relief of cough and promotion of digestive health. Therefore, citrus fruits are assumed to possess antivirus activities or enhance the host immunity. A previous study found that hesperetin could act as a high potent inhibitor of SARS-CoV 3CLpro. We determined six flavonoid compounds content of in three citrus species by using LC-MS technique. The content of naringin and naringenin was at higher levels in pummelo. Hesperetin and hesperidin were highly accumulated in mandarin and sweet orange. The subsequent in vitro and in vivo experiments indicated that naringin could inhibit the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines (COX-2, iNOS, IL-1β and IL-6) induced by LPS in Raw macrophage cell line, and may restrain cytokine through inhibiting HMGB1 expression in a mouse model. The results revealed that naringin may have a potential application for preventing cytokine storm. We simulated molecular docking to predict the binding affinity of those flavonoids to bind Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE 2), which is a receptor of the coronavirus. Consideration of the potential anti-coronavirus and anti-inflammatory activity of flavonoids, the citrus fruit or its derived phytochemicals are promising in the use of prevention and treatment of 2019-nCoV infection.

Leaves of Citrus aurantifolia, Citrus hystrix and Citrus microcarpa collected from Mersing, Johor were selected for this research. The extraction of these samples were carried out using three different polarities of solvents (hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol). Phytochemical screening were done with various test for each of crude extracts. The results showed that C. aurantifolia gave positive result for alkaloids, saponins, reducing sugar and carbohydrates in hexane and ethyl acetate extracts. In contrast to C. hystrix where the presence of alkaloids, steroids, reducing sugar and carbohydrates were proven in all crude extracts. Lastly, C. microcarpa showed positive result for alkaloids, triterpenoids, saponins, flavonoids, reducing sugar, carbohydrates, phenolic content, glycosides and tannins for hexane and ethyl acetate crude extracts. Through antioxidant assays measured at wavelength 234 nm, C. aurantifoliaa has the highest AOA which was 10. The scavenging effect on DPPH radical was done at the wavelength of 517 nm and C. microcarpa has the highest percentage of scavenging effect with 96.41%. Next, the non-enzymatic antioxidant assays on the determination of α-tocopherol and carotenoids showed that C. hystrix has the highest concentration of α-tocopherol (2.30 ± 0.026), while C. microcarpa has the highest concentration of carotenoids (18.40 ± 2.83).

In recent years the number of available chemical pesticides has been significantly reduced and there have been an urgent need for discovery of alternative to chemical pesticides products, as among others the natural zeolites (zeolitic rocks). We determined the mineralogical and chemical composition of a specific and continuous layers of zeolitic rock sample (ZeotP) from Petrota, Ev-ros, Greece and evaluated its oviposition deterrent effect for the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Terphritidae). The tested natural zeolite contained 70 wt. % Clinoptilolite, 18 wt. % Amorphous material, 7 wt. % Feldspars, 4 wt. % Cristobalite and 1 wt. % Quartz. We tested the oviposition deterrent effect of ZeotP mixed or not with an emulsifier adjuvant NU-FILM-P® in water and applied on the surface of olive fruits. The ZeotP oviposition deterrent effect for the ol-ive fly was very high under a series of tested temperatures (17°C, 20°C, 25°C and 30°C) and RHs (23%, 33%, 55%, 75%, 94%). In addition, the ZeotP residual deterrent effect after equable water spraying was high and similar to the respective effect of a pyrethroid insecticide (Decis®). Our results may contribute to an effective control of the olive fruit fly using an alternative to chemical pesticides natural zeolite (zeolitic rocks) product.

Although several protocols for genetic transformation of citrus have been published, it is highly desirable to further improve its efficiency. Here we report treatments of Agrobacterium cells and citrus explants prior to and during co-cultivation process to enhance transformation efficiency using a commercially used rootstock 'Carrizo' Citrange as a model plant. We pre-cultured Agrobacterium cells in a 1/10 MS, 0.5 g/L 2-(N-morpholino) ethanesulfonic acid (MES) and 100 µM acetosyringone liquid medium for 6 hours at 25 ℃ before used to infect citrus explants. We incubated epicotyl segments in an MS liquid medium containing 13.2 µM 6-BA, 4.5 µM 2,4-D, 0.5 µM NAA for 3 hours at 25℃ prior to Agrobacterium infection. In the co-cultivation medium, we added 30 µM paclobutrazol and 10 µM lipoic acid. Each of these three treatments significantly increased the efficiencies of transformation. When the three treatments were combined, we observed that the transformation efficiency was enhanced from 11.5% to 52.3%. The improvement of genetic transformation efficiency mediated by these three simple treatments may facilitate more efficient applications of transgenic and gene editing technologies for functional characterization of citrus genes and for genetic improvement of cultivated citrus varieties.

The chestnut tree (Castanea sativa Mill.) is gaining importance in the mountainous regions of southern Europe due to the high value of its fruits. It is essential to establish effective cultivation protocols, considering that this species is still relatively understudied. In this study, we present the outcomes of the initial establishment of a chestnut orchard conducted through a nutrient omission trial for four years. The treatments included a fertilization plan with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and boron (NPKB), the control, and four other treatments corresponding to the omission of each nutrient (-NPKB, N-PKB, NP-KB, NPK-B). The -NPKB and NP-KB treatments showed significantly lower trunk circumferences and canopy volumes compared to the other treatments. The NPK-B treatment resulted in the lowest fruit production, with a total accumulated yield (2020-2022) of 0.56 kg tree–1, a value significantly lower than that of NPKB (1.12 kg tree–1) and N-PKB (1.19 kg tree–1). The assessment of nutrient concentrations in the leaves revealed plants with deficient levels of B and K in treatments that did not receive these nutrients. Conversely, N levels in the leaves in the -NPKB treatment fell within the sufficiency range (20 to 28 g kg–1). This suggests that the sufficiency range should be adjusted to higher values, given the treatment's effect on tree growth. It was also observed that the -NPKB treatment led to lower soil organic matter compared to the other treatments, likely due to reduced herbaceous vegetation development under the canopy, leading to decreased organic substrate deposition in the soil. The main findings of this study are that N and K were crucial elements for the optimal growth of chestnut trees, while B played a significant role in fruit production.

The high genetic diversity of the tomato and its high micronutrient content make this fruit very interesting from an economic and nutritional point of view. The genetic erosion suffered by this crop, due to breeding objectives based on yield and marketing, makes it necessary to return to the origins in search of the nutritional and organoleptic quality lost in traditional varieties. In this study, the agronomic, physical, organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of eighteen F1 hybrids obtained by crossing fourteen traditional varieties, previously selected for their quality, were studied to select genotypes of superior quality that could be candidates for new. All parameters studied were strongly influenced by genotype, showing a wide range between cultivars. Principal Component Analysis revealed the characteristics of each hybrid that made it stand out from the others. Some hybrids (H3, H4, and H6) stand out because of their high concentration of active compounds, others (H16, H15, H10, H17, H9, and H11) because of agronomic performance and high content of β-carotene, and H5 was the only one to contain chlorophyll in their ripe fruits. Finally, the evaluation index allowed the selection of five hybrids with interesting characteristics, combining good yield performance and high quality

This study evaluates the efficacy of the salts, sodium metabisulfite (SMB), ammonium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate and potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate first in vitro against the main postharvest fruit rot fungi, Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium italicum and Penicillium digitatum. Results showed that 0.2% SMB completely inhibited mycelium growth of the fungal species. Ammonium bicarbonate and sodium bicarbonate were less effective at 0.2% in inhibiting mycelial growth, ranging from 57.6% to 77.6%. The least effective was potassium dihydrogen or-thophosphate. Experiments were also performed in vivo on wounded apples inoculated with the most pathogenic fungus, B. cinerea, and treated with SMB at concentrations of 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2 and 3%, both preventively and curatively. Results based on the decay size showed that SMB, when used as a preventive treatment, had a reduced efficacy, even with the highest concentration. However, this salt proved to be very effective at 0.5% in curative treatment, since the decay was completely blocked. Our results suggest that the appropriate concentration of SMB for post-harvest treatment is 0.5% as a curative treatment. On the other hand, the 1% dose induced the onset of phytotoxicity around the wound. To assess the extent of phytotoxicity reaction, higher concentrations of 1-4% SMB were applied to wounded fruit. Apples and oranges were inoculated or not with B. cinerea and P. digitatum respectively. Doses of 1- 4% induced phytotoxicity in the form of a discoloured ring surrounding the wound on the epidermis of the fruit; this phytotoxicity enlarged as the concentration of SMB increased. The phytotoxic features were similar on apples and oranges. The methodological procedure made it possible to carry out a quantitative assess-ment of SMB phytotoxicity. This method is proposed as an easy-to-use technique for quantitatively estimating the phytotoxicity of antifungal compounds on post-harvest fruit.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is caused by the full mutation in the FMR1 gene on the Xq27.3 chromosome region. It is the most common monogenic cause of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and inherited intellectual disability (ID). Besides ASD, ID and other issues, individuals with FXS may exhibit sleep problems and impairment of circadian rhythm (CR). The Drosophila melanogaster models of FXS, such as dFMR1B55, present excellent model for research in the FXS field. During this study, sleep pattern and CR in dFMR1B55 mutants were analyzed, using a new platform based on continuous high-resolution videography in integration with a highly-customized version of software. This methodology provides more sensitive results, which could be crucial for all further research in this model of fruit flies. The study revealed that dFMR1 B55 male mutants can be considered weak rhythmic flies rather than totally arrhythmic, and present a good alternative animal model of genetic disorder, which includes impairment of CR and sleep behavior. The combination of videography and software used in the current study should be recommended as a gold-standard methodology for such further research.

