Horticulturae

21 pages, 3709 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Effects of Four Photo-Selective Colored Hail Nets on an Apple in Loess Plateau, China

by Yutian Zhang, Baohua Chu, Dongdong Zhang, Qi Li, Qianjin Li, Xuewei Li, Zeyuan Liu, Fengwang Ma, Qingmei Guan, Dehui Zhang and Yangjun Zou

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1061; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091061 - 21 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1431

Abstract

Hail, known as an agricultural meteorological disaster, can substantially constrain the growth of the apple industry. Presently, apple orchards use a variety of colored (photo-selective) hail nets as a preventative measure. However, it is unclear which color proves most effective for apple orchards. [...] Read more.

Hail, known as an agricultural meteorological disaster, can substantially constrain the growth of the apple industry. Presently, apple orchards use a variety of colored (photo-selective) hail nets as a preventative measure. However, it is unclear which color proves most effective for apple orchards. This study provides a systematic investigation of the impact of four photo-selective colored hail nets (white, blue, black, and green; with white being the control) on the microenvironment of apple orchards, fruit tree development, fruit quality, and yield over a two-year period (2020–2021). Different photo-selective nets do not evidently alter the intensity of light, although the nets’ shading effects decrease in the order from black to green to blue. Among them, blue nets increased the proportion of blue light, while green nets enhanced the proportion of green light. On the other hand, black, green, and blue nets diminished the proportion of red and far-red light. Such photo-selective nets effectively lowered soil temperature but did not have an impact on relative humidity and air temperature. Encasing apple trees with blue nets promoted growth, increasing shoot length, thickness, leaf area, and water content, while simultaneously decreasing leaf thickness. Black nets had comparable effects, although the impacts of green nets were inconsistent. Different photo-selective nets did not significantly influence the leaf shape index or overall chlorophyll content. However, black and green nets reduced the chlorophyll a/b ratio, while blue nets slightly boosted this ratio. Additionally, blue nets proved beneficial for apple trees’ photosynthesis. With the employment of a principal component analysis and comprehensive evaluation, this study concludes that blue nets offer the most favorable environmental conditions for apple growth while protecting apple orchards against hail, compared to black, white, and green nets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improvements in Apple: From Breeding to Cultivation and Postharvest)

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17 pages, 1255 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Grafting Compatibility and Environmental Conditions on Soilless Eggplant (Solanum melongena) Grown in the Mediterranean Greenhouse

by Sergio Argento, Simone Treccarichi, Maria Grazia Melilli and Ferdinando Branca

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1060; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091060 - 21 Sep 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1907

Abstract

Grafting techniques represent an efficient tool to enhance plant growth and development. The study aims to explore the effects of different grafting combinations on the growth of eggplants under diverse greenhouse conditions. Eggplant cultivar Black bell (Bb) was employed as scion, while the [...] Read more.

Grafting techniques represent an efficient tool to enhance plant growth and development. The study aims to explore the effects of different grafting combinations on the growth of eggplants under diverse greenhouse conditions. Eggplant cultivar Black bell (Bb) was employed as scion, while the hybrid F₁ Beaufort (Be) and Solanum torvum (To) were utilized as rootstock. The hypothesis behind this study pertains to grafting incompatibility with Beaufort F1. It postulates that this incompatibility can be mitigated by manipulating soil and greenhouse temperatures. The experimental factors encompassed plant combinations (Bb, Be/Bb and To/Bb), as well greenhouse and substrate temperature (both cold or heated). The Be/Bb combination showed higher values of plant vegetative traits, but it exhibited low grafting compatibility. Additionally, physiological analysis confirmed the presence of excessive growth and vegetative disorder within the Be/Bb combination. Examination of the xylem vessels revealed notable differences between the grafting combination involving Bb and the rootstock F1 hybrid Be/Bb, compared to the one with To/Bb and the non-grafted Bb. Specifically, the area, diameter and number of xylem vessels were approximatively 45% higher in Be/Bb than in To/Bb and the non-grafted Bb. Furthermore, a robust linear correlation was observed between plant height with morphometric and physiological traits, except fruits sets. This study lays the basis for a novel protocol for agriculture, addressing the excessive vegetative growth in rootstocks regulating air and substrate temperatures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Methods and Tools for Resilient, Efficient and Sustainable Organic Vegetable Production)

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Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract
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Temperatures recorded inside the cold and in the heated greenhouses ((a,b), respectively). Tmin: minimum temperature; Tmean: mean temperature; Tmax: maximum temperature. Full article ">Figure 2
The different genotypes tested, which were (a) Bb, (b) Be/Bb and (c) To/Bb. Noteworthy, in (b): the grafting disaffinity between the rootstock Beaufort (Be) and the scion Black Bell (Bb). Full article ">Figure 3
Transversal cross-section of the basal side of the stem for each genotype tested, which were (a,d) Bb; (b,e) Be/Bb; (c,f) To/Bb. The picture was obtained with the optical microscope equipped with a camera at the scale of 10× and 30× view, respectively. Full article ">Figure 4
Principal Component Analysis was employed for studying the distribution patterns in relation to the three experimental factors tested. The first one pertains to the genotype variations (GE), for which we distinguish the cultivar Black Bell in its non-grafted form (Bb), and the Bb used as scion with the interspecific hybrid Beaufort F1 (Be/Bb) in addition to S. torvum (To/Bb). The second experimental factor was the greenhouse temperature, which was cold and the heated (CG and WG, respectively). The third factor encompasses substrate temperatures, which was cold and hot (CS and WS, respectively). The four groups (A, B, C and D) represent the different clusters generated as a result of the correlation matrix between the examined traits and the three components extracted. Full article ">

11 pages, 3816 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The First Report on the Application of ISSR Markers in Genetic Variance Detection among Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) Accession in North Maluku Province, Indonesia

by Nurhasanah, Reginawanti Hindersah, Tarkus Suganda, Vergel Concibido, Sundari and Agung Karuniawan

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1059; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091059 - 21 Sep 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2129

Abstract

Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) is a leguminous plant with several potential health benefits. The scientific name is derived from its origin on Ternate Island, North Maluku. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the genetic variability in butterfly pea using Intergenic Simple [...] Read more.

Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) is a leguminous plant with several potential health benefits. The scientific name is derived from its origin on Ternate Island, North Maluku. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the genetic variability in butterfly pea using Intergenic Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers in North Maluku. Field surveys, collection trips, and habitat studies of butterfly pea plants were conducted on Ternate, Tidore, Halmahera, and Morotai Islands. Genetic diversity was analyzed based on molecular data from the ISSR method. The molecular analysis results obtained using PCR-ISSR on 18 accessions showed a low degree of similarity. Among these, 15 accessions from Ternate, Tidore, Morotai, and Halmahera were in group A, while 3 from Ternate, Tidore, and Halmahera were in group B. All accessions exhibited a genetic similarity level of 0.709, indicating significant diversity. The arrangement among accessions on the dendrogram was similar to the phylogenetic tree, showing separation and spread at 0.608–0.924 based on the Jaccard coefficient. The results suggested that C. ternatea probably originated from Ternate, and subsequently spread to Tidore, Halmahera, and Morotai due to its use as a herbal medicine and ornamental plant. This information could be used as the basis for butterfly pea conservation and cultivation activities in Indonesia, specifically in Ternate Island, North Maluku. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Germplasm Resources, Biotechnology and the Genetic Breeding of Medicinal Crops)

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15 pages, 2223 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Exogenous Substance K₂SO₄ on the Nutritional Quality of Broccoli and Its Metabolic Regulation Mechanism

by Meng Liu, Wei Huang, Junhua Zhang, Zixuan Zhao, Yaqin Wang, Nazim S. Gruda, Guangmin Liu and Hongju He

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1058; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091058 - 21 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1026

Abstract

The impact of exogenous sulfate components on the nutritional quality of vegetables has been well documented. In this study, we examined the effects of adding K₂SO₄ to broccoli on its nutritional quality, active components, and the genes involved in glucosinolate [...] Read more.

The impact of exogenous sulfate components on the nutritional quality of vegetables has been well documented. In this study, we examined the effects of adding K₂SO₄ to broccoli on its nutritional quality, active components, and the genes involved in glucosinolate synthesis. Different concentrations of exogenous K₂SO₄ of 25, 75, and 150 g·m⁻² were applied to the “Naihan Youxiu” broccoli cultivar, while the control treatment received no potassium sulfate. Our primary objective was to gain insights into strategies for enhancing broccoli’s nutritional and active components. The results showed that broccoli’s vitamin C content in each treatment was lower than that in the control treatment. The contents of soluble protein, soluble sugar, polyphenols, and total flavonoids in the treatment of 150 g·m⁻² K₂SO₄ were the highest. They increased by 23.51%, 87.49%, 146.00%, and 22.73% more than the control, respectively. MDA was significantly inhibited after the 75 g·m⁻² treatment, whereas SOD had the highest activity under the 75 g·m⁻² treatment. Therefore, the 150 g·m⁻² treatment was beneficial in improving the nutritional quality and antioxidant capacity of broccoli. The contents of PRO, SIN, NAP, GBC, 4ME, NEO, total indole glucosinolates, and total glucosinolates reached the peak at the 150 g·m⁻² K₂SO₄ treatment, RAA and total aliphatic glucosinolates reached the peak at the 75 g·m⁻² K₂SO₄ treatment, and ERU and 4OH reached the highest at the 25 g·m⁻² K₂SO₄ treatment. The sulforaphane content was the highest in the 150 g·m⁻² treatment, and myrosinase activity was the highest in the 75 g·m⁻² treatment. It can be seen that the 150 g·m⁻² treatment significantly increased the content of glucosinolates, total indole glucosinolates, total glucosinolates, and sulforaphane in broccoli. CYP79B2, CYP83B1, CYP83A1, AOP2, UGT74B1, and MYB34 were significantly up-regulated under 150 g·m⁻² K₂SO₄ treatment and reached the peak value. CYP79F1, CYP81F4, and MAM1 showed significant inhibitory effects when treated with 150 g·m⁻² of K₂SO₄. The expression levels of BCAT4, CYP81F1, ST5a, ST5c, and SUR1 were down-regulated under the 150 g·m⁻² K₂SO₄ treatment, but not significantly. In summary, the K₂SO₄ 150 g·m⁻² treatment had the best effect on nutritional quality, antioxidant activity, the content of glucosinolates, total glucosinolates, sulforaphane, and expression of CYP79B2, CYP83B1, CYP83A1, FMO2, UGT74B1, AOP2, and MYB34 genes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity in Fruits and Vegetables)