Iron is an essential micronutrient for Citrus, playing an important role in photosynthesis and yield. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the tolerance to Fe deficiency of five Citrus rootstocks: sour orange (S), Carrizo citrange (C), Citrus macrophylla (M), Troyer citrange (T) and Volkamer lemon (V). Plants were grown for 5 weeks in nutrient solution that contained the following Fe concentrations (in µM): 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20. At the end of the experiment, biomass (dry weight), leaf area, total leaf chlorophyll (CHL) and the activity of root chelate activity (FCR) were registered. Additionally, the mineral composition of roots (R) and shoots (S) was evaluated. Principal Component Analysis was used to study the relationships between all parameters and, subsequently, the relations between rootstocks. In the first component, N-S, P-S, Ca-S, Cu-S, Zn-S, Mn-S and Zn-R and Mn-R concentrations were related to leaf CHL and FCR. Increases in leaf CHL, Mg-R, DW (shoots and roots) were inversely related to Cu-R, which was shown in the second component. The values obtained were consistent for V10, C15, and C20, but in contrast for S0 and S5. Overall, the Fe/Cu ratio was significantly related to CHL, which may be used to assist rootstock performance.

Chemical weed control using herbicide glyphosate to manage emerged weeds is an important production practice in Florida citrus. Despite the extensive use of glyphosate in citrus orchards, very limited information is available on its environmental fate and behavior in Florida soils that are predominantly sandy in nature. Hence, the study's objective was to understand the adsorption-desorption, dissipation dynamics, and vertical movement or leaching of glyphosate in sandy soils in citrus orchards. Laboratory, field, and greenhouse experiments were conducted at Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee, Florida. The adsorption-desorption behavior of glyphosate in the soils from three major citrus production areas in Florida was studied utilizing a batch equilibrium method. The dissipation of glyphosate was tracked in the field following its application at the rate of 4.20 kg ae ha-1. Soil leaching columns in greenhouse conditions were used to study the vertical movement of glyphosate. The results suggest that glyphosate has a relatively lower range of adsorption or binding (Kads = 14.28 to 30.88) in the tested soil types. The field dissipation half-life (DT50) of glyphosate from surface soil was found to be 26 days. Glyphosate moved vertically or leached into the soil profile, up to 40 cm in the soil column, when analyzed 40 days after herbicide application. The primary degradation product of glyphosate, i.e., aminomethyl phosphonic acid (AMPA), was also detected up to the depth of 30 cm below the soil surface, indicating the presence of microbial metabolism of glyphosate in the soil.

COVID-19 pandemic is a serious problem in the world today. The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 has important proteins used for its infection and development, namely the protease and spike glycoprotein. The RBD (Receptor Binding Domain) of spike glycoprotein (RBD-S) can bind to the ACE2 (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2) receptor at the protease domain (PD) (PD-ACE2) of the host cell, thereby leading to a viral infection. This study aims to reveal the potential of compounds contained in Curcuma sp., Citrus sp., Alpinia galanga, and Caesalpinia sappan as anti SARS-CoV-2 through its binding to 3 protein receptors. The study was conducted by molecular docking using the MOE 2010 program (licensed from Faculty of Pharmacy UGM, Indonesia). The selected protein targets are RBD-S (PDB ID:6LXT), PD-ACE2 (PDB ID: 6VW1), and SARS-CoV-2 protease (PDB ID:6LU7). The affinities of bonds formed is represented as a docking score. The results show that hesperidin, one of the compounds in Citrus sp., has the lowest docking score for all three protein receptors representing the highest affinity to bind the receptors. Moreover, all of the citrus flavonoids possess good affinity to the respected receptors as well as curcumin, brazilin, and galangin, indicating that those compounds perform inhibitory potential for the viral infection and replication. In general, the results of this study indicate that Citrus sp. exhibit the best potential as an inhibitor to the development of the SARS-CoV-2, followed by galangal, sappan wood, and Curcuma sp. that can be consumed in daily life as prophylaxis of COVID-19.

Oilfield produced water (OPW) is used to boost freshwater sources for crop irrigation in California's agriculturally important Central Valley. OPW is known to contain salts, metals, hydrocarbons, alkylphenols, naturally radioactive materials, biocides, and other compounds from drilling and production processes. Less is known about the potential uptake and accumulation of these compounds in crops and soil irrigated with OPW. In this study 23 potted mandarin orange plants were irrigated 2-3 times weekly (depending on season) with water containing three different concentrations of the known OPW heavy metals barium, chromium, lead, and silver. Seven sets of samples of soil and leaves and all fruits were collected and processed using microwave-assisted digestion (EPA Method 3051A). Processed samples were analyzed using ICP-OES. ANOVA, ANCOVA, and Tukey’s honest significant difference test were used to examine the effects of metal concentrations in the irrigation water, sample number, and number of watering days on the metal concentrations in the soil, leaf, and fruit samples. Accumulation of barium in soil and leaves was strongly positively associated with sample and number of watering days, increasing nearly 2,000-fold. Lead also showed an upward trend, increasing up to 560-fold over baseline level. Chromium showed an increase in the soil that tapered off, but less consistent results in the leaves and fruit. The silver results were more volatile, but also indicated at least some level of accumulation in the tested media. The smallest absolute accumulation was observed for chromium. Concentrations in the fruit were highest in the peel, followed by pith and juice. Accumulation of all heavy metals was generally highest in the soil and plants that received the highest irrigation water concentration. Considering the potential for adverse human health effects associated with ingesting soluble barium contained in food and drinking water, and to a lesser extent chromium and lead, the study signals that it is important to conduct further research into whether OPW contaminants can enter the food chain and pose risks to consumers.

This review provides an overview of the biotransformation of limonene and α-pinene, which are commonly found in wood residues and citrus fruit by-products, to produce high-value-added products. Essential oils derived from various plant parts contain monoterpene hydrocarbons, such as limonene and pinenes which are often considered waste due to their low sensory activity, poor water solubility, and tendency to autoxidize and polymerise. However, these terpene hydrocarbons serve as ideal starting materials for microbial transformations. Moreover, agro-industrial byproducts can be employed as nutrient and substrate sources, reducing fermentation costs, and enhancing industrial viability. Terpenes, being secondary metabolites of plants, are abundant in byproducts generated during fruit and plant processing. Microbial cells offer advantages over enzymes due to their higher stability, rapid growth rates, and genetic engineering potential. Fermentation parameters can be easily manipulated to enhance strain performance in large-scale processes. The economic advantages of biotransformation are highlighted by comparing the prices of substrates and products. For instance, R-limonene, priced at US$34/L, can be transformed into carveol, valued at around US$530/L. This review emphasises the potential of biotransformation to produce high-value products from limonene and α-pinene molecules, particularly present in wood residues and citrus fruit by-products. The utilisation of microbial transformations, along with agro-industrial byproducts, presents a promising approach to extract value from waste materials and enhance the sustainability of the antimicrobial, the fragrance and flavour industry.