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Effect of exogenous substance K2SO4 treatment on vitamin C content (A), soluble protein content (B), soluble sugar content (C), polyphenol content (D), and total flavonoids content (E) in broccoli. Note: Significant differences among different samples are indicated by different lowercase letters (a–d). Full article ">Figure 2
Effect of exogenous substance K2SO4 treatments on malondialdehyde content (A) and superoxide dismutase activity (B) in broccoli. Note: Significant differences among different samples are indicated by different lowercase letters (a–c). Full article ">Figure 3
Effect of exogenous substance K2SO4 treatment on sulforaphane content (A) and myrosinase activity (B) in broccoli. Note: Significant differences among different samples are indicated by different lowercase letters (a–c). Full article ">Figure 4
Effect of exogenous substance K2SO4 treatment on the expression of key genes in aliphatic glucosinolate synthesis in broccoli. Note: Expression was normalized to that of actin and the values in control plants were set to 1. Each data point is the average for each of the three biological replicates with three technical replicates against each. Note: * indicates significant differences between treatments (p < 0.05). Full article ">Figure 5
Effect of exogenous substance K2SO4 treatment on the expression of key genes for indole glucosinolate synthesis in broccoli. Note: * indicates significant differences between treatments (p < 0.05). Full article ">

14 pages, 2920 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comprehensive Genomic Analysis and Expression Profile of Hsp70 Gene Family Related to Abiotic and Biotic Stress in Cucumber

by Zixian Zhou, Lingdi Xiao, Jindong Zhao, Zhaoyang Hu, Yuelong Zhou, Shiqiang Liu, Hao Wu and Yong Zhou

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1057; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091057 - 21 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1282

Abstract

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is a class of HSPs involved in plant growth and development, stress response and regulation. The Hsp70 proteins exist widely in the plant world, but the detail information about Hsp70s is still unclear in cucumber. Based [...] Read more.

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is a class of HSPs involved in plant growth and development, stress response and regulation. The Hsp70 proteins exist widely in the plant world, but the detail information about Hsp70s is still unclear in cucumber. Based on the available cucumber genome, a total of 12 Hsp70 genes (CsHsp70-1 to CsHsp70-12) were identified in this study, and they were distributed among five out of seven chromosomes. The CsHsp70s were divided into four groups based on a phylogenetic analysis by using protein sequences from cucumber and other plants, and their conserved motifs were relatively conserved. Gene duplication analysis showed that segmental duplication is the main driving force of expansion in cucumber CsHsp70 genes. Promoter analysis of CsHsp70 genes showed that they contained many cis-acting elements involved in hormone and stress responses. Expression analysis by RNA-seq and qRT-PCR indicated that the expression of most CsHsp70 genes was associated with multiple biotic and abiotic stresses in cucumber. This study introduces the characteristics of cucumber CsHsp70 genes and the regulation of their expression levels in various abiotic and biotic stresses, which provided a basis for functional exploration and utilization of CsHsp70 genes in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Scientific Developments in Genetic Improvement of Vegetables for Resistance to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses)

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Phylogenetic tree of Hsp70 proteins in cucumber (Cucumis sativus), Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), rice (Oryza sativa), pepper (Capsicum annuum), maize (Zea mays), and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Four groups (A–D) are represented by different colors, and CsHsp70s are represented by stars. The accession numbers of Hsp70 proteins are provided in <a href="#app1-horticulturae-09-01057" class="html-app">Supplementary Table S2</a>. Full article ">Figure 2
Conserved motif analysis of CsHsp70 proteins on the basis of the phylogenetic relationship. Ten motifs were marked by different colors and length of box denotes motif length. Full article ">Figure 3
Distribution of the CsHsp70 genes on the five chromosomes of cucumber. The bar located on the left side representing the chromosome length was showed in megabase (Mb), and segmental duplication genes are marked with red and connected with red lines. Full article ">Figure 4
Phytohormone- and stress-responsive cis-elements in CsHsp70s promoter regions. The amounts of cis-elements in CsHsp70s promoter regions were displayed as different colors and numbers in the grid. Full article ">Figure 5
The transcription levels of CsHsp70 genes under salt stress (A), different temperature and photoperiod combined conditions (B) based on RNA-seq data. The red to blue colors on the scale located on the right side representing high to low gene expression, which were calculated as the log2(TPM+1) values. CK-L and Na-L, leaf sample from control and salt-stressed plants; CK-R and Na-R, root sample from control and salt-stressed plants. HL and LL, high and low temperature under long day; HS and LS, high and low temperature under short day. Full article ">Figure 6
Transcription levels of five selected CsHsp70 genes under drought (A) and ER stress (B) treatments, as examined using qRT-PCR. Asterisks indicate significant differences examined by the student’s t-test (p < 0.05). Full article ">Figure 7
Heat map of differential transcription of CsHsp70 genes under inoculation of PM (Sphaerotheca fuliginea) (A), RKN (Meloidogyne incognita) (B), and DM (Pseudoperonospora cubensis) (C). The transcriptional levels of CsHsp70 genes are displayed as log2 transformed TPM values. Different colors on the scale located on the right side represent differential gene expression, which decrease from red to blue. Full article ">

14 pages, 1613 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Combined Use of TiO₂ Nanoparticles and Biochar Produced from Moss (Leucobryum glaucum (Hedw.) Ångstr.) Biomass for Chinese Spinach (Amaranthus dubius L.) Cultivation under Saline Stress

by Ivan Širić, Sadeq K. Alhag, Laila A. Al-Shuraym, Boro Mioč, Valentino Držaić, Sami Abou Fayssal, Vinod Kumar, Jogendra Singh, Piyush Kumar, Rattan Singh, Rakesh Kumar Bachheti, Madhumita Goala, Pankaj Kumar and Ebrahem M. Eid

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1056; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091056 - 21 Sep 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1564

Abstract

Salinity-induced soil degradation poses a significant challenge to agricultural productivity and requires innovative crop-management strategies. In this study, the synergistic effect of biochar and TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) obtained from moss (Leucobryum glaucum (Hedw.) Ångstr.) biomass on the growth, yield, biochemical, and [...] Read more.

Salinity-induced soil degradation poses a significant challenge to agricultural productivity and requires innovative crop-management strategies. In this study, the synergistic effect of biochar and TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) obtained from moss (Leucobryum glaucum (Hedw.) Ångstr.) biomass on the growth, yield, biochemical, and enzymatic response of Chinese spinach (Amaranthus dubius L.) grown under salinity stress was investigated. Purposely, A. dubius was grown under different combinations of arable soil, biochar, TiO₂ NPs, and saline soils. The produced biochar and TiO₂ NPs were characterized using microscopy image analysis, X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), zeta potential, particle size distribution, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that saline stress caused a significant (p < 0.05) decline in growth, yield, and biochemical constituents of A. dubius compared to control treatments. However, the combined application of biochar and TiO₂ NPs significantly (p < 0.05) alleviated the saline stress and resulted in optimum fresh weight (30.81 g/plant), dry weight (4.90 g/plant), shoot and root length (28.64 and 12.54 cm), lead number (17.50), leaf area (12.50 cm²/plant), chlorophyll (2.36 mg/g), carotenoids (2.85 mg/g), and relative water content (82.10%). Biochar and TiO₂-NP application helped to reduce the levels of stress enzymes such as catalase (2.93 µmol/min/mg P), superoxide dismutase (SOD: 2.47 EU/g P), peroxidase (POD: 40.03 EU/min/g P), and ascorbate peroxidase (3.10 mM/mg P) in saline soil. The findings of this study suggest that the combination of nanotechnology and biochar derived from unconventional biomass can be a viable option to mitigate salinity-related challenges and enhance crop yield. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responses to Abiotic Stresses in Horticultural Crops)

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13 pages, 3905 KiB

Open AccessArticle

BAP (6-Benzylaminopurine) Seed-Priming Enhanced Growth, Antioxidant Accumulation and Anthocyanin Metabolism in Olive Sprouts

by Samy Selim, Ahlem Zrig, Mha Albqmi, Mohammad M. Al-Sanea, Taghreed S. Alnusaire, Mohammed S. Almuhayawi, Soad K. Al Jaouni, Shaimaa Hussein, Mona Warrad and Hamada AbdElgawad

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1055; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091055 - 20 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1560

Abstract

Given the importance of olive sprouts, it is crucial to explore their potential as an innovative source of bioactive and nutritive compounds through research. Here, we aimed at investigating the potential role of benzylaminopurine (BAP) in improving the tissue chemical composition and bioactivity [...] Read more.

Given the importance of olive sprouts, it is crucial to explore their potential as an innovative source of bioactive and nutritive compounds through research. Here, we aimed at investigating the potential role of benzylaminopurine (BAP) in improving the tissue chemical composition and bioactivity of olive sprouts. To this end, seeds of two olive varieties (Olea europaea L. vr. Kroniaki and Coratina) were primed with BAP at 25 µM. A substantial enhancement was observed in biomass accumulation by 35% and 30% in Kroniaki and Coratina varieties, respectively. Likewise, the photosynthetic pigments (total chlorophyll, α- and β-carotene, lutein and β-cryptoxanthin) in both varieties were increased, mainly in Coratina. At primary metabolic level, BAP priming improved sprout lipid composition, particularly in Coratina variety. At antioxidant level, BAP priming improved lipid antioxidants (α-, β- and γ-tocopherols) and water-soluble antioxidants (phenols, flavonoids, ascorbate, glutathione and anthocyanins) in both olive varieties. At the anthocyanins level, their precursors (phenylalanine, cinnamic acid, coumaric acid and naringenin) and key biosynthetic enzyme activity (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), coenzyme A ligase (4CL) and cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H)) were improved in olive varieties, but to a greater extent in Coratina variety. Overall, the sprouts of BAP-primed olive seeds could potentially enhance their nutritional value, suggesting that the sprouts of BAP-primed olive seeds can be used as a food ingredient and additives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Chemical Composition and Bioactivity of Horticultural Natural Products)

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Effect of BAP priming (25 µM, 8 h) on growth parameters including fresh weight (A) and dry weight (B) of the two varieties of 10-day-old olive sprouts (Kroniaki and Coratina). Data are represented by means ± standard errors. Different small letters (a, b, c and d) above bars indicate significant differences in the two varieties between the means of control and BAP treatments (p < 0.05). Full article ">Figure 2
Effect of BAP priming (25 µM, 8 h) on leaf pigments including (A) total pigments, (B) α-carotene, (C) β-carotene, (D) Lutein, and (E) β-cryptoxanthin levels of the two varieties of 10-day-old olive sprouts (Kroniaki and Coratina). Data are represented by means ± standard errors. Different small letters (a, b, c and d) above bars indicate significant differences in the two varieties between the means of control and BAP treatments (p < 0.05). Full article ">Figure 3
Effect of BAP priming (25 µM, 8 h) on total polyphenol (A) and flavonoid (B) contents of the two varieties of 10-day-old olive sprouts (Kroniaki and Coratina). Data are represented by means ± standard errors. Different small letters (a, b, c and d) above bars indicate significant differences in the two varieties between the means of control and BAP treatments (p < 0.05). Data were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test. Full article ">Figure 4
Effect of BAP priming (25 µM, 8 h) on total ascorbate (ASC) (A) and glutathione (GSH) (B) content of the two varieties of 10-day-old olive sprouts (Kroniaki and Coratina). Data are represented by means ± standard errors. Different small letters (a, b and c) above bars indicate significant differences between the control and BAP treatment in the two varieties (p < 0.05). Data were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test. Full article ">Figure 5
Effect of BAP priming (25 µM, 8 h) on total antioxidant capacity including FRAP (A) and DPPH (B) content of the two varieties of 10-day-old olive sprouts (Kroniaki and Coratina). Data are represented by means ± standard errors. Different small letters (a, b, c and d) above bars indicate significant differences between the control and BAP treatment in the two varieties (p < 0.05). Full article ">

16 pages, 5179 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Analysis of the Aroma Volatile Profile of Muscadine Grape Germplasm by Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

by Gaurab Bhattarai, Orestis Giannopoulos, Ramsey Nathanal Corn, Camille E. E. McAvoy, Angelos Deltsidis, Margaret L. Worthington and Patrick J. Conner

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1054; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091054 - 20 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1662

Abstract

Muscadine grapes (Vitis rotundifolia) are native to the southeastern U.S., where they are valued for their unique flavor and fruity aroma. Despite having a diverse aroma profile, muscadine germplasm is virtually unexplored in terms of its aroma volatile content and composition, [...] Read more.

Muscadine grapes (Vitis rotundifolia) are native to the southeastern U.S., where they are valued for their unique flavor and fruity aroma. Despite having a diverse aroma profile, muscadine germplasm is virtually unexplored in terms of its aroma volatile content and composition, which is crucial in determining the value of its products. The aim of this research was to characterize 24 muscadine genotypes with distinct uses and origin for their aroma-related volatile profiles using the headspace solid-phase microextraction method coupled with gas-chromatography mass spectrometry. In total, 63 volatile compounds were detected, and genotypes significantly differed for 43 of the volatile compounds. We also profiled the aroma volatile content and composition of the commercially cultivated muscadine cultivar Carlos at various stages of berry ripeness. Characteristic differences were observed in the composition of the volatile compounds as ripening progressed. This is the first study to have evaluated the aroma volatile composition of a wide variety of muscadine germplasms, including juice and fresh fruit cultivars, as well as the related species Vitis popenoei and its complex hybrids between V. rotundifolia and Vitis vinifera. The results obtained from this study will help identify muscadine genotypes and better design crosses to produce fresh fruit and wine selections with the desired aroma profiles. This knowledge will lead to the development of new muscadine cultivars and significantly contribute to the expansion of muscadine use in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Resources for Viticulture)

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Four ripening stages in ‘Carlos’ muscadine berries (S1: unripe, S2: slightly ripe, S3: fully ripe, and S4: overripe). Full article ">Figure 2
Heatmap showing the cluster of volatile compounds at various ripening stages of the ‘Carlos’ muscadine cultivar. (S1–S4: the four different stages of increasing berry ripeness). Full article ">Figure 3
Principal component analysis (PCA) score plot of the aroma volatiles of the twenty-four muscadine genotypes. Full article ">Figure 4
Scree plot showing the percentage of variation in the composition of volatile compounds between genotypes, which was explained by the first ten principal components obtained from PCA. Full article ">Figure 5
Heatmap generated by the hierarchical clustering of aroma volatile compounds in the 24 muscadine genotypes. Genotypes are presented in columns and aroma volatiles are in rows. The color in each cell represents the relative concentration of the volatile compounds. Full article ">Figure 6
PCA loading biplot showing the contribution of each volatile compounds to the first (PC1) and second (PC2) principal components. Length of arrow represents the amount of contribution made by the volatile compound. Full article ">Figure 7
The significantly different (adjusted p-value < 0.05) aroma volatiles between the black (n = 9) and bronze (n = 8) muscadines obtained from the two sample t-tests. * p ≤ 0.05, ** p ≤ 0.01, **** p ≤ 0.0001. Full article ">

17 pages, 435 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

An Inter-Laboratory Comparative Study on the Influence of Reagents to Perform the Identification of the Xylella fastidiosa Subspecies Using Tetraplex Real Time PCR

by Nicoletta Pucci, Valeria Scala, Erica Cesari, Valeria Crosara, Riccardo Fiorani, Alessia L’Aurora, Simone Lucchesi, Giuseppe Tatulli, Eleonora Barra, Serena Ciarroni, Francesca De Amicis, Salvatore Fascella, Francesca Giacobbi, Francesca Gaffuri, Valeria Gualandri, Lucia Landi, Giuliana Loconsole, Giulia Molinatto, Stefania Pollastro, Maria Luisa Raimondo, Domenico Rizzo, Chiara Roggia, Maria Rosaria Silletti, Simona Talevi, Marco Testa and Stefania Loreti Show full author list Hide full author list

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1053; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091053 - 19 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1533

Abstract

In 2022, a test performance study (TPS) assessing the influence of different master mixes on the performance of the tetraplex real-time PCR (TqPCR) assay was organized. TqPCR allows for the specific detection and identification of Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) subspecies in a [...] Read more.

In 2022, a test performance study (TPS) assessing the influence of different master mixes on the performance of the tetraplex real-time PCR (TqPCR) assay was organized. TqPCR allows for the specific detection and identification of Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) subspecies in a single reaction. Eighteen official laboratories of the Italian National Plant Protection Organization received a panel of 12 blind samples, controls, primers, probes, and different master mixes to participate in the TPS. Furthermore, the Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification of the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics performed an intra-laboratory study (ITS) on spiked plant matrices to evaluate the analytical sensitivity of TqPCR employing the selected master mixes with the best performance. Naturally infected samples were analyzed for subspecies identification via TqPCR compared with the official multilocus-sequence-typing (MLST) method. The best results in this comparative study were obtained using Fast Universal PCR Master Mix (Applied Biosystems) and Brilliant multiplex QPCR Master Mix (Agilent), and they confirmed that the TqPCR test is reliable, offering the advantage of identifying this subspecies at the same time, thus saving time and resources. The TqPCR assay is suggested among the tests to be used by laboratories performing the official diagnosis of Xf to support the activities of official monitoring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Diseases in Horticulture: Advances in the Study of Pathogens, Interaction with the Host, Diagnosis and Sustainable Control)

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12 pages, 1021 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sensory Evaluation, Biochemical, Bioactive and Antioxidant Properties in Fruits of Wild Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) Genotypes from Northeastern Türkiye

by Gulce Ilhan

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1052; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091052 - 19 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1289

Abstract

Wild edible fruits are an important source for agriculture worldwide suffering from genetic erosion due to a severe genetic diversity reduction and domestication hindrance. In Türkiye, underutilized Prunus spinosa fruits are increasingly being considered as genetic resources and are marginally used by small [...] Read more.

Wild edible fruits are an important source for agriculture worldwide suffering from genetic erosion due to a severe genetic diversity reduction and domestication hindrance. In Türkiye, underutilized Prunus spinosa fruits are increasingly being considered as genetic resources and are marginally used by small farmers constituting a real safety valve for the sustainability of the processing plum value chain. Fruits of those plum genotypes differ in their biometric, processing and functional quality attributes. In this study, fruits of eight wild grown blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) genotypes were sampled from the Ispir district of the Erzurum province and subjected to sensory, morphological, biochemical and antioxidant characterization. Aroma, taste and juiciness were used as the criteria for sensory analysis, and a trained panel of ten experts established and evaluated the sensory characteristics of the fruits of the blackthorn. Fruit weight, fruit skin and flesh color as L*, a* and b* values were the main morphological parameters. For biochemical and bioactive analysis, organic acids, SSC (Soluble Solid Content), vitamin C, total anthocyanins, total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity were determined. Antioxidant capacity was determined by FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assay. The results indicated significant differences among genotypes for most of the traits. The fruit weight was found between 2.78–3.67 g. The skin L*, a* and b* values were 13.11–16.12, 2.56–3.85 and 2.01–3.44, respectively. The flesh L*, a* and b* values were in the ranges of 17.45–20.37, 4.88–6.73 and 4.12–5.66, respectively. The SSC content ranged from 18.66% to 21.07%. The total phenolic content (TPC), total anthocyanin content (TAC) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were between 372–504 mg GAE/100 g; 53–72 mg cy-3 g eq./100 g and 107–134 mmol Fe (II) eq./g, respectively. The dominant organic acid was malic acid for all genotypes and varied from 1.04 g/100 g to 1.52 g/100 g fresh weight base. The data showed that the analyzed blackthorns, particularly PS-5, PS-3 and PS-2 had bigger fruits indicate their suitability for fresh and dried consumption, PS-1 and PS-3 had higher juiciness, indicating their suitability for processing, and PS-4 and PS-6 had higher human health promoting compounds (higher total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity), making them suitable for future use as functional foods and as promising sources of natural antioxidants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Physiology, Biochemistry and Sustainable Management of Plant Genetic Resources)

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21 pages, 1052 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Plant Responses to Global Climate Change and Urbanization: Implications for Sustainable Urban Landscapes

by Szilvia Kisvarga, Katalin Horotán, Muneeb Ahmad Wani and László Orlóci

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1051; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091051 - 19 Sep 2023

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3715

Abstract

Global warming has led to irregular precipitation patterns and various abiotic and biotic stresses, resulting in unforeseen consequences for wildlife. Plant species are particularly vulnerable to these global climate changes, struggling to adapt to the increasing stressors. Urban environments exacerbate these challenges, further [...] Read more.