Although numerous citrus varieties have recently been developed to enhance their quality, information on their quality characteristics is limited. We assessed the quality characteristics of Yellowball, a novel citrus variety, by evaluating its appearance, storability, sensory properties, functionality, and metabolite profiles and comparing these characteristics with those of its parent varieties: Haruka and Kiyomi. The metabolite profiles between the citrus varieties differed significantly, resulting in distinct physicochemical and functional qualities. The storability of Yellowball was significantly increased compared with that of its parent varieties owing to its strong antifungal activity and unique peel morphology, including the stoma and albedo layers. While we did not investigate the volatile compounds, overall functional activities, and detailed characteristics of each metabolite, our data provide valuable insights into the relationship between citrus metabolites, peel morphology, physicochemical properties, and storability and demonstrate the potential of Yellowball as a promising variety in the citrus industry.

Precision agriculture is a technology used by farmers to help food sustainability amidst growing population. One of the tools of precision agriculture is yield monitoring, which helps a farmer manage his production. Yield monitoring is usually done during harvest, however it could also be done early in the growing season. Early prediction of yield, specifically for fruit trees, aids the farmer in the marketing of their product and assists in managing production logistics such as labor requirement and storage needs. In this study, a machine vision system is developed to estimate fruit yield early in the season. The machine vision system uses a color camera to capture images of fruit trees during the full bloom period. An image segmentation algorithm based on an artificial neural network was developed to recognize and count the blossoms on the tree. The artificial neural network segmentation algorithm uses color information and position as input. The resulting correlation between the blossom count and the actual number of fruits on the tree shows the potential of this method to be used for early prediction of fruit yield.

Color change is the most obvious characteristic of tomato ripening stage and an important indicator of tomato ripening condition, which directly affects the commodity value of tomato. To visualize the color change of tomato fruit in mature stage, a gated recurrent unit network with an encoder-decoder structure that dynamically simulates tomato growth and development with time-dependent lines using tomato color and shape as real-time data was proposed in this paper. Firstly, the .json file was converted into a mask.png file, the tomato mask was extracted, and the tomato was separated from the complex background environment, and the tomato growth and development data set was successfully constructed. Then, a network of gated recurrent units with encoder-decoder structure was constructed to predict the future growth trend of tomato under different greenhouse temperatures. The experimental results showed that for the gated recurrent unit network of encoder-decoder structure proposed, when the hidden layer number was 1 and hidden layer number was 512, a high consistency and similarity between the model predicted image sequence and the actual growth and development image sequence would be realized, and the structural similarity index measure was 0.746. It was proved that when the average temperature was 24.93℃, the average soil temperature was 24.06℃, and the average light intensity was 11.26 Klux, the environment was the most suitable for tomato growth. The environmental data-driven tomato growth model was constructed to explore the growth status of tomato under different environmental conditions, thus to understand the growth status of tomato in time. The statement provided a theoretical foundation for determining the optimal greenhouse environmental conditions to achieve tomato maturity. And it offered recommendations for investigating the growth cycle of tomatoes, as well as technical assistance for standardized cultivation in solar greenhouses.

Four Chinese herbs Zhishi, Zhiqiao, Qingpi and Chenpi from Citrus genus were widely used for treating various cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases. Although many pharmacological functions of these herb decoctions can be clarified from the bioactivities of identified ingredients, some of them remain confusing. To clarify the reasons of those confusing functions, depending on the extended structure-activity relationships of cholinergic and anti-cholinergic agents, here a simple method for quickly discovering possible choline analogs was established using a specific TLC method, and then stachydrine and choline were first identified from these Citrus herb decoctions based on their NMR and HRMS data. After this, two TLCS methods were first established respectively for the quantitatively analyses of stachydrine and choline, and the contents of both two ingredients and synephrine in 39 samples were determined using the valid TLCS and HPLC methods, respectively. The results showed the contents of stachydrine were 2.4 times to those of synephrine in Zhiqiao while about 1/3 to 2/3 in Zhishi, Qingpi and Chenpi. Simultaneously, the contents of stachydrine, choline and synephrine in these herbs present similar changing trends along with the delay of harvest time. However, the contents of synephrine decrease most rapidly, while those of stachydrine decrease most slowly. Based on these above, comparing with the pharmacological activities and pharmacokinetics reported of stachydrine and synephrine, it indicated that stachydrine and synephrine can be considered as a pair of bioactive equilibrists, especially in the cardio-cerebrovascular protection from these citrus herbs. Simultaneously, it confirmed that stachydrine should play an important role in the pharmacological functions, especially in dual-directionally regulating the uterus and various beneficial effects on cardio-cerebrovascular system, kidney and liver, of these citrus herbs.

South Italy is characterised by a semi-arid climate with scarce rain and high evaporative demand, therefore the need to optimise water resources in this area is crucial, and climate change could worsen this condition. In citrus cultivation, which is one of the most important crops bred in Southern Italy, and more generally in Mediterranean regions, deficit irrigation strategies are im-plemented in order to cope with limited resource availability. On this basis, knowledge on how the territorial distribution of citrus would change in relation to these strategies constitutes valuable information for the stakeholders. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the prob-ability of presence of citrus in Sicily at changing of the percentage of water deficit application, in order to analyse change in the surface area and localisation of the crop. The methodology was based on the application of Species Distribution Models and Geographic Information Systems to the case study of the Province of Syracuse in Sicily. Different geostatistical and machine learning models were applied, based on 3-decades bioclimatic variables, DTM and irrigation; assessment of the outcomes was carried by using classification evaluation metrics. The analysis of the outcomes showed that uncorrelated predictor layers mainly included water input that affected most the probability of presence. Moreover, GIS analyses showed that deficit irrigation strategies would generate an overall reduction of cultivation surfaces in the territory and a decrease of citrus pres-ence in southern areas of the considered territory, where climate conditions are less favourable in terms of temperature and precipitations, thus providing useful information for decision support tools in agriculture and land use policy.

Irrigation and fertilization are indispensable links in the jujube planting industry in southern Xinjiang, China. However, the water and fertilizer integration effects on jujube growth and fruit quality remain unclear. A two-year water and fertilizer optimization coupling test was conducted to determine the optimal water- and nutrient-supply scheme. The three-factor randomized block experiment included water (W), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). According to the principal component analysis of each index, each treatment’s comprehensive score was obtained. Using yield and economic regression models, the theoretical value and yield value of the optimal economic benefit are inferred. When W, N, and P were applied together, the fruit quality and yield of each treatment significantly differed, and the vitamin C, soluble sugar, and sugar–acid ratio increased significantly with an increase in nitrogen fertilizer. However, the titratable acid decreased. An increase in irrigation and nitrogen application significantly increased fruit yield. The comprehensive score was the highest in the N3P3W2 treatment, which improved fruit quality, and the lowest in the N4P3W2 treatment. When the amounts of N, P, and W were 275.56 kg·hm-2, 413.66 kg·hm-2, and 7278.19 m3·hm-2, respectively, the theoretical economic benefit was the best. The N4P3W2 treatment is the optimal treatment.

Salinity is the most significant abiotic stress affecting crop yield worldwide, breeders are Salinity is the most important abiotic stress limiting crop production throughout the world, and breeders are encouraged to test novel genotypes for their resistance to this selection agent. However, getting a sufficient number of plants for the evaluation can be a lengthy and time-consuming procedure that might be shortened by applying in vitro techniques. An experiment was conducted under controlled saline circumstances using a tissue culture technique to investigate the influence of salt on several physic-biochemical parameters. Micro-shoots of Volkamariana lemon, sour orange, trifoliate orange, and Cleopatra mandarin rootstocks were re-cultured on MS media supplemented with NaCl from 25, up to 150 mM. Following the experiments, all of the tested rootstocks' morphological and biochemical characteristics, stomata behavior, and element accumulation were measured. As a result, adding NaCl from 25 to 150 mM to MS media caused a reduction in all morphogenetic parameters such as shoot number, shoot length, leaves number, and survival percentage was measured compared with control. Photosynthesis pigment, RWC, K, and Ca ions were decreased by increasing NaCl from 100 to 150 mM. On the contrary, proline, Cl, and Na were increased. Cleopatra mandarin and Trifoliate orange are more tolerant to salt stress than Volkamariana lemon and sour orange citrus.

In this study, the application of the main algorithms used for SDM, namely Boosted Regression Tree (BRT), Generalized Linear Model (GLM), Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), Maximum Entropy (MAXENT) and Random Forest (RF), were considered in order to simulate the citrus probability of distribution in a Mediterranean area, based on presence data and a random background sample, and in relation to several predictors. The predictors were grouped under 19 bioclimatic variables, elevation described through a Digital terrain model, soil physical properties, and irrigation. Sensitivity analysis was carried out by: modifying the values of the main models’ parameters; and reducing the input presence points.

Reducing the carbon footprint of energy production is one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity today. Lignocellulosic biomass residues from fruit production industries show promise as a viable energy source. This paper presents a study of the Italian context concerning the utilization of orchard lignocellulosic residues for energy production as electricity or bioethanol. The potential of various orchard residues was assessed through chemical and physical analysis, and an equivalent electrical energy of about 6441.62 GWh or an amount of 0.48 Mt/y of bioethanol was obtained based on the average annual dry residue mass availability of about 3.04 Mt/y. These data represent the 9.30% of the national electrical energy production from renewable sources, as well as the 6.21% of the Italian demand for gasoline in 2022. Electricity generation from these residues shown its potential as a reliable and sustainable baseload power source, as well as source of renewable transportation fuel. The studied process could be a valuable reference to expand these concepts on global scale to achieve a greener and more sustainable energy future.

Fruit cracking or splitting, a severe physiological disease that highly affects appearance and quality, compromise the commodity value of fruit and also causes huge economical losses to the producers of several fleshy fruit crops. The growth-promoting phytohormone gibberellic acid (GA) and growth-inhibiting phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) antagonistically regulate numerous developmental processes throughout the plant life cycle. Homeostasis of endogenous GA and ABA play a significant role in the normal growth of fruits, and its imbalance may lead to the occurrence of cracking or splitting during the process of fruit growth, development, ripening and postharvest storage. The pathways of GA and ABA metabolism and signaling have been studied widely, and the major components were well characterized, which including the genes encoding major biosynthesis and catabolism enzymes and the key signaling components. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the mechanisms of GA and ABA governing fruit cracking is not comprehensive enough. In this review, we not only focus on the scenarios of effects of endogenous GA and ABA contents in the fruit and exogenous plant growth regulators GA and ABA treatments, but also endeavor to provide some genetic cues on the function of GA and ABA responsible for fruit cracking modulation. Information from this review aims to strengthen the understanding of potential molecular bases underlying GA and ABA in fruit cracking control and provide guidance in breeding of fruit cultivars with cracking-resistant ideotypes, and also make great theoretical significance in guiding the establishment of integrated prevention and control measures to fruit cracking or splitting.

Pruning is one of the most important tree fruit production activities, which is highly dependent on human labor. Skilled labor is in short supply, and the increasing cost of labor is becoming a big issue for the tree fruit industry. Growers are motivated to seek mechanical or robotic solutions for reducing the amount of hand labor required for pruning. This paper reviews the research and development of sensing and automated systems for branch pruning for tree fruit production. Horticultural advancements, pruning strategies, 3D structure reconstruction of tree branches, as well as practice mechanisms or robotics are some of the developments that need to be addressed for an effective tree branch pruning system. Our study summarizes the potential opportunities for automatic pruning with machine-friendly modern tree architectures, previous studies on sensor development, and efforts to develop and deploy mechanical/robotic systems for automated branch pruning. We also describe two examples of qualified pruning strategies that could potentially simplify the automated pruning decision and pruning end-effector design. Finally, the limitations of current pruning technologies and other challenges for automated branch pruning are described, and possible solutions are discussed.

Imaging systems mounted to ground vehicles are used to image fruit tree canopies for estimation of fruit load, but frequently need correction for fruit occluded by branches, foliage or other fruits. This can be achieved using an orchard ‘occlusion factor’, estimated from a manual count of fruit load on a sample of trees (referred to as the reference method). It was hypothesised that canopy images could hold information related to the number of occluded fruit. Five approaches to correct for occluded fruit based on canopy images were compared using data of three mango orchards in two seasons. However, no attribute correlates to the number of hidden fruit were identified. Several image features obtained through segmentation of fruit and canopy areas, such as the proportion of fruit that were partly occluded, were used in training Random forest and multi-layered perceptron (MLP) models for estimation of a correction factor per tree. In another approach, deep learning convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were directly trained against harvest fruit count on trees. The supervised machine learning methods for direct estimation of fruit load per tree delivered an improved prediction outcome over the reference method for data of the season/orchard from which training data was acquired. For a set of 2017 season tree images (n=98 trees), a R2 of 0.98 was achieved for the correlation of the number of fruits predicted by a Random forest model and the ground truth fruit count on the trees, compared to a R2 of 0.68 for the reference method. The best prediction of whole orchard (n = 880 trees) fruit load, in the season of the training data, was achieved by the MLP model, with an error to packhouse count of 1.6% compared to the reference method error of 13.6%. However, the performance of these models on new season data (test set images) was at best equivalent and generally poorer than the reference method. This result indicates that training on one season of data was insufficient for the development of a robust model. This outcome was attributed to variability in tree architecture and foliage density between seasons and between orchards, such that the characters of the canopy visible from the interrow that relate to the proportion of hidden fruit are not consistent. Training of these models across several seasons and orchards is recommended.

Citrus essential oils (EOs) have various bioactivities like antioxidants, with many applications. Antioxidant activities depend on the chemical compositions of the EOs, which are affected by climate, soil, and geographical region. Thus, investigations on chemical compositions and antioxidant activities of Citrus EOs in different countries are valuable. In this study, we distilled EOs from peels of Indonesian-grown Citrus, including C. nobilis, C. limon, C. aurantifolia, C. amblycarpa, and Citrus spp.Chemical compositions of EOs were analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS), whereas the antioxidant activities were determined by employing 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to elucidate the main contributing compounds for antioxidant activity. The results show that all EOs possess unique chemical characteristics, with limonene as the majority constituent. For antioxidant activities, C. limon and C. amblycarpa EOs are the two strongest, IC50 values below 7.00 μL/mL. PCA approach suggests that -terpinene mainly contributes to the high antioxidant activities of C. limon and C. amblycarpa. Moreover, o-cymene, thymol, p-cymene, and α-pharnesene may also be responsible for the antioxidant activity of C. limon EO. These results are valuable information for the applications of Citrus EOs as antioxidant sources.

Ready-to-eat fresh fruit have an increasing presence in international markets due to its convenience and health benefits. However, these produces are highly perishable and efficient technologies to increase their shelf life are needed. In the present research, different citrus fruit species and cultivars from organic farming were assayed to obtain enzymatically citrus segments. The best results in terms of segment quality were observed for ‘Hernandina’ clementine which was chosen to make a new ready-to-eat produce based on peeled citrus segments packaged in glass jars with slight syrup made on citrus juice and organic sugar cane. The most appreciated syrup was those containing 50-50 (v/v) of ‘Fino’ lemon juice and ‘Hernandina’ clementine based on the sensory scores given by the panellists. In addition, different pasteurization treatments were assayed to preserve the new produce safety and nutritional and sensory quality properties during storage at cold temperature. Results showed that pasteurization treatment at 50 °C for 45 min could be enough to avoid microbial contamination with mesophilic and psychrophilic aerobic bacteria or yeast and mould and to maintain sensory properties until five weeks of storage at 4 °C. In addition, only a 10 % reduction of vitamin C was observed from fresh segments or syrup until the end of storage period, showing that the new ready-to-eat produce would conserve high bioactive compound content and health benefits after pasteurization and prolonged cold storage.

Fruits and vegetable diagnosis and inspection is a crucial part of quality control and health safety. From harvesting to retailing, stakeholders encounter tons of food losses due to the lack of monitoring of the fruit condition in retail. The problem gets worse because it is being handled by many people, including retailers and customers. We propose a transparent fiberglass-made vertical fruit showcase, which provides 80 percent more visibility, takes lesser shop space, and prevents human contact. It is convenient for the retailer and customer to use. Moreover, the controlled fruit environment is easy to integrate with IoT, which will help to generate consensus data for fruit management decisions in machine learning.

Storing apples for up to a year is a well-established practice aimed at providing a continuous, locally-produced fruit supply to consumers and adapting to market trends for optimized profits. Temperature control is the cornerstone of postharvest conservation and apples are typically kept at temperatures from 0 to 3 °C. However, the energy-intensive process of the initial cool down and subsequent temperature maintenance poses significant financial challenges and contributes to the carbon footprint. Higher storage temperatures could reduce cooling-related energy usage but also pose the risk of enhanced ripening and quality loss. This work explores different storage technologies aiming to reduce energy consumption such as 1-methylcyclopropene, ultra-low oxygen and dynamic controlled atmosphere together with raised temperatures. The integration of advanced monitoring and control systems, coupled with data analytics and energy management in apple storage is also discussed. These sustainable strategies can be implemented without cost-intensive construction measures in standard storage facilities. Furthermore, beneficial side effects of higher storage temperatures in terms of a reduced occurrence of storage disorder symptoms and higher maintenance of quality attributes are also discussed for this special issue on sustainable horticultural production systems and supply chains.