Global warming has led to irregular precipitation patterns and various abiotic and biotic stresses, resulting in unforeseen consequences for wildlife. Plant species are particularly vulnerable to these global climate changes, struggling to adapt to the increasing stressors. Urban environments exacerbate these challenges, further hindering plant survival and growth. The declining number of climate- and urban-tolerant plant species is a direct consequence of escalating stresses. However, resistance breeding approaches coupled with environmentally friendly technologies like biostimulants offer hope by expanding the pool of adaptable species. Urban vegetation plays a vital role in mitigating the urban heat island effect, supporting mental well-being among residents, and preserving biodiversity. In this study, we comprehensively review recent research findings on these topics with a focus on publications from the past 5 years. Emphasizing stress-tolerant ornamental urban plants including trees and herbaceous species becomes crucial for establishing sustainable living practices. By incorporating resilient plant varieties into urban landscapes, we can enhance ecological balance while improving the overall quality of urban environments for both human inhabitants and wildlife populations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Floriculture, Nursery and Landscape, and Turf)

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9 pages, 1374 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cytogenetic Study of Five Varieties of Callisia repens (Jacq.) L. (Commelinaceae) from Laos

by Anousone Sengthong, Surapon Saensouk, Piyaporn Saensouk and Phetlasy Souladeth

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1050; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091050 - 19 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1718

Abstract

Cytogenetical studies were carried out on five varieties of Callisia repens, i.e., turtle vine, green, pink lady, gold, and Bianca. The morphological characteristics of all five varieties differed in leaf shape and color of the plant. All five varieties have the same [...] Read more.

Cytogenetical studies were carried out on five varieties of Callisia repens, i.e., turtle vine, green, pink lady, gold, and Bianca. The morphological characteristics of all five varieties differed in leaf shape and color of the plant. All five varieties have the same chromosome number, 2n = 12, and the fundamental number (NF) = 24. The number of metacentric (m), submetacentric (sm), and subtelocentric (st) chromosomes was related to the discrepancies between the various karyotypes that were found. The formula for each of the karyotypes was 2m + 2sm + 8st (turtle vine), 2m + 10st (green), 8m + 4st 14 (pink lady), 2m + 4sm + 6st (gold), and 2m + 2sm + 8st (Bianca). Therefore, all five strains had asymmetrical karyotypes. The chromosome number of C. repens has been reported previously, but this is the first report of karyotype variation among the varieties. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) of the karyotype formula was able to distinguish C. repens ‘pink lady’, C. repens ‘green’, and C. repens ‘gold’, but it was unable to differentiate between C. repens ‘Bianca’ and C. repens ‘turtle vine’. Additionally, PCA conducted on the centromeric index (CI) and the leaf colors of the five varieties of C. repens successfully separated all of them. Therefore, the prominent morphological traits and karyotype information of the five varieties of C. repens from Laos can be used to distinguish between them. Full article

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15 pages, 3680 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effectiveness of a Novel Endophyte Bacillus velezensis Strain B1 in the Biocontrol of Pear Postharvest Ring Rot

by Suling Yang, Meifang Song, Limei Qi, Guijun Liu, Sijing Zhou, Yuchen Qiao, Ping Wang, Haike Gu and Liqin Wu

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1049; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091049 - 19 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1157

Abstract

Pear ring rot caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea severely affects the quality and storage life of pear fruit. Plant endophytes are potential new sources of biocontrol agents due to their abilities to produce novel bioactive products. In this work, we focused on an endophytic [...] Read more.

Pear ring rot caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea severely affects the quality and storage life of pear fruit. Plant endophytes are potential new sources of biocontrol agents due to their abilities to produce novel bioactive products. In this work, we focused on an endophytic strain B1, which was isolated from roots of Dendrobium huoshanense. Notably, strain B1 exhibited strongly inhibitory effects against the growth of Botryosphaeria dothidea with an inhibition rate of 73.2% after 1 week of co-cultivation. Furthermore, it displayed a broad-spectrum inhibitory activity. Strain B1 also effectively delayed the onset of ring rot caused by B. dothidea in pear fruit and reduced the lesion diameter by 73.4%. Strain B1 was identified as Bacillus velezensis based on core-genome phylogeny. Genome mining with antiSMASH revealed 13 potential gene clusters involved in antimicrobial metabolites. Three main groups of lipopeptides (surfactin, iturin and fengycin) were identified with MALDI-TOF-MS, and the lipopeptides in the inhibition zone were greatly upregulated by B. dothidea; especially, fengycin isoforms were detected with higher abundance. These results proved that lipopeptides produced by strain B1 had significant antagonistic effect on B. dothidea. In conclusion, our results suggest that strain B1 has potential applications in the biocontrol of B. dothidea in postharvest fruit. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Control of Pre and Postharvest Diseases II)

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In vitro inhibition of Botryosphaeria dothidea by strain B1 after seven days of co-incubation on PDA. (A): control, (B): B. dothidea co-incubation with strain B1. Full article ">Figure 2
Light microscopy observations of the changes in hyphal morphology of B. dothidea mycelium after seven days of co-incubation with B1 on PDA. (A): Treated mycelium of B. dothidea with strain B1, (B): control mycelium. Full article ">Figure 3
Effect of antifungal compounds from strain B1 on B. dothidea growth. CK: BPN broth; CS: cell suspension; CFS: cell-free supernatant. Photographs were taken following seven days incubation on PDA medium at 28 °C. Full article ">Figure 4
Biocontrol activity of strain B1 against B. dothidea on wounded pears. Wounded pear fruit treated with strain B1 (B1) and water (CK). Photographs were taken after 7 days of incubation at 25 °C. Full article ">Figure 5
Phylogenomic tree of the strain B1 based on the core genomes. Full article ">Figure 6
BGC organization of the bacillomycin D or mycosubtilin and fengycin or plipastatinoperon in strain B1 genome. Gene clusters within the solid rectangle, exhibited 100% similarity to gene cluster synthesizing bacillomycin D or mycosubtilin; Gene clusters within dashed rectangle, exhibited 100% similarity to gene cluster synthesizing fengycin or plipastatin. Full article ">Figure 7
MALDI-TOF-MS analysis of lipopeptides from strain B1 after 2 (I) and 4 (II) days of culturing. Lipopeptides from bacterial colony in presence (C) or absence (A) of B. dothidea and from inhibition zone in presence (D) or absence (B) of B. dothidea. Full article ">

22 pages, 1463 KiB

Open AccessReview

Somatic Embryogenesis in Spinach—A Review

by Snežana Zdravković-Korać, Maja Belić, Dušica Ćalić and Jelena Milojević

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1048; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091048 - 19 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1572

Abstract

A spinach-supplemented diet exerts numerous health benefits, but high levels of oxalic acid and nitrate can cause medical problems, so their levels should be reduced, while the levels of vitamins and phytochemicals could be further increased by breeding. Conventional spinach breeding is limited [...] Read more.

A spinach-supplemented diet exerts numerous health benefits, but high levels of oxalic acid and nitrate can cause medical problems, so their levels should be reduced, while the levels of vitamins and phytochemicals could be further increased by breeding. Conventional spinach breeding is limited by the very complex sex determination. However, these limitations could be circumvented in synergy with a biotechnological approach. Accordingly, tissue culture techniques allow rapid and efficient clonal propagation of selected valuable genotypes, and somatic embryogenesis has been recognized as a superior process for clonal propagation because somatic embryos resemble zygotic embryos and therefore can spontaneously develop into complete plants. Since spinach has been considered recalcitrant to in vitro regeneration for decades, a deeper insight into the mechanisms underlying somatic embryogenesis is important for a better understanding and further improvement of the efficiency of this process. In this review, a comprehensive overview of the major factors affecting somatic embryogenesis in spinach is presented and discussed, with particular emphasis on the synergistic effects of α-naphthaleneacetic acid, gibberellic acid, light, and the intrinsic predisposition of individual seedlings to somatic embryogenesis, as well as the expression of genes encoding key enzymes involved in the maintenance of gibberellin homeostasis and the levels of endogenous gibberellins. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A New Decade in the Propagation of Horticultural and Medicinal Plants)

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Regeneration of somatic embryos (SEs) from root apices of randomly selected seedlings from (a) Slovenian (Sl) and (b) Ukrainian (U) populations of the spinach cultivar Matador. Root apices were cultivated for eight weeks on MS medium supplemented with 20 μM NAA + 5 μM GA3 under a long-day photoperiod (16 h of light) and a photosynthetic photon flux density of 100 μmol m−2 s−1. Regeneration of the SEs from Sl explants began from the fifth week of culture. Scale bar: 1 cm. Unpublished from the authors’ laboratory. Full article ">Figure 2
Proliferation and SE regeneration from spinach root apices cultured for eight weeks on medium supplemented with (a) 5 μM GA3, where root apices only elongated but did not proliferate or regenerate SEs; (b,d) 20 μM NAA, where abundant proliferation occurred, but SE formation was extremely rare; (c,e) 20 μM NAA + 5 μM GA3, where explants proliferated and regenerated SEs. Three repetitions with 15 explants in each repetition were used per treatment (n = 45). Scale bars: 1 cm. Unpublished from the authors’ laboratory. Full article ">Figure 3
Development of spinach somatic embryos from the globular, through the heart-shaped, torpedo, and the cotyledonary stage of development to the seedling stage. From the globular stage to the seedling stage usually took one to two weeks. All embryos were obtained from seedling root sections of the cultivar Matador cultured on medium supplemented with 20 μM NAA + 5 μM GA3. Unpublished from the authors’ laboratory. Full article ">

18 pages, 5923 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Response of Dahlia Photosynthesis and Transpiration to High-Temperature Stress

by Jing-Jing Liu, Ying-Chan Zhang, Shan-Ce Niu, Li-Hong Hao, Wen-Bin Yu, Duan-Fen Chen and Di-Ying Xiang

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1047; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091047 - 18 Sep 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1699

Abstract

The high temperature may cause difficult growth or bloom in the summer, which is the key problem limiting the cultivation and application of dahlia. The photosynthetic physiological mechanisms of dahlia under high temperature stress were studied to provide a theoretical basis for expanding [...] Read more.