Passion fruit is a valued tropical fruit crop that faces environment-related growth strains. TCP genes are important for both growth modulation and stress prevention in plants. Herein, we systematically analyzed the TCP gene family in passion fruit, recognizing 30 members. Genes exhibiting closer phylogenetic relationships exhibited similar protein and gene structures. Gene members of the TCP family showed developmental stage or tissue-specific expression profiles during the passion fruit life cycle. Transcriptome data also demonstrated that many PeTCPs showed induced expression in response to hormonal treatments and cold, heat, and salt stress. Based on transcriptomics data, eight candidate genes were chosen for preferential gene expression confirmation under cold stress conditions. Additionally, four TCP genes exhibited in silico binding with cold stress-related miRNA319s. This study will aid in the establishment of novel germplasm, as well as the further investigation of the roles of PeTCPs and their cold stress resistance characteristics.

Reggio Calabria province (South Italy) is known for being almost the only area of cultivation of the bergamot fruit, grown principally for its essential oil, but today much studied for the health benefits of its juice. The biometrics and physico-chemical properties of the three (Citrus bergamia Risso) existing genotypes namely Castagnaro, Fantastico and Femminello were studied during fruit ripening from October to March. Castagnaro cv had the biggest and heaviest fruit during this harvest period. °Brix (7.9-10.0), pH (2.2-2.8) and Formol number (1.47-2.37 mL NaOH 0.1N/100mL) were shown to be influenced by both the genotype and by the harvest date. Titratable acidity (34.98-59.50 g/L) and Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) (341-867 g/L) decreased during fruit ripening. The evolution of flavonoids such as neoeriocitrin, naringin, neohesperidin brutieridin and melitidin was studied both in bergamot juice and in the bergamot cloudy which is the aqueous extract of bergamot during fruit processing. Bergamot cloudy contained a higher quantity of flavonoids compared to the juice. This study gives important information regarding the cultivar and the harvest date for producers who want to obtain the highest juice quantity or the highest juice quality from the bergamot fruit.

In strawberry production, the combination of high productive performance and fruits with desirable physicochemical characteristics requires the use of plants of good quality and high initial vigor. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of plants with different crown diameters on the productive performance and fruit quality of strawberry plants of the cultivar 'Pircinque.' The study was conducted in two evaluation cycles (2016/2017 and 2017/2018). The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four repetitions, and plots consisting of 20 plants. This study evaluated the crown diameters of plants of 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 mm. The productivity and number of fruit values increased significantly with larger caliber plants, which also provided precocity of productivity. The use of more vigorous plants also favored the production of fruits with higher soluble solids / titratable acidity ratios and with epidermis coloration closer to intense red. For the cultivar 'Pircinque', the plant crown diameters between 15 and 17 mm are the most favorable because they condition the best productive performances in combination with precocity and good fruit quality.

The School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme (SFVS) implemented by the European Union during 2009/10 aims to improve the diet of school children and to support agricultural markets and environmental sustainability. The objective of this study was to characterize the SFVS implementation in Spain (2009-2017). A descriptive, longitudinal, observational and retrospective study was carried out based on document analysis of annual strategies of the SFVS. We studied the average budget for the EU, the number of students enrolled, the cost of the SFVS by student and by day, the duration of the SFVS, the quantity of fruits and vegetables (FV) per student, the variety of FV, the inclusion of local, seasonal and organic foods, and the education activities (EA). The results were studied by autonomous community (AC). The budget increased from 7.4 million euros in 2009/10 to 14.4 in 2016/17. Since 2014/15, the increase came from EU funds, the number of students increased from 18% in 2009 to 20% in 2016. The quantity of FV went from 2,579 to 4,000 tons, duration increased from 9.8 to 19.6 days and the variety of fruits and vegetables increased from 20 to 21 and from 5 to 6 respectively. In AC there were important variations in EA, in the number of enrolled students (7.4% to 45.6%), in the cost per student (2.3€ to 28€) and in the duration in days (5.6 to 70 days). The inclusion of local, seasonal and organic foods was identified in 5 of the 8 years studied. The development and reach of the SFVS in Spain is still insufficient to influence dietary patterns and health in the school population. However, the SFVS has generated an economic market for agricultural production.

In this work, nine fruits cultivated in the northern Amazon were studied: abiu, acerola, araçá, bacupari, biribá, caçarí, fruta-do-conde, graviola and taperebá, with the objective of carrying out a bromatological and nutritional study of the pulps of fruits studied. Of all of them, are the pulps of graviola (76.83 ± 0.02 kcal 100 g^-1) bacupari (76.83 ± 0.02 kcal 100 g^-1) and fruta-do-conde (46.66 ± 0.02 kcal 100 g^-1). Among the macronutrients, the high concentration of potassium stands out, especially in the graviola (541.16 ± 0.24 mg 100 g^-1) and the biribá (468.21 ± 0.13 mg 100 g^-1). Among the micronutrients, iron concentrations are representative for araçá pulp (3.04 ± 0.02 mg 100g-1), abiu is rich in zinc (3.71 ± 0.02 mg 100 g^-1) and manganese (6.61 ± 0.11 mg 100 g^-1). The presence of cobalt at the level of traces in some of the pulps studied stands out. The Pearson correlation coefficient was evaluated, as well as the statistical treatment by multivariate analysis PCA to establish the correlation between the variables studied.

Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) has been recognized worldwide as a valuable source of health-promoting compounds, becoming a crop with some of the fastest rising consumer demand trends. Fruit firmness is a key target for blueberry breeding as it directly affects fruit quality, consumer preference, transportability, shelf life, and the ability of cultivars to be machine harvested. Fruit softening naturally occurs during berry development, maturation, and postharvest ripening. However, some genotypes are better at retaining firmness than others, and some are crispy, which is a putatively extra-firmness phenotype that provides a distinct eating experience. In this review, we summarized important studies addressing the firmness trait in blueberry, focusing on physiological and molecular changes affecting this trait at the onset of ripening and also the genetic basis of firmness variation across individuals. New insights into these topics were also achieved by using previously available data and historical records from the blueberry breeding program at the University of Florida. The complex quantitative nature of firmness in an autopolyploid species such as blueberry imposes additional challenges for the implementation of molecular techniques in breeding. However, we highlighted some recent genomics-based studies and the potential of a QTL mapping analysis and genome editing protocols such as CRISPR to further assist and accelerate the breeding process for this important trait.

Aging and obesity make humans more prone to cardiovascular and metabolic syndrome diseases, leading to several serious health conditions, including dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, and sleep disturbance. Hyperlipidemia means elevated blood lipid levels, including cholesterol and triglycerides. This study aimed to explore the hypolipidemic effect of fermented citrus lemon juice using a hyperlipidemic hamster model. Sugar-free lemon juice’s fermentation was optimized, and the characteristics of fresh and fermented lemon juice (FLJ) were evaluated and compared. In addition, tests were conducted to determine the appropriate hamster feed for the functional animal tests. Then, experiments were conducted to evaluate the hypolipidemic effect of the FLJ, which contained polyphenols and superoxide dismutase-like activity, on a hyperlipidemic hamster model. This study’s pre-fermentation efficiency evaluation found that 21–30 days of bacterial DMS32004 and DMS32005 fermentation of fresh lemon juice provided the best fermentation benefits. In addition, the fermentation evaluation showed that a sugar-free fermentation method provided FLJ with the best benefits. Results showed that the absorption and utilization efficiency of FLJ was higher compared with the unfermented lemon juice. After six weeks of feeding, the total cholesterol and triglyceride values in the blood and liver of the FLJ treatment groups were de-creased compared with the high-fat diet (HFD) group. In addition, the blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly reduced in the FLJ treatment groups compared with the HFD group. In contrast, the blood high-density lipoprotein to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio increased considerably in the FLJ treatment groups, and the total to high-density lipoprotein ratio was significantly lower than in the HFD group. Compared with the HFD group, the total cholesterol content in the FLJ treatment groups’ feces increased significantly. This study demonstrated that the sugar-free fermentation method and fermentation cycle management provided FLJ with the potential to regulate blood lipids. Further research and verification will be carried out to isolate specific substances from the FLJ and identify their mechanisms of action.

The rapid expansion of livestock production sector to meet the world population demand is posing a big challenge to environmental sustainability. Plant-based feed additives extracted from food by-products could potentially result in a double outcome: improving animal zootechnical performances and mitigating environmental impacts of meat production chains. This presented study was carried out to assess the environmental impacts of the supplementation of a commercial Citrus extract feed additive (CEFA) in swine and broiler farming. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied to assess the impact of manufacturing and distributing 1 bag of 25 kg of CEFA and its use in feed in broiler and swine productions. With regard to CEFA manufacturing and distribution, results showed that the majority of impact came from the production of CEFA ingredients, accounting for 70% impact generated. The remaining 30% effect was divided to transportation to customer (25%), CEFA packaging (3%), CEFA manufacture, and production loss (2%). When enlarging the scope, the use of CEFA in piglet and broiler diets showed improving the measured environmental indicators, compared to such standard systems. Indeed, feed supplemented CEFA have demonstrated in elevating zootechnical performances, hence saving feed consumed. Consequently, that helped reduce environmental issues from animal feed ingredients’ agriculture. To be more specific, the supplementation of 25 kg of CEFA in feed led to a reduction of 6 tons of CO2 emitted along the life cycle of broiler production and 5 tons in the case of fattening pig. 0.7 hectares of land used had been saved as well as, 201 m3 of water (broiler) and 82 m3 (swine) were economized. Environmental performance assessment showed the interest in using this CEFA in swine and broiler diets to mitigate the environmental impacts.

Olive trees have a unique reproductive pattern marked by biennial fruiting. This study delves into the repercussions of alternate fruit bearing on the water relations of olive trees and the associated ecophysiological mechanisms. The experiment spanned two consecutive years: the "ON" year, characterized by a high crop load, and the "OFF" year, marked by minimal fruit production. Key ecophysiological parameters, including sap flow, stomatal conductance, and photosynthetic rate, were monitored in both years. Pre-dawn water potential was measured using continuous stem psychrometers and the pressure chamber technique. Biochemically, non-structural carbohydrate concentrations (starch, sucrose, and mannitol) and the carbon-stable isotope ratio (δ13C) in olive leaves were examined. Results unveiled heightened leaf gas exchange during the "ON" year, leading to increased water consumption and photosynthetic rates. This escalated water usage during the "ON" year significantly reduced leaf water potential. Sucrose and starch concentrations were notably elevated in the "ON" year, with no significant impact on mannitol concentration. Regarding the carbon stable isotope ratio, leaves from the "OFF" year exhibited significantly higher δ13C abundance, indicative of heightened resistance to the CO2 pathway from the atmosphere to carboxylation sites compared to the "ON" year plants.

The methods used to introduce CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)/Cas-mediated genome editing into fruit species, as well as the impacts of the application of this technology to activate and knock out of target genes in different fruit trees species including tree development, yield, fruit quality, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses have been firstly described in this review. The application of this gene editing technology could allow the development of new generations of fruit crops with improved traits by targeting different genetic segments or even could facilitate the introduction of traits in elite cultivars without changing other traits. However, at this moment, the scarcity of efficient regeneration and transformation protocols in some species, the fact that many of those procedures are the genotype-dependent or the convenience of segregating the transgenic parts of the CRISPR system represent the main handicaps limiting the potential of genetic editing techniques for fruit trees. Finally, latest news on the legislation and regulations about the use of plants modified through CRISPR/Cas systems has been also discussed.

Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standley is a food and medicinal plant with a wide range of applica-tions including anti-proliferative, anti-fertility, anti-HIV and anti-cancerous. The current study investigated the phytochemical constituents of L. siceraria fruits using gas chromatog-raphy/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). GC-MS analysis of L. siceraria n-hexane fruits revealed five isoprenoids which were present in all investigated landraces, 1-Dodecene, 2,3-Dimethyldodecane, E-15-Heptadecenal, Eicosane and Tridecane, 6-propyl. Bioactive molecules with a lower carbon number on their chemical structure such as 1-Dodecene and 2,3-Dimethyldodecane with 12 and 14 carbon structures were recorded at a shorter retention rate range of 9.08-16.29 min over a lower relative peak area ranging from 1.09-6.97 %. While com-pounds with longer carbon chains ranging from 16-20 carbons (E-15-Heptadecenal, Eicosane and Tridecane, 6-propyl) had longer retention rate range of 13.42-18.00 mins over a higher relative peak area range of 2.25-11.41%. An agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis grouped landrac-es into 5 clusters (I -V). Landraces were clustered according to their fruit and seed attributes, and isoprenoid units significant to each cluster. The majority of phytochemicals revealed were terpenoids, these are responsible for attracting pollinators, fruit growth, palatability and attrac-tive aromatic scents. This is the most comprehensive study on the n-hexane fruit phytochemical constituents of different L. siceraria landraces to date.

The peach industry faces serious economic losses because of the short “green” life of the fruit at postharvest. In the present study, we investigated the effects of putrescine (PUT) application on the quality characteristics, pattern of ripening, storage behavior, and shelf life of peach fruit during low-temperature storage. The aqueous solution of PUT (0, 1, 2, and 3 mM) was applied onto the peach trees at three distinctive stages of fruit growth and development. The fruit, harvested at the commercial stage of maturity, were stored at 1 ± 1 °C and 90 ± 2% relative humidity for 6 weeks. The data for fruit firmness, total soluble solids (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid (AsA) content, rate of ethylene production, chilling injury (CI) index, and color perception were collected at harvest and then on a weekly basis throughout the storage period. The results showed that spray application of PUT significantly reduced the incidence of CI and reduced the rates of fruit softening, loss in fruit weight, SSC, TA, AsA content, and fading of skin color during storage, regardless of the doses of PUT applied or time of application. However, the positive effects on the quality characteristics of peach fruit, including CI, were more pronounced with the higher doses of PUT, specifically when applied at 2 mM. In conclusion, CI in peach fruit may be substantially alleviated by the spray application of 1–3 mM PUT during fruit growth without compromising the quality of the fruit for up to 6 weeks of low-temperature storage.

Efficient use of agricultural wastes and by-products, basically transforming waste materials into value added products, is considered as pivotal for an effective bioeconomy strategy for the rural development. To this scope, citrus waste management represents a major issue for citrus processors but, at the same time, it embodies a potentially unexploited resource for the rural sustainable development. This study focuses on analyzing the current management of citrus waste in South Italy and identifying the determinants and barriers that may affect an entrepreneur’s choice on the destination of citrus waste. Citrus processors’ preferences about the contract characteristics needed to take part in a co-investment scheme have been investigated. Both analyses are preliminary steps to design an innovative and sustainable citrus by-product supply chain. Results show that the distance between the citrus processors and the citrus by-products plant is one of the main criteria for choosing alternative valorization pathways. Moreover, the required guaranteed capital, the short duration of the contract, and low risk are contract scheme characteristics that improve entrepreneurs’ willingness to co-invest in the development of a citrus waste multifunctional plant.

The study’s objective was to evaluate the influence of thinning on the quality and regularity of yield of 'Regina' cherries grown on a dwarf Gisela 5 rootstock. The experiments were conducted in the years 2009-2012 in Western Poland. Trees were thinned using a chemical agent, ammonium thiosulphate (ATS) at doses of 20g ATS × L-1, 30g ATS × L-1 and 40g ATS × L-1, and by hand, and the results of chemical and hand thinning were compared with those obtained for unthinned trees. The course of weather conditions in winter and during flowering had a significant impact on yield. Chemical thinning is known to be an effective method to regulate fruiting of pome trees, but it can also be successful if applied to cherry trees, as reflected by the alternate bearing index, which was the lowest after applying ATS at a dose of 40g. ATS treatment improved fruit quality in full crop years. Thinning resulted in, among other things, larger and darker fruit and higher content of total soluble solids and titratable acidity. Treatment with 40g ATS × L-1 significantly stimulated the vegetative growth of trees.

Woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) is an underutilized plant species, appreciated by consumers for its qualitative features. Utilizing technical means of production, such as plant biostimulants, that can increase crop productivity and quality could be highly important in woodland strawberry cultivation. The scope of the present study was to appraise the influence of two biostimulants (Trichoderma atroviride and plant protein hydrolysate) - used either alone or combined - on plant performance and economic profitability of two woodland strawberry genotypes (‘Alpine’ and ‘Regina delle Valli’). Overall, data showed that ‘Alpine’ had the highest productive performances, whereas ‘Regina delle Valli’ revealed the highest fruit qualitative traits. T. atroviride inoculation and V-PH application significantly boosted plant marketable yield (+20.5% for T. atroviride and +12.9% for V-PH), total sugars (+1.9% for Trichoderma and +1.4% for V-PH) and anthocyanins (+14.1% for T. atroviride and +9.8% for V-PH) compared to non-treated plants. Plants supplied with both biostimulants had higher marketable yield (+34.8%), mean fruit weight (+6.0%), fruit dry matter (+13.8%), total sugars (+3.5%), ascorbic acid (+12.7%), flavonoid (+26.3%) and anthocyanins (+29.9%) compared to non-treated plants. Furthermore, our study revealed that the highest fruit polyphenols concentration was recorded in both genotypes treated with the combination of biostimulants and in ‘Regina delle Valli’ sprayed with V-PH, whereas the highest antioxidant activity was found in ‘Regina delle Valli’ fruit when plants were supplied with both biostimulants. Our study pointed out that the application of microbial and non-microbial biostimulants, especially in combination, might be an useful strategy for improving performances of underutilized species and, therefore, encourage its cultivation, valorisation and economic profitability (+10195.3 €/ha when plants were exposed to both biostimulants).

The necessity to investigate suitable alternatives to conventional fossil fuels has developed the interests in many renewable energy alternatives, especially biomass resources which are widely available and allow to reach both environmental and socio-economic improvements. Among the bioenergy solutions the anaerobic digestion technology makes it possible to produce biogas by reusing and valorising agricultural residues and by-products. In Southern Italy, to date, the development of biogas sector is still very limited, despite the importance of the agricultural sector, especially of citrus and olive cultivation. For this reason, in previous studies the availability of two by-products, i.e., citrus pulp and olive pomace, was analysed in order to choose the most suitable area for a sustainable development of new biogas plants according to the new Biogasdoneright concept. In this paper, after a resume of the multi-step methodology which allowed the computation of biogas production, it was demonstrated that 15.9 GWh-e electricity and 24.5 GWh-e heat per year could be generate by reusing only these two kind of by-products, and could satisfy approximate 17% of the total electricity demand of the agricultural sector (90.2 GWh-e/year) in Catania.

Citrus fruits are extensively cultivated worldwide, with Italy and Spain being major producers. Southern Italy, particularly in Reggio Calabria, a typical citrus fruit is produced, namely, bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso et Poiteau), known for its mysterious origins and exceptional quality essential oil protected by the EU's PDO designation. Despite historical challenges, bergamot has regained prominence for its nutraceutical potential, especially its flavonoid-rich juice, offering significant health benefits. However, little attention has been paid to understanding the qualitative and quantitative differences of bergamot juice in Calabrian production areas. For this reason, this work aims to investigate the quality characteristics of bergamot juice produced in different areas of Ca-labria sites. The results showed the best quality attributes of bergamot fruits harvested in the DPO area. In particular, higher levels of total soluble solids, stable acidity and higher juice were found. In addition, higher contents of ascorbic and citric acids, which are nutritionally valuable and tasteful, were found. The phenolic profile, characterized by the key compounds of bergamot, highlighted the better nutraceutical potential of the fruit grown in the DPO area.

Taking Korla fragrant pear as the research object, single factor testing and water and fertilizer coupling testing were conducted. Under the premise of the drip irrigation mode, the effects of water, nitrogen, and phosphorus on the growth, fruit quality, and yield of Korla Fragrant Pear were studied to provide a theoretical basis for efficient water and fertilizer management. Among them, the single factor test set water, nitrogen and phosphorus as the three factors, and each factor was set at five levels, namely, water (W1, 5460 m3·hm−2;W2, 5880 m3·hm−2;W3,6300 m3·hm−2; W4, 6720 m3·hm−2; W5, 7140 m3·hm−2), nitrogen (N1, 150 kg N·hm−2;N2, 225 kg N·hm−2; N3, 300 kg N·hm−2; N4, 375 kg N·hm−2; N5, 450 kg N·hm−2), phosphorus (P1,75 kg P2O5·hm−2; P2, 150 kg P2O5·hm−2; P3, 225 kg P2O5·hm−2; P4, 300 kg P2O5·hm−2; P5, 375 kg P2O5·hm−2). The results showed that the total nitrogen and total phosphorus contents in leaves under the W3, W4, N3, N4, P3, and P4 treatments were significantly higher than those under other treatments, and the fruit quality was better. Therefore, the W3, W4, N3, N4, P3, and P4 treatments were selected as the water and fertilizer inputs for the water–fertilizer coupling test for Korla fragrant pear. Eight treatments were set up in the water and fertilizer coupling test: Treatment 1 (T1, W3N3P3), Treatment 2 (T2, W3N3P4), Treatment 3 (T3, W3N4P3), Treatment 4 (T4,W3N4P4), Treatment 5 (T5, W4N3P3), Treatment 6 (T6, W4N3P4), Treatment 7 (T7, W4N4) P3), and Treatment 8 (T8, W4N4P4). The results showed that the leaf area index of the T1, T2, T3, and T4 treatments was significantly higher than that of the other treatments at maturity. The T3 treatment resulted in the highest fruit yield, single fruit weight, and primary fruit rate. The results of the grey correlation degree analysis of fruit quality showed that T3 treatment had the highest degree of correlation and ranking of each fruit quality index, indicating that T3 treatment had the highest fruit quality. Detailed investigation of pear tree growth and fruit quality showed that the T3 treatment (375 kg·hm−2 nitrogen application, 225 kg·hm−2 phosphorus application and 6300 m3·hm−2 irrigation) had the best fruit growth and development performance, and the sweet pear fruit quality was the best.

Fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption benefits the health of populations, particularly those in East and Southeast Asian countries, which have undergone an unprecedented change in their food environments in the last decade. This current systematic review is the first to study determinants—facilitators, barriers, and moderators—associated with FV consumption in East and Southeast Asia. In a search of the literature, we consulted five electronic academic databases of English peer-reviewed papers published between 2010 and 2020 and found 31 studies. Results of these studies show that individuals strongly perceive FVs as being higher quality and safe and trust in their benefits, and food businesses with modernized systems have significantly fostered the consumption of FVs. A main barrier to FV consumption, however, is financial concerns, exacerbated by food businesses with FV unavailability and urbanization-induced FV price inflation and dietary patterns. Further hindering FV consumption are demographics and shopping patterns. The fragmented and conditionalized findings of the 31 studies require standardized FV consumption measurements. Unlike the impact of FV consumption determinants and their interactions in Western countries, those in Asia, particularly countries other than China, have been substantially understudied. Therefore, as the research gaps in studies of food environments and FV consumption in East and Southeast Asia urgently demand scholarly attention, this paper proposes recommendations that favour the consumption of FVs.

This review explores the combination of renewable energy production and agriculture through agrivoltaic, with a focus on its impact on fruit crops. As the world seeks alternatives to fossil fuels, agrivoltaics offers a promising solution by integrating solar panels with farming practices. The study examines various agrivoltaic configurations with different fruit crops, emphasizing their influence on microclimatic conditions beneath the panels and the effects on crop produc-tion. In particular, it underscores the need for tailored solutions to balance energy yield and crop productivity and quality, with different shading levels affecting fruit quality/production. De-spite ongoing research, a comprehensive understanding of agrivoltaics' potential benefits and challenges remains crucial for its successful application and implementation in sustainable ag-riculture.

Supplemental light is widely applied in greenhouses for promotions of the product and flavors of strawberries in global markets. Present selections of colored lights are, however, quite empirical or qualitative, from the aspect of photometry or colorimetry. The accurate control of chromatic parameters of supplemental light and their chromatic influences on fruit quality has been under-studied. In this study, color parameters including correlated color temperatures (CCTs) and illuminance of supplement lights are precisely controlled using a digitally color-coding method. We systematically investigate the chromatic effect of supplemental light on five parameters of strawberries: plant height, single weight, fruit hardness, soluble solids, and titratable acids. Results show that the supplement light generally lowers down the single weight and the fruit hardness, increases the plant height, the contents of soluble solids and titratable acids. The chromatic dependences for the five parameters are different and might be strengthened, weakened, or shifted by light illuminance. We demonstrate the beneficial roles of supplemental light in accelerating the maturation and enhancing the flavor of strawberries in greenhouses cultivation. The results pro-vide valuable guidance for the effective cultivation of strawberries. Moreover, the controlling method for accurate colors is ready for the implementation of supplemental lights in other fruits or plants.