The high temperature may cause difficult growth or bloom in the summer, which is the key problem limiting the cultivation and application of dahlia. The photosynthetic physiological mechanisms of dahlia under high temperature stress were studied to provide a theoretical basis for expanding the application range of cultivation and annual production. Two dahlia varieties, ‘Tampico’ and ‘Hypnotica Tropical Breeze’, were used as test materials and were treated for 1 d or 2 d at temperatures of 35/30 °C or 40/35 °C (day/night: 14 h/10 h) and then recovered at 25/20 °C for 7 d. A 25/20 °C treatment was used as the control. The results are as follows: (1) High-temperature stress resulted in the chlorophyll (Chl) content, Fv/Fm, transpiration rate (Tr), net photosynthetic rate (Pn), and water potential decreasing significantly, and the Chl content, Tr, and stomatal density of ‘Tampico’ were higher than those of ‘Hypnotica Tropical Breeze’ during the same period. (2) After the two dahlia varieties were treated with high-temperature stress and recovered at 25/20 °C for 7 d, the plant morphology and various physiological indices under the 35/30 °C treatment gradually returned to normal, with ‘Tampico’ in better condition than ‘Hypnotica Tropical Breeze’. (3) Both dahlia varieties could not withstand the stress of 40/35 °C for 2 days. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress Responses in Ornamental Crops: The State of the Art 2024)

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15 pages, 3485 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Classification and Identification of Apple Leaf Diseases and Insect Pests Based on Improved ResNet-50 Model

by Xiaohua Zhang, Haolin Li, Sihai Sun, Wenfeng Zhang, Fuxi Shi, Ruihua Zhang and Qin Liu

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1046; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091046 - 16 Sep 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2210

Abstract

Automaticidentification and prevention of leaf diseases and insect pests on fruit crops represent a key trend in the development of smart agriculture. In order to address the limitations of existing models with low identification rates of apple leaf diseases and insect pests, a [...] Read more.

Automaticidentification and prevention of leaf diseases and insect pests on fruit crops represent a key trend in the development of smart agriculture. In order to address the limitations of existing models with low identification rates of apple leaf diseases and insect pests, a novel identification model based on an improved ResNet-50 architecture was proposed, which incorporated the coordinate attention (CA) module and weight-adaptive multi-scale feature fusion (WAMFF) to enhance the ResNet-50’s image feature extraction capabilities. Transfer learning and online data enhancement are employed to boost the model’s generalization ability. The proposed model achieved a top-1 accuracy rate of 98.32% on the basis of AppleLeaf9 datasets, which is 4.58% higher than the value from the original model, and the improved model can effectively improve the localization of lesion features. Furthermore, compared with mainstream deep networks, such as AlexNet, VGG16, DenseNet, MNASNet, and GoogLeNet on the same dataset, the top-1 accuracy rate increased by 7.3%, 3.19%, 4.98%, 6.04% and 3.87%, respectively. The experimental results demonstrate that the improved model is effective in improving the identification accuracy of apple leaf diseases and insect pests and enhancing the model’s effective feature extraction capabilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Intelligent Orchard)

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23 pages, 51070 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Drought-Tolerance Criteria for Screening Peach Cultivars

by Valentina Tsiupka, Sergei Tsiupka, Yuri Plugatar, Iliya Bulavin and Larisa Komar-Tyomnaya

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1045; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091045 - 16 Sep 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1379

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of the artificial dehydration effect of peach leaf tissues, simulating natural drought, on various physiological, morphological, and anatomical parameters described in the literature, associated with the trait of drought resistance. An investigation aimed to identify the most informative [...] Read more.

The article presents an analysis of the artificial dehydration effect of peach leaf tissues, simulating natural drought, on various physiological, morphological, and anatomical parameters described in the literature, associated with the trait of drought resistance. An investigation aimed to identify the most informative criteria for peach drought resistance which correlate with water loss during dehydration. The results present an assessment of the amount of water loss in 60 peach cultivars selected from different geographical areas and having different genetic origins. Four contrasting genotypes were identified, based on the results of the cluster analysis performed on the cultivar’s water regime. The influence of water regime parameters (leaf water content, water saturation deficit, dynamic of water loss), the morphological and anatomical structure of the leaf, the content of photosynthetic pigments, and the activity of the photosynthetic apparatus on drought resistance were investigated for selected peach cultivars. It was revealed that the most informative criteria for assessing drought resistance were dry and fresh leaf weight, leaf blade length, leaf width, and area (among morphometric parameters); stomatal pore length, stomata density, adaxial and abaxial epidermis thickness, and adaxial cuticle thickness (among anatomical parameters); and Fv/Fm—maximum photochemical quantum yield of PSII, Y(NO)—quantum yield of unregulated non-photochemical light energy dissipation in PS II and Y(NPQ)—controlled quantum losses (among indicators of photosynthetic activity). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Fruit Trees under Water Stress)

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15 pages, 1599 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Emergence and Structural Characteristic of the Solanum pimpinellifolium in Trays under Different Levels and Types of Substrates

by Erivaldo Erbo Alves dos Santos, Nathália Maria Laranjeira Barbosa, Francisco Gauberto Barros dos Santos, Antonia Eliene Duarte, Lucas Souza Mateus, Gertrudes Macário de Oliveira and Cristiane Domingos da Paz

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1044; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091044 - 16 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1094

Abstract

The cultivated tomato is one of the most consumed vegetables in the world, and the preparation of seedlings plays a fundamental role in the success of the crop, which is often plagued by fungi and bacteria from its earliest stages. This study aimed [...] Read more.

The cultivated tomato is one of the most consumed vegetables in the world, and the preparation of seedlings plays a fundamental role in the success of the crop, which is often plagued by fungi and bacteria from its earliest stages. This study aimed to analyze the emergence speed index and morphological parameters of Wanda hybrid cherry tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum var. pimpinellifolium) in trays with two different types and levels of substrates in a protected environment using certified seeds. The experiment was conducted in the greenhouse of the IFCE—Campus Crato during the months of August and September 2022. Two basic substrates were used to promote germination and emergence: one was the commercial Vivato Slim Plus^®, and the other was based on worm humus produced in Minhobuckets kits. The experimental design was completely randomized, consisting of five doses of commercial substrate (SBC) and earthworm humus (HDM) in the following proportions: S1—HDM; S2—SBC; S3—HDM + SBC (1:1), S4—HDM + SBC (1:3), and S5—HDM + SBC (3:1). The ESI, morphological parameters (SD, PH, ROOTL, and NL), and the dry biomass of the seedlings (LDB, SDB, RDB, and TDB) were determined. Data were subjected to an analysis of variance, and Tukey’s test (0.05) was used; dry biomass data were submitted to square root transformation. For the emergence speed index, SBC (S2) outperformed the others. Regarding the morphological parameters and dry biomass, all substrates yielded satisfactory results, despite not showing a statistical difference between the averages. The substrate S4 produced the best results in all evaluated parameters. Full article

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Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract
Full article ">Figure 1
(A) AET of Wanda cherry tomato seeds in different substrates. AET: average emergence time. (B) ESI: emergence speed index. Full article ">Figure 2
Temperature and relative humidity inside the seedling nursery at different time points. The dotted line represents the temperature, and the bars show the relative humidity. In subfigure (A) temperature and humidity measurement at 9:00 am, (B) at 12:00 pm, (C) at 2:00 pm and (D) at 5:00 pm. Source: Compiled by the authors. Measurement using a digital thermo-hygrometer. Full article ">Figure 3
Temperature and relative humidity outside the seedling nursery at different time points. The dotted line represents the temperature, and the bars show the relative humidity. In subfigure (A) temperature and humidity measurement at 9:00 am, (B) at 12:00 pm, (C) at 2:00 pm and (D) at 5:00 pm. Source: Adapted from the Agrometeorological Station of FUNCEME, 2022 [<a href="#B29-horticulturae-09-01044" class="html-bibr">29</a>]. Full article ">Figure 4
Biomass accumulation of tomato seedlings propagated from seeds with different substrates. LDW: leaf dry weight, SDW: stem dry weight, RDW: root dry weight, TDW: total dry weight. Each bar represents the mean ± standard error. In the same column, bars labeled with identical letters indicate no significant difference according to Tukey’s test at a 5% significance level. The data underwent square root transformation. * Material subjected to a temperature of 65 °C to obtain dry mass and measured on a precision scale. Full article ">Figure 5
Detail of the draw on the trays. Full article ">Figure 6
(A) Climate variation in a greenhouse. Source: Compiled by the authors (2023). (B) Climatic variation outside the greenhouse. Adapted from the Agrometeorological Station of Funceme, 2022. Full article ">

13 pages, 1015 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Combining Ability on Yields, Capsinoids and Capsaicinoids in Pepper Varieties (Capsicum annuum L.)

by Tanyarat Tarinta, Saksit Chanthai, Eiji Nawata and Suchila Techawongstien

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1043; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091043 - 16 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1070

Abstract

The requirement for good parental lines of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) with high phytochemicals, especially for capsinoids (CATs) and capsaicinoids (CAPs), is rapidly increasing, and plant breeders are encouraged to develop new pepper varieties. The objective of this study was to estimate [...] Read more.

The requirement for good parental lines of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) with high phytochemicals, especially for capsinoids (CATs) and capsaicinoids (CAPs), is rapidly increasing, and plant breeders are encouraged to develop new pepper varieties. The objective of this study was to estimate the general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) for the contents of CATs and CAPs in pepper in two different environments. The mean performances for fresh yield, dry yield and phytochemical contents in C. annuum L. were significantly affected by the environment. The effect of additive gene action was significant in determining the traits of CAT, Sum CATs, CAT yield and Sum CAPs. Conversely, non-additive gene action played a crucial role in the accumulation of DI-CAT in this population. The parental lines 203, 201, 101 and 202 were identified as the best parents for fruit yield, sum CAPs, sum CATs and CAT yield, respectively, based on their high positive GCA values and mean actual values. The SCA estimates for fruit yield, sum CAPs and sum CATs were positive and high for the hybrids 102/203, 101/201 and 102/202, indicating that they hold promise for use in commercial hybrids. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Genetics, Genomics, Breeding, and Biotechnology (G2B2))

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10 pages, 1689 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effect of Simulated Organic–Inorganic N Deposition on Leaf Stoichiometry, Chlorophyll Content, and Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Torreya grandis

by Yichao Yuan, Haochen Zhang, Xianmeng Shi, Yini Han, Yang Liu and Songheng Jin

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1042; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091042 - 16 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1112

Abstract

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is coupled with organic nitrogen (ON) and inorganic nitrogen (IN); however, little is known about plant growth and the balance of elements in Torreya grandis growing under different ON/IN ratios. Here, we investigated the effects of ON/IN ratios (1/9, [...] Read more.

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is coupled with organic nitrogen (ON) and inorganic nitrogen (IN); however, little is known about plant growth and the balance of elements in Torreya grandis growing under different ON/IN ratios. Here, we investigated the effects of ON/IN ratios (1/9, 3/7, 7/3, and 9/1) on leaf stoichiometry (LF), chlorophyll content, and chlorophyll fluorescence of T. grandis. We used ammonium nitrate as the IN source and an equal proportion of urea and glycine as the ON source. The different ON/IN ratios altered the stoichiometry and photochemical efficiency in T. grandis. Although the leaf P content increased significantly after treatment, leaf N and N:P maintained a certain homeostasis. Torreya grandis plants performed best at an ON/IN ratio of 3/7, with the highest values of chlorophyll-a, total chlorophyll, maximum photochemical efficiency, and photosynthetic performance index. Thus, both ON and IN types should be considered when assessing the responses of plant growth to increasing N deposition in the future. Our results also indicated that the leaf P concentration was positively correlated with Chl, Fv/Fm, and PIabs. This result further indicates the importance of the P element for plant growth against the background of nitrogen deposition. Overall, these results indicate that T. grandis might cope with changes in the environment by maintaining the homeostasis of element stoichiometry and the plasticity of PSII activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Response Mechanisms of Trees under Abiotic Stresses)

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Responses of N (A), P (B) concentrations and N:P (C) in the leaves of five groups of seedlings to the change in organic nitrogen (ON)/ inorganic nitrogen (IN). Bars within groups with different letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05). Treatments: control (CK) and 10%/90%, 30%/70%, 70%/30%, and 90%/10% of ON/IN additions (N1, N2, N3, and N4, respectively). Full article ">Figure 2
Variation in plant photosynthetic pigment parameters (Chla (A), Chlb (B), and total chlorophyll (C)) of Torreya grandis leaves with the change in the ON/IN ratio. Bars within groups with dissimilar letters denote significant differences. Treatments: control (CK) and 10%/90%, 30%/70%, 70%/30%, and 90%/10% of ON/IN additions (N1, N2, N3, and N4, respectively). Full article ">Figure 3
Chlorophyll a fluorescence transient of dark-adapted Torreya grandis leaves exposed to different ON/IN ratios. Treatments: control (CK) and 10%/90%, 30%/70%, 70%/30%, and 90%/10% of ON/IN additions (N1, N2, N3, and N4, respectively). Full article ">Figure 4
Relationship between leaf P concentration, photosynthetic pigment parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics (A–F) of Torreya grandis leaves. Full article ">

13 pages, 563 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Foliar Salicylic Acid and Zinc Treatments on Proline, Carotenoid, and Chlorophyll Content and Anti-Oxidant Enzyme Activity in Galanthus elwesii Hook

by Yasemin Kırgeç, Ebru Batı-Ay and Muhammed Akif Açıkgöz

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1041; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091041 - 15 Sep 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1232

Abstract

Galanthus elwesii Hook. is an important plant species of the Amaryllidaceae family and is used for the medicinal purposes of its valuable bioactive compounds. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of foliar salicylic acid (SA) and zinc (Zn) treatments on [...] Read more.

Galanthus elwesii Hook. is an important plant species of the Amaryllidaceae family and is used for the medicinal purposes of its valuable bioactive compounds. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of foliar salicylic acid (SA) and zinc (Zn) treatments on the proline, carotenoid, and chlorophyll content and the anti-oxidant enzyme activity in G. elwesii. The ascorbate peroxidase (APX) enzyme activity, catalase (CAT) enzyme activity, and protein contents were determined with ascorbate oxidation, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and Bradford experiments, respectively. The plants were treated with three different concentrations of SA (0.5, 1, and 2 mM) and Zn (40, 80, and 120 mM) and were compared with the control. Fresh leaves were harvested in the study. APX (3.99 ± 0.58 EU/mg protein) and CAT (154.64 ± 4.10 EU/mg protein) were obtained from Zn 80 and 120 mM treatments at the highest level, respectively. The proline, chlorophyll b, and carotenoid content increased 12.4, 1.54, and 3.95-fold, respectively, in 0.5 mM SA treatments, when matched with the control group. It was found that increasing doses of SA and Zn increased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), but this was not at a significant level. The total chlorophyll content increased 2.27-fold in Zn 120 mM + SA 2 mM treatment and the chlorophyll content increased 2.41-fold in Zn 40 mM + SA 1 mM treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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12 pages, 4260 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Temporal Changes in Flavonoid Components, Free Radical Scavenging Activities and Metabolism-Related Gene Expressions during Fruit Development in Chinese Dwarf Cherry (Prunus humilis)

by Hongyan Han, Lingjuan Zhang, Shan Liu, Na Li, Jianxin Huo and Xiaopeng Mu

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1040; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091040 - 15 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 950

Abstract

Temporal changes in total flavonoid content (TFC), composition, free radical scavenging activity and metabolism-related gene expression of three Prunus humilis cultivars with distinctively different fruit colors were investigated in this study. The highest fruit TFCs of all three cultivars were observed at the [...] Read more.

Temporal changes in total flavonoid content (TFC), composition, free radical scavenging activity and metabolism-related gene expression of three Prunus humilis cultivars with distinctively different fruit colors were investigated in this study. The highest fruit TFCs of all three cultivars were observed at the initial sampling stage (young-fruit stage, YFS), which then declined gradually until fruit ripening. The dark-red-fruited cultivar ‘Jinou 1’ had the highest TFC, followed by the yellow-red-fruited cultivar ‘Nongda 3’ and the yellow-fruited cultivar ‘Nongda 5’. Thirteen flavonoid compounds were found in the three cultivars by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the content of most flavonoid compounds gradually decreased throughout the fruit-ripening process, with the exception of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G). C3G, as the main anthocyanin in P. humilis fruits, increased drastically during the fruit-coloring process of cultivars ‘Jinou 1’ and ‘Nongda 3’, while it was not detected in the developing fruits of cultivar ‘Nongda 5’. The antioxidant activity assay (DPPH, FRAP and ABTS) revealed that fruits of all three cultivars at YFS also had the highest antioxidant activities, and cultivar ‘Jinou 1’ had the highest antioxidant activities. Correlation analysis revealed that the antioxidant activities were significantly positively correlated with the TFCs and contents of the main compounds such as catechin, proanthocyanidin B1 and phloretin-2′,4-O-diglucoside (p < 0.01). Moreover, gene expression analysis showed that the flavonoid biosynthetic genes had different expression patterns in the three cultivars. The expression levels of ChCHS, ChCHI, ChF3H, ChDFR, ChLDOX and ChUFGT increased gradually with fruit ripening in cultivar ‘Jinou 1’, while all flavonoid-related genes in cultivar ‘Nongda 5’ decreased gradually during fruit development. The results from our study could significantly contribute to the deeper understanding of flavonoid accumulation mechanisms in P. humilis fruits and also help facilitate the targeted cultivar development and the utilization as a functional food of this fruit species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Developmental Physiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology)

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Fruits from three Prunus humilis cultivars, ‘Nongda 3’ (A), ‘Jinou 1’ (B) and ‘Nongda 5’ (C), at five different developmental stages: YFS, young-fruit stage; PHS, pit-hardening stage; FES, fruit-enlargement stage; CCS, color-changing stage; and FRS, fruit-ripening stage. Bar = 2.0 cm. Full article ">Figure 2
Accumulation of different flavonoid components in the fruits of the three Prunus humilis cultivars at five different developmental stages: 1, YFS (young-fruit stage); 2, PHS (pit-hardening stage); 3, FES (fruit-enlargement stage); 4, CCS (color-changing stage); and 5, FRS (fruit-ripening stage). The values are shown as the means ± S.D. (n = 3). Error bars represent standard deviations of means. Full article ">Figure 3
The flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. Enzyme names are shown in red letters, and the heatmap of coding genes was built based on their relative expression levels. Red boxes represent high expression and blue boxes represent low expression. CHS, CHI, F3H, FLS, DFR, LDOX, UFGT, LAR and ANR represent chalcone synthase, chalcone isomerase, flavanone 3-hydroxylase, flavanol synthase, dihydroflavonol 4-reductase, leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase, UDP-glycose flavonoid glycosyltransferase, leucoanthocyanidin reductase and anthocyanidin reductase, respectively. YFS, PHS, FES, CCS and FRS, represent young-fruit stage, pit-hardening stage, fruit-enlargement stage, color-changing stage and fruit-ripening stage, respectively. Full article ">Figure 4
Correlation analysis results of the total flavonoid contents, flavonoid components, antioxidant abilities (DPPH, FRAP, ABTS) and expression of flavonoid biosynthetic genes. C3G: cyanidin-3-O-glucoside; C: catechin; EC: epicatechin; PA-B1: proanthocyanidin B1; PA-B2: proanthocyanidin B2; PXG: phloretin-2-O-xyloglucoside; PG: phloretin-2-O-glucoside; PDG: phloretin-2′,4′-O-diglucoside; Q3G: quercetin-3-O-glucoside; Q7G: quercetin-7-O-glucoside; Q7AcG: quercetin-7-O-acetylglucoside; Q3A: quercetin-3-O-arabinoside; M: myricetin; Q: quercetin; ChCHS: chalcone synthase; ChCHI: chalcone isomerase; ChF3H: flavanone 3-hydroxylase; ChDFR: dihydroflavonol 4-reductase; ChLDOX: leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase; ChUFGT: UDP-glycose flavonoid glycosyltransferase; ChFLS: flavanol synthase; ChLAR: leucoanthocyanidin reductase; ChANR: anthocyanidin reductase; DPPH: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl; FRAP: ferric-reducing antioxidant power; ABTS: 2,2’-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid; TFC: total flavonoid content. Full article ">

16 pages, 6118 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Productivity Components and Antioxidant Activity of Different Types of Garlic Depending on the Morphological Organs

by Maria Dinu, Rodica Soare, Cristina Băbeanu and Mihai Botu

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1039; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091039 - 15 Sep 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1469

Abstract

This study evaluated the elements of production, the content of bioactive compounds, and the antioxidant activity of some types of garlic: softneck—Allium sativum L. var. sativum, Rocambole—A. sativum var. ophioscorodon (Link) Döll, and chives—A. schoenoprasum L. The mean yields [...] Read more.