Recently, there has been a trend towards healthy food. Consumers are looking for products that have health-promoting properties in addition to their taste. Actinidia fruit, apart from being tasty, contains valuable nutrients. They are high in vitamin C, polyphenols, and pectins and low in calories. These pro-health properties allow kiwiberry fruit to qualify in the group of so-called superfoods. All tested cultivars belong to two species of Actinidia, well tolerating conditions of moderate climate with negative temperatures in winter. The cultivars differed significantly in mineral content, color, firmness, weight and content of antioxidant substances. Summer pruning (lightening) increased the content of N, P, K, extract, and NO3 and resulted in darker fruit color. However, it slightly decreased the content of polyphenols. 'Sientiabrskaja' can be recommended for consumption as the cultivar richest in polyphenols and with the highest health-promoting values.

This study reports new records of eight species of Cicadellini (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Cicadellinae), all potential vectors of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al. 1987, which causes citrus variegated chlorosis. The sharpshooters were captured using a sweeping net in citrus orchards across seven municipalities in Amazonas State, Brazil. This research addresses the lack of information on sharpshooter occurrence in the Amazonas region, emphasizing the need for further investigations in this area.

Whiteflies of Aleurocanthus spiniferus and A. woglumi (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are serious pests of citrus and other important fruit crops. The problem in citrus has initiated the successful introductions of several natural enemies for biocontrol programs in Hawaii and many other countries. Here we summarized the history of infestation and biocontrol efforts of the two whiteflies in Hawaii for possible importation into Greece. Two Platygasteridae (Amitus hesperidum Silvestri, A. spiniferus (Brethes) and three Aphelinidae (Encarsia clypealis (Silvestri), E. smithi (Silvestri), E. perplexa Huang and Polaszek) were released in Hawaii for biocontrol of the citrus whiteflies during the period 1974-1999. The aphelinid, Cales noacki Howard, purposely released for Aleurothrixus flococcus (Maskell) in 1982 was also reported to attack other whiteflies including Aleurocanthus species on citrus. An additional aphelinid parasitoid, Encarsia nipponica Silvestri, native to Japan and China, was accidently introduced and found to attack both citrus whiteflies on the islands. Since the colonization of introduced parasitoids in infested fields on four Hawaiian Islands, no survey was done to evaluate their potential impact. We made two short surveys during September-November 2022 on Kauai, Hawaii, and Oahu Islands to introduce the dominant parasitoids to Greece for the biocontrol of A. spiniferus. Results showed that the infestation level was very low on Kauai, Hawaii, and Oahu Islands with mean infestation level ranged 1.4 - 3.1 on Hawaii and Oahu Islands mostly on pummelo and sweet orange, with no detection on Kauai Island. Only was E. perplexa the dominant parasitoid with parasitism rates ranged 0 -28 % on Hawaii Island and 11-65% on Oahu Island. Starter colony of the parasitoids has been colonized in Greece for evaluation and approval for release. This was the first field survey on Hawaii since the introduction and release of citrus whitefly natural enemies.

This study examined the efficacy of essential oil (EO) obtained from the Australian native plants, lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) (LM) to inhibit Penicillium digitatum by in vitro agar diffusion and vapor assay, and in inoculated oranges. Gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry analysis revealed the main constituent of LM EO as citral. Pure citral was also included in the experiment for com-parison. LM EO at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 µL disc-1 in the in vitro tests significantly inhibited fungal growth compared to the non-treated control. Moreover, LM EO at 4 and 5 µL disc-1 in both the assays completely inhibited fungal growth similar to its main component of citral. Inoculated oranges dipped in 1000 μL L-1 LM EO solutions for 5, 10, 15 and 30 sec showed significantly lower fungal wounds compared to control. While higher dipping times generated slight rind injury, a 5 and 10 sec dip did not cause any injury to the fruit rind. The quality assessments and sensory evaluations also revealed that the addition of LM EO did not adversely affect the quality and taste of the oranges. These findings suggest LM EO as an alternative to synthetic fungicides to inhibit wastage in citrus during storage.

The relative position of the orchard robot to the rows of fruit trees is an important parameter for achieving autonomous navigations. The current methods for estimating the position parameters between rows of orchard robots obtain low parameter accuracy, and to address this problem, this paper proposes a machine vision-based method for detecting the relative position of orchard robots and fruit tree rows. Firstly, the fruit tree trunk is identified based on the improved YOLOv4 model; secondly, the camera coordinates of the tree trunk are calculated from the principle of binocular camera triangulation, and the ground projection coordinates of the tree trunk are obtained through coordinate conversion; finally, the midpoints of the projection coordinates of different sides are combined and the navigation path is obtained by linear fitting with the least squares method, and the position parameters of the orchard robot are obtained through calculation. The experimental results show that the average accuracy and average recall of the improved YOLOv4 model for fruit tree trunk detection are 97.05% and 95.42%, respectively, which are 5.92 and 7.91 percentage points higher than those of the original YOLOv4 model. The average errors of heading angle and lateral deviation estimates obtained based on the method in this paper are 0.57° and 0.02 m. The method can accurately calculate heading angle and lateral deviation values at different positions between rows, and can provide a reference for autonomous visual navigation of orchard robots.

In terms of obtaining fuels as well as chemicals with or without catalysts at different conditions, the plum seed stands out as an alternative biomass source. Under varying heating rates (10, 50, and 100ºC min-1) and pyrolysis temperatures (400, 450, 500, 550 and 600 °C), the plum seed was pyrolysed at constant sweep gas flow at a constant rate (100 cm3min-1) in a tubular fixed bed reactor. According to the results, an oil yield reaching to a maximum of %45 was procured at the heating rate of 100 ºCmin-1 and the pyrolysis temperature of 550ºC in non-catalytic procedure. The catalytic pyrolysis was carried out in optimum conditions with two selected commercial catalysts, namely ZSM-5 and PURMOL-CTX and clinoptilolite (natural zeolite, NZ) with catalyst ratio of 10 % of raw material. Along with the catalyst addition, the quantity and the quality of bio-oil increased including the calorific value, removal of oxygenated groups, and hydrocarbon distribution. An increase related to the desirable products like phenols, alkene, and alkane and a decrease in undesirable products like acids were observed in the presence of catalysts. When all the results are considered and evaluated, using zeolite materials in the pyrolysis as catalysts is a recommendable option to achieve enhanced chemicals and fuels.

Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) form a bacterial film on the surface of alcoholic solutions and ferment ethanol to acetic acid while also producing bioactive compounds. To discover functional AAB for industrial use, we isolated and selected strains from farm-produced vinegars using a CaCO3-containing medium. The seven strains belonged to Acetobacter cerevisiae and A. pasteurianus. Physiological properties were determined, including ethanol tolerance at up to 12% (v/v). Acidification at a growth temperature of 40 ℃ was seen for GHA 7, GYA 23, JGB 21-17, and GHA 20 strains, which may be useful in vinegar production where thermotolerant AAB are required. The seven AAB isolates had strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Antioxidant activity was 2- and 4-fold higher, respectively, for A cerevisiae and A. pasteurianus than for the control, 1% acetic acid. We also observed 91.3% inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme activity for the KSO 5 strain, higher than that for the positive control, 0.1% captopril (76.9%). All strains showed complete inhibition of α-glucosidase, except JGB 21-17 and GHA 7 with 98.3% inhibition. Our work suggests usefulness of the strains selected as seed strains for highly efficient production of functional vinegar and illustrates identification of useful functional characteristics on a scientific basis.

Opuntia sp. contain antioxidant phytochemicals resistant to ROS damage, whose excess negatively affect fertilization. We investigate the activity of fruit extracts of O. dillenii and O. ficus indica (cv red and yellow) on sperm quality and cryopreservation. In the first experiment, we exposed the samples to extracts (50 µl) for 1 hour to then evaluate semen parameters (vitality, motility, acrosome reaction, DNA fragmentation and oxidative stress). The results showed a significant increase in the motility (86%±0.19 for OFI cv yellow, 82%±0.15 for OFI cv red and 90%±0.08 for O. dillenii) compared to the control (80%±0.17). Moreover, we noted a reduction of DNA fragmentation on treated (3%±0.03 in OFI cv yellow, 7%±0.09 in OFI cv red and 5%±0.07 in O. dillenii) than the control (40%±0.14). Furthermore, the oxidative stress was reduced after exposure to solutions (3.15mV in the control and 2.94mV in the treated). In the second experiment, 50 µl of solutions were added to the Freezing medium. After thawing, we observed an improvement in vitality and the number of intact acrosomes. Our results suggest that Opuntia sp. fruit extracts improve sperm quality, both before and after cryopreservation, optimizing the potential of fertilization of sperm cells.