This study evaluated the elements of production, the content of bioactive compounds, and the antioxidant activity of some types of garlic: softneck—Allium sativum L. var. sativum, Rocambole—A. sativum var. ophioscorodon (Link) Döll, and chives—A. schoenoprasum L. The mean yields and the distribution of bioactive compounds in the bulb, in the cloves of the bulb, as well as in the bulbils formed in the inflorescence, were determined. The average production/ha in the case of chives highlighted a yield of 27.83 t ha⁻¹ of mature bulbs. All these were determined to obtain a better understanding of the biological functionality of the different morphological parts of this species. The content of vitamin C and flavonoids was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in Rocambole than in the other varieties. The phenolic compounds were higher in the case of chives, followed by Rocambole and then by softneck garlic. The content of bioactive compounds was higher in the younger organ, depending on the morphological organ (bulbs, cloves, and bulbils on flower stalks) within the same variety. The vitamin C content was higher in the cloves (15.68 mg 100 g⁻¹), followed by the bulbils in inflorescence (14.64 mg 100 g⁻¹), and the mature bulb (13.14 mg 100 g⁻¹) in Rocambole. The bioactive profile of garlic depends on the age of the morphological organ, and the bioactive concentration decreases with its maturity. Therefore, unripe garlic has the best potential to be used for its health benefits. The versatile health effects and nutraceutical properties of garlic can be attributed to the variety of bioactive compounds, mainly polyphenolic substances with strong antioxidant properties, as well as the morphological organ (mature bulb with cloves, a one year bulb derived from bulbil, or bulbil in bloom). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds in Horticultural Plants)

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14 pages, 2828 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Somatic Embryogenesis and Plant Regeneration from Stem Explants of Pomegranate

by Jingting Wang, Xinhui Xia, Gaihua Qin, Jingwen Tang, Jun Wang, Wenhao Zhu, Ming Qian, Jiyu Li, Guangrong Cui, Yuchen Yang and Jingjing Qian

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1038; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091038 - 14 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1903

Abstract

Plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis provides a solution for maintaining and genetically improving crop or fruit varieties with desirable agronomic traits. For the fruit tree pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), despite some successful applications, the existing somatic embryogenesis protocols are limited by low [...] Read more.

Plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis provides a solution for maintaining and genetically improving crop or fruit varieties with desirable agronomic traits. For the fruit tree pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), despite some successful applications, the existing somatic embryogenesis protocols are limited by low availability of explants and susceptibility to browning. To address these problems, in this study, we developed an effective system for induction of high-vigor pomegranate somatic embryos derived from stem explants. The usage of stem explants breaks through the difficulty in obtaining material, thus making our system suitable for widespread commercial production. To enhance the performance of our system, we identified the optimal explants, subculture cycles and combination of basal media and plant growth regulators for each step. The results showed that inoculating stem explants onto a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA) and 1.0 mg/L 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) achieved the best induction rate and growth status of pomegranate calli (induction rate = ~72%), and MS medium containing 0.5 mg/L 6-BA and 1.0 mg/L NAA was the optimal condition for the induction of embryogenic calli and somatic embryos (induction rate = ~74% and 79%, respectively). The optimal subculture period for embryogenic calli was found to be 30–35 days. Strong roots were then induced in the developed somatic embryo seedlings, which survived and grew well after transplantation to the natural environment, indicating the good vitality of the induced pomegranate somatic embryos. Together, our system provides a solution to mass somatic embryo induction and plant regeneration of pomegranate and lays a foundation for future genetic transformation and bioengineering improvement of pomegranate with favorable agronomic traits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Molecular Breeding of Fruit Tree Species)

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Pomegranate embryogenic callus induced by the media with different concentrations of plant growth regulators. Full article ">Figure 2
Pomegranate embryogenic calli induced using medium B2 (see <a href="#horticulturae-09-01038-t002" class="html-table">Table 2</a> for details). Red arrow points to a magnified shot of the induced embryogenic calli. Full article ">Figure 3
Pomegranate embryogenic calli induced by hypocotyl (A) and stem explants (B). Full article ">Figure 4
Growth curve of pomegranate embryonic calli. Full article ">Figure 5
Embryogenic calli and different somatic embryo stages of pomegranate. (A) Calli induced by stem explants. (B) Embryogenic calli (C) Globular embryo. (D) Extended globular embryo. (E) Heart-shaped/torpedo-shaped embryo. (F) Cotyledon embryo. In each of the panel (B–F), the induced somatic embryos was marked by red arrow. Full article ">Figure 6
Schematic (A) and microscopic views (B) of pomegranate somatic embryogenesis. SE, somatic embryo; EC, embryonic callus. Full article ">Figure 7
Somatic embryo seedlings of pomegranate. (A,B) Mature somatic embryos with buds. (C) Somatic embryo seedlings inoculated onto rooting medium. (D) Roots of somatic embryo seedlings in culture medium. (E,F) Somatic embryo seedlings after seedling refinement and transplantation. Full article ">

10 pages, 497 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Soil Types on the Morphology, Yield, and Essential Oil Composition of Common Sage (Salvia officinalis L.)

by Noémi J. Valkovszki, Tímea Szalóki, Árpád Székely, Ágnes Kun, Ildikó Kolozsvári, Ildikó Szalókiné Zima, Szilvia Tavaszi-Sárosi and Mihály Jancsó

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1037; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091037 - 14 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1506

Abstract

Common sage is a versatile medicinal and aromatic plant that adapts well to unfavorable soil conditions. We determined the effect of Fluvisol and Chernozem soils on sage morphology, leaf yield, essential oil content, and composition under rainfed, temperate conditions for two consecutive years. [...] Read more.

Common sage is a versatile medicinal and aromatic plant that adapts well to unfavorable soil conditions. We determined the effect of Fluvisol and Chernozem soils on sage morphology, leaf yield, essential oil content, and composition under rainfed, temperate conditions for two consecutive years. Based on the plant height, diameter, shoot length, and yield, Chernozem soil was significantly superior to Fluvisol. However, S. officinalis is considered a drought-tolerant plant; our results confirmed the importance of the available water capacity of the different soil types since the yield on both soil types decreased significantly after an extreme drought event in 2022. The essential oil concentration (0.67–1.10 mL/100 g DM) was higher on the Fluvisol, but the total oil content was higher in the case of Chernozem (78.64 ± 20.50 mL/m² DM). The ratio of essential oil components was also influenced by the soil types, but the highest amounts were analyzed for soils viridiflorol, α-humulen, and α-tujone. The essential oil yield showed a strong positive correlation with hydrocarbon sesquiterpenes (0.92) and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (0.95). Moreover, significant correlations were identified between the harvest time, seasonal precipitation patterns, soil and plant characteristics, and drug quality. On both soil types, the macronutrient content of the soils showed a strong positive correlation with the morphological parameters. The essential oil concentration was higher in the arid season of 2022 in the case of both soil types. The soil type and the seasonal effects can also change the ratio of essential oils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploration of Medicinal Plants: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives)

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11 pages, 3259 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insights into Anthocyanin Synthesis in Blueberry

by Zhaohui Mu, Yuchun Yang, Ayimgul Yusuyin, Yige Xu, Hui Yuan and Cheng Liu

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1036; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091036 - 14 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1237

Abstract

Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) is a popular fruit providing health benefits to humans, mainly because the fruit is rich in anthocyanins. Normally, the mature fruits of blueberry are fully blue, but we found a striped type in ‘Xilai’ blueberry. This study aimed to [...] Read more.

Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) is a popular fruit providing health benefits to humans, mainly because the fruit is rich in anthocyanins. Normally, the mature fruits of blueberry are fully blue, but we found a striped type in ‘Xilai’ blueberry. This study aimed to clarify the mechanisms underlying striped color mutations. We used transcriptome analysis to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the different stripes. A total of 2234 DEGs were identified in light stripes compared to dark stripes, among which 1023 genes were upregulated and 1213 genes were downregulated. These DEGs were related to anthocyanin synthesis, including phenylpropyl, flavonoid, and flavonol synthesis. Six DEGs (CHI, DFR, 4CL, CHS, F3H, and ANS) and six differentially expressed transcription factors (bHLH, MYB, and WD40 families) were selected for an investigation of the expression patterns of 12 DEGs related to anthocyanin synthesis in the two different striped blueberry peels using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Anthocyanin content and expression levels of transcription factors related to anthocyanin synthesis were higher in dark than in light stripes. This study enriches the available transcriptome information on blueberries and provides a scientific basis for further revealing the molecular mechanisms related to the coloring of blueberry peel, cloning, and expression of growth-related genes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Physiology Studies in Fruit Development and Ripening)

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16 pages, 1773 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Evaluation of New Table Grape Varieties under High Light Intensity Conditions Based on the Photosynthetic and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Characteristics

by Yawen He, Vivek Yadav, Shijian Bai, Jiuyun Wu, Xiaoming Zhou, Wen Zhang, Shouan Han, Min Wang, Bin Zeng, Xinyu Wu, Haixia Zhong and Fuchun Zhang

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1035; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091035 - 14 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1704

Abstract

The evaluation of photosynthetic characteristics of plants is important for the success rate of germplasm introduction. To select grape varieties with higher adaptability and trait performance, this experiment is aimed at evaluating and comparing the photosynthetic indices, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, photosynthetic pigment content, [...] Read more.

The evaluation of photosynthetic characteristics of plants is important for the success rate of germplasm introduction. To select grape varieties with higher adaptability and trait performance, this experiment is aimed at evaluating and comparing the photosynthetic indices, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, photosynthetic pigment content, and leaf characteristics of five Chinese hybrid varieties. The results showed that under high light intensity stress, the leaf growth of ‘Ruidu Cuixia’ was most affected and its specific leaf weight was the lowest, while ‘Jing Hongbao’ had the highest chlorophyll content. The maximum net photosynthetic rate (P_nmax), maximum light quantum yield (F_v/F_m), and apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) were different among varieties. It was reported that the ‘Ruidu Zaohong’ variety had the highest P_nmax. ‘Ruidu Wuheyi’ was found to have the highest F_v/F_m, while the highest AQE was recorded for ‘Ruidu Cuixia’, with intercellular CO₂ concentration (C_i) and stomatal conductance (gs) at 292.56 μmol·mol⁻¹, 766.56 mmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹, and 66.8 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹, respectively. The indices of ABS/CS_m, TR_o/CS_m, and DI_o/CS_m were significantly different among varieties, and these indices of ‘Ruidu Zaohong’ were the highest. P_n was positively correlated with C_i and T_r, gs were positively correlated with F_v and TR_o/CS_m. The specific leaf area was negatively correlated with F_v/F_m and Φ_DIo. The results of the principal component analysis and TOPSIS comprehensive evaluation showed that ‘Jing Hongbao’ and ‘Ruidu Cuixia’ performed best. Overall, the measurement of the photosynthetic characteristics of the plants during the growing period provided valuable data for the varietal introduction strategies. The better photosynthetic performance of ‘Jing Hongbao’ and ‘Ruidu Cuixia’ indicates more adaptability to the long day, high light intensity, and the high-temperature climate of Xinjiang. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticulture Plants Stress Physiology)

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Comparison of leaf characteristic parameters of five new table grape varieties. Same letter in the same figure indicates that there is no significant difference. The data in the figure are mean ± standard deviation, and different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05). (A) Leaf area; (B) Leaf weight; (C) specific leaf weight; (D) specific leaf area. Full article ">Figure 2
Comparison of chlorophyll content in varieties. The error bar indicates the standard deviation obtained from three biological replicates. Same letter in the same figure indicates that there is no significant difference. The data in the figure are mean ± standard deviation, and different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05). Full article ">Figure 3
Comparison of photosynthetic parameters of five new table grape varieties. Ci (A), gs (B), Pn (C), Tr (D), and WUE (E) in the figure showed the difference in photosynthetic parameters of the five new varieties. Same letter in the same figure indicates that there is no significant difference. The data in the figure are mean ± standard deviation, and different lowercase letters indicate significant difference (p < 0.05). Full article ">Figure 4
Fitting curves of light response of five new table grape varieties. Full article ">Figure 5
Significant differences in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters among five new table grape varieties. ETR in the figure is the right coordinate axis degree, and other indicators are the left coordinate axis degree. Same letter in the same figure indicates that there is no significant difference. The data in the figure are mean ± standard deviation, and different lowercase letters indicate significant difference (p < 0.05). Full article ">Figure 6
Comparison of fluorescence characteristic parameters of five new table grape varieties. (A) ΦDo, YNO, YNPQ, ΦPO, qp, Fv/Fm, and ΦPSII; (B) ABS/CSm, DIo/CSm, TRo/CSm, Fv, and Fm. Full article ">Figure 7
Correlation and hierarchical clustering analysis of chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, and photosynthetic characteristic parameters of five new table grape varieties. (A) represents hierarchical cluster analysis, and (B) represents correlation analysis. Different colors of red and green in Panel B indicate a significant correlation at the 0.05 level (two-tailed). Red indicates a high positive correlation, green indicates a high negative correlation, the redder the color, the higher the positive correlation between different indicators, the greener the color, and the negative phase between different indicators. Full article ">

15 pages, 2386 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Tomato Leaf Disease Recognition via Optimizing Deep Learning Methods Considering Global Pixel Value Distribution

by Zheng Li, Weijie Tao, Jianlei Liu, Fenghua Zhu, Guangyue Du and Guanggang Ji

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1034; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091034 - 14 Sep 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1945

Abstract

In image classification of tomato leaf diseases based on deep learning, models often focus on features such as edges, stems, backgrounds, and shadows of the experimental samples, while ignoring the features of the disease area, resulting in weak generalization ability. In this study, [...] Read more.

In image classification of tomato leaf diseases based on deep learning, models often focus on features such as edges, stems, backgrounds, and shadows of the experimental samples, while ignoring the features of the disease area, resulting in weak generalization ability. In this study, a self-attention mechanism called GD-Attention is proposed, which considers global pixel value distribution information and guide the deep learning model to give more concern on the leaf disease area. Based on data augmentation, the proposed method inputs both the image and its pixel value distribution information to the model. The GD-Attention mechanism guides the model to extract features related to pixel value distribution information, thereby increasing attention towards the disease area. The model is trained and tested on the Plant Village (PV) dataset, and by analyzing the generated attention heatmaps, it is observed that the disease area obtains greater weight. The results achieve an accuracy of 99.97% and 27 MB parameters only. Compared to classical and state-of-the-art models, our model showcases competitive performance. As a next step, we are committed to further research and application, aiming to address real-world, complex scenarios. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Horticulture, Plant Secondary Compounds and Their Applications)

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14 pages, 3861 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Edible Composite Coating of Chitosan and Curdlan Maintains Fruit Quality of Postharvest Cherry Tomatoes

by Youwei Yu, Kejing Yan, Huanhuan Zhang, Yanyin Song, Yuan Chang, Kunyu Liu, Shaoying Zhang and Meilin Cui

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1033; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091033 - 14 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1745

Abstract

Postharvest cherry tomatoes are prone to senescence, decay and nutrient loss during the storage period owing to microbial invasion and their own metabolism. In this work, postharvest cherry tomatoes were treated with a composite coating of 1% chitosan and 1% curdlan, and the [...] Read more.

Postharvest cherry tomatoes are prone to senescence, decay and nutrient loss during the storage period owing to microbial invasion and their own metabolism. In this work, postharvest cherry tomatoes were treated with a composite coating of 1% chitosan and 1% curdlan, and the characteristics of postharvest cherry tomatoes during storage were investigated. Compared to control samples, after 21 d of storage under ambient conditions, the cherry tomatoes treated with the chitosan and curdlan coatings showed less rottenness, less weight loss, a lower respiration rate, reduced ethylene production, lower malonaldehyde (MDA) content and reduced membrane permeability. After the samples were treated with the composite coating, the activities of free radical scavenging enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) were maintained at higher levels; the activities of related disease-resistant enzymes such as chitinase (CHI) and glucanase (GLU) were also maintained at higher levels. The soluble solids, titratable acidity, firmness, vitamin C content, lycopene content and antioxidant activities of postharvest cherry tomatoes treated with the composite coating exhibited higher levels as well. The composite coating of chitosan and curdlan might be a potentially promising method for preserving postharvest cherry tomatoes and other fruits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Postharvest Biology, Quality, Safety, and Technology)

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10 pages, 2348 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Vitro Propagation of Peumus boldus Mol, a Woody Medicinal Plant Endemic to the Sclerophyllous Forest of Central Chile

by Francesca Guerra, Loreto Badilla, Ricardo Cautín and Mónica Castro

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 1032; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9091032 - 14 Sep 2023

Viewed by 2069

Abstract

Peumus boldus Mol (P. boldus), a Chilean endemic tree species occurring in sclerophyllous or evergreen forests, has historically played a significant role in indigenous ancestral medicine. Recently, P. boldus has garnered renewed attention, spurred by the growing interest in its leaves [...] Read more.

Peumus boldus Mol (P. boldus), a Chilean endemic tree species occurring in sclerophyllous or evergreen forests, has historically played a significant role in indigenous ancestral medicine. Recently, P. boldus has garnered renewed attention, spurred by the growing interest in its leaves and bark. These parts contain a wealth of bioactive agents, including alkaloids, flavonoids, essential oils, and potent antioxidant properties attributed to their high phenolic compound content. However, the species’ regeneration within its native habitat has been hindered by a confluence of factors such as climate change, agricultural activities, and shifts in land use. Coupled with the seeds’ low germination rate and protracted emergence period, the necessity to develop large-scale propagation methods to bolster P. boldus population numbers has become increasingly evident. Furthermore, the widespread use of P. boldus for medicinal purposes renders it vulnerable to overexploitation, thereby underscoring the need for a comprehensive mass propagation protocol to support conservation efforts. Thus, the main objective of this study was to formulate an in vitro protocol for mass regeneration of P. boldus. The explants excised from nodal sections demonstrated an average survival rate of 74%, while the application of 6-benzylaminopurine (4.44 μM) yielded an average shoot length of 5.9 cm. In vitro shoot rooting achieved a success rate of 80% using perlite supplemented with indole-3-butyric acid (9.84 μM). During the acclimation phase, in vitro rooted plants displayed a remarkable 100% survival rate at the 30-day mark after being transplanted into a substrate consisting of perlite and peat in a (1:1 v/v) ratio. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A New Decade in the Propagation of Horticultural and Medicinal Plants)

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Two-centimeter boldo shoots used during the in vitro proliferation stage. Scale bar 1 cm. Full article ">Figure 2
In vitro establishment of P. boldus explants. (a) Explant survival (%); (b) oxidation (%); (c) fungal contamination (%); (d) bacterial contamination (%). M1: WPM basal medium; M2: MS basal medium; M3: DKW basal medium. * The data in the bar (mean ± standard deviation) with different letters, are significantly different. Tukey test (p ≤ 0.05). Full article ">Figure 3
Effect of different BAP concentrations. (a) Explant length per treatment; (b) P. boldus shoots in in vitro proliferation. T1: 0 (control); T2: 2.22 μM BAP; and T3: 4.44 μM BAP. * The data in the bar (mean ± standard deviation) with different letters are significantly different. Tukey test (p ≤ 0.05). Scale bar: 1 cm. Full article ">Figure 4
Response of boldo shoots with different concentrations of BAP in the proliferation stage. (a) Number of P. boldus shoots in in vitro proliferation. (b) Proliferation rate of P. boldus shoots. T1: 0 (control); T2: 2.22 μM BAP; and T3: 4.44 μM BAP. * The data in the bar (mean ± standard deviation) with different letters are significantly different. Tukey test (p ≤ 0.05). Full article ">Figure 5
Response of P. boldus shoots on in vitro rooting stage. (a) Rooting rate (%); (b) Rooted explant (T3 Treatment) of P. boldus. T1: 0 (control); T2: 4.92 μM IBA; T3: 9.84 μM IBA. * The data in the bar (mean ± standard deviation) with different letters are significantly different. Tukey test (p ≤ 0.05). Scale bar 1 cm. Full article ">Figure 6
Acclimated P. boldus plants. Full article ">

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